How can I support my child at home?
Six ways to support your child at home:
Teaching children how to behave and respond in different ways is exceptionally important. They watch us daily and often mimic how to respond, so it is vitally important that we are positive role models who show them what is acceptable unacceptable.
1.Discourage learned helplessness from a young age, by encouraging your child to dress and undress independently,manage their own hygiene, perform simple tasks alone, encourage them to 'have a go' first, then ask for help, tidy up after themselves etc.
2. Provide a role play area resourced with materials reflecting your child's interests. Play with them and teach them how to behave in different situations.For example, you could role play going to the dentist and your child could explain what is the matter with their tooth or when pretend to be in the playground together and model how to solve a dispute positively.
3. Encourage independence by giving your child responsibility. He or she could to do things such as: set the dining table, help to make meals, clear away the table, tidy away toys or mess that they created etc. Take them shopping and involve them in decision making. They could even create a shipping list.
4. Make time for simple activities such as board games to encourage teamwork and help children learn to take turns. Allowing children to do what they want, when they want is setting them up for failure, as this is not happens in the world outside. We all have to take turns, share and even loose. Allow your child to enjoy the triumphs of winning, but also allow them to loose, so that they can begin to find strategies to help them deal with the disappointment which comes with loosing.
5. With older children, use documentaries and other media to discuss issues around our place and responsibilities in society. It is important for your children to talk about what is happening in the world around them. Children hear and see more than we realise and often cope better knowing the truth (even if this causes pain and upset) than being deceived . Share information in an age appropriate manner and help them to make sense of the world around them. Be honest and transparent, this makes children feel listened, valued and important.
6. Give plenty of positive encouragement and praise to build self-esteem, and when they do something wrong, help them reflect on why their behaviour was unacceptable, unkind, selfish or rude and encourage them to find alternative strategies which they can draw upon in similar situations. Although praise is vital, so is honesty. If a child has behaved inappropriately, not worked hard enough or done wrong, this too shared be shared with them in a calm and fair manner. Children are not made from glass, so they cannot break. Deal with negative issues sensitively, yet firmly and fairly. If you do this from a place of love, it will show.
