What does a child’s self-care ability include?

Recently, a friend shared a surprising thing with me. She said: \”One of my cousins ​​almost starved to death.\” It seemed like a joke, but behind it was full of bitterness. It turns out that the city where my friend’s cousin lives was under control due to the epidemic last year, so she had to remain silent. The sudden home quarantine and control confused this little girl who had just graduated. She usually ordered takeout for all her meals. There was no food, rice, oil or salt at home, and she also ate up the only box of instant noodles left at home. Although under control, there are still epidemic prevention personnel delivering vegetables and rice regularly. However, this little girl does not touch Yangchun water with her fingers and cannot cook at all. A friend complained to me: \”I don\’t expect what will happen to my child in the future. I just hope that he can take care of himself and live independently even if he leaves the family.\” Self-care ability seems simple, but in fact it has no impact on the child\’s growth at all. Small. Self-care ability is the most basic life skill that everyone should possess, including not only dressing, washing, eating, etc., but also doing housework and learning to cook. Even if a person cannot go out, he can at least ensure that he has three meals a day and will not go hungry. Children\’s self-care ability comparison chart, does your child meet the standard? The early childhood stage is the best time for habit formation and the best stage for children to develop their self-care abilities. Before the age of 6, when there is an excellent opportunity to cultivate children\’s ability to take care of themselves, parents must not overindulge and do everything. Therefore, starting from the age of 3, parents can consciously cultivate their children\’s self-care ability. Check the table below to better understand what age children should do. Children aged 3-4 can put on and take off clothes, shoes and socks with the help or reminder of adults; can help place chopsticks, clear tables and chairs, and clean tables; can put toys and books that they have used and read back to their original places. Children aged 4 to 5 years old can put on and take off their clothes, shoes and socks independently; can brush their teeth, wash their faces, and put towels and toothbrushes back in place; can organize their own belongings, such as toys they have played with, messy rooms, etc. Children aged 5-6 can wash their own shoes and clean indoors; they can use simple kitchen tools; they can help wash vegetables before meals and wash dishes after meals. Many parents think that when their children are young, there is no need to rush to let them do it by themselves. When the children grow up, they will do it naturally. But as everyone knows, once a child develops dependence, it is difficult to correct it. Educationist Montessori once said: \”Everything we do to children will bear fruit, not only affecting his life, but also determining his life.\” A person\’s self-care ability is not something that comes naturally; It takes repeated practice. Suhomlinski said: \”Children should be allowed to do whatever they try to do when they grow up; give children an environment for free development to help them grow better.\” Don\’t always think that children are still young. , take care of everything for them. In fact, after parents let go, the growth of children is beyond your imagination. Tell your children: Real growth can only depend on yourself. Have you ever had this experience? You bought a pot of plants at the market and went home. Every morning, you would carry a kettle and carefully sprinkle water on the plants. Maybe you will still say to it, \”Grow up quickly!\”; however, after a week, the plantIt actually withered! For another example, have you ever been troubled by the problem of feeding your child? In 2023, you will find the latest and most complete [Kindergarten, Junior High School, and Senior High School] premium VIP course catalog of various subjects and famous teachers on the entire network, click here to view it now! As soon as the meal starts, you have to hold the rice bowl and chase your child all over the room, just to make him eat a few more mouthfuls of food? The previous example illustrates three things: (1) You don’t know whether this plant is dry or wet; just like you don’t know why a child doesn’t like to eat. (2) Because of your lack of understanding, you have no choice but to make assumptions—watering water as hard as you can, chasing the children to feed them. (3) What grows up is a plant, and what grows up is also a child. It can absorb it on its own and will grow up automatically. The growth of plants is the same as that of humans. Except for external environmental factors (water, air), the rest has to depend on itself. It takes root step by step and sprouts layer by layer. The person who waters the flowers cannot help \”it\” grow! Where is the child? Apart from providing the external environment (food, love…) for adults to grow, we can do nothing else. Real growth can only come from the children themselves. The theory of independent growth is a very important theory in Montessori education principles. Dr. Montessori once pointed out: \”If one cannot be independent, there is no freedom.\” When we talk about \”independent growth theory\”, it actually contains two meanings: (1) \”Independence\” is the main goal of growth─ ─Being able to become an independent person has the ability to develop life. (2) \”Independence\” is a necessary condition for growth─it represents the maturity of various physical and psychological functions. For example: able to walk on their own, able to breathe freely… Children\’s growth follows the laws of nature. All adults need to do is to follow the \”laws of nature\”; assist children to develop freely and help them complete the mission given to them by nature. Three simple steps to cultivate children’s self-care ability. When a child has a certain degree of self-care ability, it will not only meet his own development needs, but also become the basis for his survival in society. So, how can we cultivate children\’s self-care ability? First, let children develop a sense of self-care. After the child reaches the age of 3, when his own abilities are reached, he should be encouraged to do things by himself, such as putting on clothes, folding quilts, organizing personal belongings, etc. He should be allowed to do it by himself. Maybe you think your child is too young to do anything by yourself, but you have to understand that children like to imitate adults and know what they like to do. At first, the child\’s performance was not satisfactory, but with a small step forward every day, the child\’s future will be a big step forward. Second, let your children do housework. If you want your children to have the ability to take care of themselves independently, don\’t miss the opportunity to do housework. For example, cleaning, washing clothes, washing dishes, cooking, etc. If you love your children, you must be willing to use them. Children who can do housework tend to be more independent and capable of taking care of themselves. Some children, one year after entering Montessori kindergarten, are still interested in work in daily life. A large part of the reason is that the children have no opportunities to practice at home. Psychologist Piaget pointed out: Children first develop thinking through actions. The more they like to do things, the better it is for brain development. In the process of doing housework, children will pinch with two fingers, grasp with fingers,Fine movements such as clasping hands can not only develop children\’s hand muscle strength, but also exercise their hand-eye coordination. Third, parents must have enough patience. It is really difficult for children to develop self-care skills in one day. Parents can arrange a schedule to slowly increase their children\’s tasks. At the beginning, the child\’s hands-on effect may not be ideal, and may even be a disservice. Parents must tolerate the gradual process of their children from \”not knowing\” to \”knowing\”. As Dr. Montessori said, I forget when I hear, remember when I see, and understand when I do. Practice makes perfect. You are not afraid that children will get it everywhere, but you are afraid that some parents will lose their patience. As long as the child can do something within his own capabilities, he should let him go and try it on his own. If parents do too much, it will hinder their children\’s growth. As a parent, remember Dr. Montessori’s admonition: The highest goal in educating children is to make them independent. You do not need to rely on your parents either mentally or materially, and you are responsible for your own thoughts and actions. This is the deepest love a parent can have for his or her children.