Life skills are crucial in preparing children on their path to adulthood. These skills can be acquired and transmitted by parents, either through the example they set for their children or through direct guidance.
Early childhood is the most precious time for parents to provide input for their children’s growth and development. It is not just about nutrition, but also includes activities and knowledge to support physical, motor, cognitive and other aspects of growth. All of this must be maximized and adapted to the needs of each child. In doing so, parents play a crucial role in helping their children grow and develop.
Here are some little things to equip children with life skills:
First, train and encourage children to put on their own shoes. When children have difficulty, teach them how to put on their shoes. By learning to put on shoes independently, coordination occurs between the brain, eyes and hands, which promotes a good ability to concentrate.
Second, teach children to take care of their belongings. An example is shining shoes. Teaching children to shine shoes helps hone fine motor skills in early childhood. They coordinate body movements between their eyes and hands while cleaning shoes, improving fine and gross motor skills while skillfully grasping and using their hands.
Third, train and encourage children to pour drinks into their own glasses. This activity requires total concentration and coordination between eyes and hands. By getting used to focusing on tasks from an early age, children will develop concentration skills that will serve them well as they grow.
Fourth, teach children to move objects. Activities that involve transferring content, such as picking up your own food and serving it, moving thin objects such as flour, sugar and others, followed by moving thick objects such as beads, grains and others. These activities prepare your hand muscles for more complex writing tasks.
Fifth, button your clothes. Buttoning clothes is a complex activity. One of the main difficulties that children face is when the buttons run out of holes. Teaching children to fasten buttons means parents are optimizing their ability to focus.
These small activities contribute significantly to the development of children’s life skills, helping them become independent and capable people as they grow.
