Welcome to week 2 of Get Ready for K Through Play, a series I am doing with some of my favorite bloggers that will help you prepare your child to start Kindergarten. We hope that these parenting tips will help with Transitions to Independence for Kids.
Last week I talked about how parents can Help Kids Deal with Hurtful Comments. This week, we are sharing ways to encourage Independence Skills in kids. After reading this, be sure to check out Practicing Independence Skills.
If your child is starting Kindergarten this year, you might be feeling some pressure to help them become more independent before school starts. In my experience however, independence comes in baby steps. You don't have to make these independence milestones happen in one big step. Behaviors changes are more likely to be effective if you give kids small steps to transition them into more independent behavior.
Tooth Brushing
I am not sure where you are in your tooth brushing routine. Some people have had their kids brushing their own teeth since they were toddlers, while other (like us) have not. Our dentist recommended that we brush our kids teeth to make sure a through job is done. So up until very recently, we have been doing all the tooth brushing. We really want the kids to be more independent though. So we have starting letting them brush their teeth in the morning and handling the evening tooth brushing ourselves until they get the hang of it.
Breakfast
Since getting ready for school in the morning can be stressful, we have always had breakfast ready to go for the kids when they wake up. However, I have been wanting to give their kids more control in different areas, so we started letting kids choose their own breakfast some days. Cereal is great for a choose your own breakfast day since it is quick. Of course there are days when I still make breakfast such as pancakes or eggs for the entire family. But on many school days, we are letting the kids pick and pour their own cereal. Soon we will add milk pouring to the routine.
Picking Clothes
Do your kids pick their own clothes or do you pick clothes for them? I still pick out clothes for my kids a few days a week. The reason I do this is that my kids have a lot of clothes. They get clothes from family and friends for holidays and birthdays. When they pick their own clothes they tend to pick the same few outfits over and over again. So I pick a few days a week to make sure other clothes get worn and things don't get worn out as quickly.
We usually pick clothes the night before to simplify our morning routine. We will check the next day's weather on my phone and the kids will think about what would be best to wear in that weather. This has really helped them develop their critical thinking skills as well as independence. I am always impressed that they are able to pick the perfect clothes for the weather.
Clean Up
My kids help with cleaning up their toys. They don't do so without reminders, and they often don't clean up in the same way I do. In the past, their idea of cleaning up their toys was to just put everything that was on the floor on to a surface. In an effort to make clean up easier for them, I started labeling bins, baskets and shelves in our playroom. Even if a child is not reading yet, they can learn to recognize the words on the labels by looking at the stuff in the basket when the playroom is tidy. You would be surprised at how quickly non-readers can pick up on "reading" the labels and putting things where they belong.
Bath Time
As kids get older, bath time can become more independent. Our kids get a bath sponge and body wash and wash themselves in the tub. I just help with the hair washing which can still be tricky at this age. My kids want to be independent and love the chance to lather up and wash themselves. They are also responsible for drying themselves and getting pajamas on after their bath.
These seemingly small steps will help your child transition to the independence they will need in Kindergarten. They will feel good about themselves as they accomplish these tasks and they will be ready for increased responsibility.
Be sure to visit the following bloggers and check out their Independence Skills posts:
Practicing Organization Skills from The Pleasantest Thing
Nurture Independence from Mama Smiles
Foster a Child's Independence with Chores at Home from Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas
Teach Independent Skills for Kindergarten from Coffee Cups and Crayons
Preparing for School - Inside Out, Back to Front, Wrong Foot! from Rainy Day Mum
These chore charts will help motivate your kids to do chores. You get 5 chore charts in this bundle. If your child likes ballet or a princess or rainbows, they will love these printable responsibility charts.
Each chore printable has a fun theme and has a place for your child to write their name. There are spaces for you to write daily chores and weekly chores. You can personalize the chores that they will be doing by writing those in. If your chores change from week to week, no problem! Children check off each chore on the day they do it. This is an easy and fun way to get kids to help out around the house! Get your chore chart here.
Cerys Parker
Great post - we're at the same stage as you with the tooth brushing, but have compromised with the "I'll do it" that the kids brush their teeth first and then we brush them afterwards.
Going to try the labelled boxes for the toys - getting the kids to tidy up is just not working here, they pile them into the corner!