Nature will take its course with everything in life, and your children will grow up to be good and smart adults. But is it really so? You often forget that things seldom happen on their own accord, and that your children need your help and guidance even through simplest things in life. Their eyes have never seen the world, they have never heard music before, and they have never smelled things you did. We take things for granted, but our children do not, and if you want your children to be happy and smart, you should help them in the process.
Give them choices
When they are really small it might not be wise to let them decide for themselves what they will wear or eat, but as soon as they grow up enough to understand the importance of some small rituals, you can start by asking them: “Do you want to brush your teeth first or put on your pajamas and then brush them?”; “Would you like to wear red or green shirt today?”; and “Do you want to have an apple or a pear for snack?”. This will teach them a lot about choices, and it will save you a lot of time and effort in preparations. After all, it is important to respect their desires as well.
Teach them emotional intelligence
Understanding how you feel is incredibly important in life, and in order to master the fine art of identifying emotions in yourself and people surrounding you, you should understand yourself first. Emotional intelligence can matter more than IQ does, and in order for your children to grow up and have empathy and understanding, you should teach them emotional intelligence. Work with toys and picture books, when they are small. Simple drawings expressing anger, sadness, and happiness are enough, but as they get older, you should provide them with more neutral faces and let them figure out what those animals, robots, or children in the pictures are feeling. If you have two or more children, let the older one hold the baby, while it’s tightly wrapped in its baby blanket, and watch the proud expressions on the face of a big brother or sister.
Prepare them for writing
This is not just about them not having troubles writing when they reach school, but it is about developing fine motor skills and gaining confidence. When they’re young, let them button things up, open zippers, and trying to tie shoe laces. You will notice which hand is their dominant hand by the age of four, since they will start using it to color and eat more than the other one. Use some quality mommy-and-child time to teach them to copy your drawings, color in the lines, use scissors, and create different shapes with play dough.
Learn science
Learning does not have to mean that they will be sitting at the desk and stick their noses in books for dozens of hours every week. Even when they are really young science can seem fun, and even the simplest act of building a sand castle can become a subtle lesson about fluids and shapes. Building blocks, abc blocks, shape sorters, and other wooden toys can help them know the world better, putting things in order, and developing logic.
Importance of play for pre-school children
Pre-school children don’t need simple ‘fun’ or what grownups consider ‘fun’ to be, but they need opportunities to play and something to play with. Children are innovative, everything is fun for them, and anything can be turned into a toy. Games and play allow them to calm down, relax, burn all that incredible energy they have, and develop social skills such as co-operation. They will be able to focus more easily when they grow up, their imagination will be vivid because it has been used so much, and they will be able to express themselves more clearly. In addition, children who play with their beloved adults can benefit greatly; benefits of having fun together and quality bonding cannot be stressed enough.
We forget how even the simplest things and experiences stay with us all our lives, and sometimes childhood adventures and memories are exactly what made us who we are today. Your children may not understand that through all these interesting games and activities you are helping them grow and develop, but they will remember it later on in life and be happy and grateful for your good parenting.
