Teaching Your Kids To Be Independent

It can be a little difficult as a parent to teach your kids skills which they require in their day to day activities. You sometimes need your kids to be a little bit more independent, to allow you to attend to other pressing matters. When it comes to kids being independent, while some kids crave freedom and independence from a young age, others need a little push to become confident and self-motivated. While teaching your kids to be independent, allow for plenty of practice time and try different methods of teaching certain skills. Make out time from your busy schedule to give extra time to practice new skills.

Getting your kids to be independent does not just happen by magic or on its own, it comes from you instructing and supervising your kids to do some very little stuff for themselves, like brushing their teeth themselves, eating breakfast by themselves or even helping out with packing their own lunch.

When your children begin to get independent, it makes things easier for you as a parent. Here a few skills they need to learn while still under your roof:

1. Let Your Kids Handle Some Simple Chores Around the House

Assigning to your kids, chores that they can handle completely by themselves helps a great deal in giving them the self-confidence for which they require to be independent now and in the future. Chores like wiping tables, feeding the pet, tidying their bedrooms and washing their hands.

You should realize that the older your kids get, the more independent and responsible you should expect them to become. So as they get older, assign more responsibility to them in the domestic front.

2. Teach Your Kids Effective Decision Making

By letting your kids handle stuff by themselves, they learn to identify problems and in solving them, they learn to make decisions. This will help them develop rational thinking skills. Encourage your kids to listen to their instincts and to give a thought to the wide range of possible outcomes that may arise from their actions.

3. Let Your Kids Learn to Make Money

Your kids learning to make money will go a long way to help them become independent adults. It is never too early to teach your kids that they can put themselves to work in their spare time. Depending on how old your kids are, there are quite a number of businesses they can get themselves involved in, some of which include:

i. Dog Walking

Busy people need help keeping their dogs fit, and this is a job most kids can handle and have fun while at it. Your child can make some money walking dogs for other adults who do not have the time to walk their dogs. They may as they get older decide to expand to pet washing.

ii. Social Media Handlers

most teenagers tend to have more experience as concerns social media than the average adult, they may as well offer their services to these adults as social media handlers. This is one job that even young teenagers can have done while making some money while at it.

iii. Washing Cars

Your kids can earn money by washing cars for senior citizens and other adults within the neighborhood.

iv. Mowing The Lawn

Your kids can earn money by mowing the neighbors’ lawn.

4. Teach Your Kids To Save

It will profit your kids immensely if at a very young age you start teaching them to save. Most adults who have problems with saving probably did not learn the virtue of saving for the rainy day. Before you cut your children loose into the world, teaching them to save would be a very good idea.

How Do I Teach My Kids To Save?

• Saving money happens to be one of the most important you should teach your kids, but unfortunately, it is also one of the most difficult lessons. Most kids receive allowances from their parents. Teach your kids to save at least ten percent of the allowance you gave them.
• Create a piggy bank for them, so they can throw in the amount they intend to save. The good thing about piggy banks is that they have no immediate access to the money inside, therefore avoiding impulse spending.
• Some banks offer savings accounts for kids, open one for your child so he can learn to save his money in the bank and also learn one or two things about what it feels like having an account in the bank.

5. Teach Your Kids From An Early Age To Do Their Own Laundry And To Keep The Apparels Clean

Young kids for sure cannot use the washing machine unsupervised, but they certainly can help out with the laundry. They can help fold towels, put their own clothes away, and learn not to litter their bedroom floors with dirty clothes. This is a great place to start from because this will, in the long run, help them become independent.

6. Teach Your Kids To Stay Safe While He Is Out On The Street

Your kids becoming independent will involve them being on the street alone, maybe on their way to or from school. Before this happens, teach your kids to the following skills that will help him stay safe on the street:

• Teach Your Kids To Use a Map Or GPS

In the beginning, they might be getting confused with which routes to ply to and from school. Teach them to read maps and to use the GPS on their phones to help them get home whenever they are confused on which routes to ply home. Also, have your kids learn how to take the mass transit on their own.

• Teach Your Kids To Cross The Road

Most kids learn how to cross the road from their teachers at school. But it is essential that you as a parent take steps to ensure your child knows how to cross the road before he begins to leave home alone.

7.  Teach Your Child To Ride a Bike

Aside from this being an opportunity for the two of you to bond, bike riding is a skill that can hardly be forgotten. You may never know when he will need it.

As a parent, seeing to it that your kids can take care of themselves leaves you with peace of mind when they are no longer under your roof.