It will happen somewhere between being a baby and the earning the much coveted "Big Kid" title, your toddler will gain a lot of independence and want to do as much as possible on his own. And for a lot of those things, you should let him but he'll still need a little help.
Although he may not be potty trained yet and he may not be able to do a lot of things for himself, small children are very eager to help. If you're picking up toys, don't look at it as a chore you have to do by yourself. If your child is able to understand simple requests such as "Help Mommy pick up the toys and put them in the basket" then you will have a very happy helper for many things you do around the house. It is also good for little ones to learn early to put up toys before they get new ones out. Good habits for putting up items can be instilled early on in this fashion.
Another great way to let your toddler feel more independent is to let him do certain tasks on his own. When it comes time wash his hands before dinner. Get him a
step stool and show him how to put water on his hands and then soap and wash his hands. Explain why we wash our hands before meals and show him how to rinse off all the soap. Stand by as he does it and expect a little mess at first but soon he'll have the hang of it. You can also let him use his step stool for learning to brush his teeth by himself too.
If you're in the kitchen, let him stand by as you rinse dishes and either put them in the dishwasher or even better wash and dry the dinner dishes and give him a plastic cup to dry. He will feel like a very big kid if you let your toddler help with things around the house.
Children also can use their step stools to sit on when reading and for a myriad of fun pretend play games. The only limit is their imaginations!
Labels: boys, furniture, girls, toddler
by: Child Basics
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