1st April 2022
Principal’s Message
By Mrs Simone Cooke
“The greatest gifts you can give your children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence” - Denis Waitley Dear Parents, An important and privileged part of the journey that we share with your children is building their independence, confidence and self-esteem. By teaching our children self -help skills and developing their autonomy we not only empower the children to start taking responsibility for themselves but build their belief in their own capabilities which in turn fosters a healthy self-esteem . Whilst it can be frustrating to watch on as your child stubbornly insists on putting their own jumper on backwards or grabs the hairbrush and refuses to allow you to help them navigate the tangles in their hair, these are important steps in the self-help journey and their involvement contributes to extending your child's learning experiences. Whilst it can be very tempting to want to take over and do things for your child, to make a task faster or easier, it is important to recognise that it is only through practice and repetition that children learn these important skills.
Explaining to Grandparents the importance of allowing children to complete simple tasks such as feeding themselves or washing their own hands, can sometimes be difficult as they may feel the need to intervene as they are concerned that they are too young and may not complete the task properly. But it is important to remind them of the significant benefits to your child’s confidence and self-esteem of allowing them to undertake these activities themselves, even if it does mean that on some occasions shoes may end up on the wrong feet. The look of pride on your child’s face when they learn to climb a stair or master a fork is worth all the food spillages and small tumbles. Teaching your child to be self-sufficient is of course a gradual process and can in fact last a lifetime ( or at least until they leave home) . But by starting the process from the time our little ones are babies, we are signalling that we trust them to do things for themselves and this provides them with self- agency and a feeling of empowerment. 1
REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL | ST LEONARDS NEWSLETTER
1