Making Good Choices

As our kiddos learn and grow, it’s crucial to start teaching them responsibility.

For toddlers, this can be simple toy cleanup. As children get older, incorporate age-appropriate chores that they can do without guidance. By getting kiddos involved they learn about taking responsibility for themselves and will begin to understand they have an active role in the family, which leads to feelings of empowerment.

For kiddos to grow into independent adults who will be able to make healthy choices for themselves later in life, adults must talk about and model good decision-making skills while they are in such formative years.

Making Good Choices

Giving children the opportunity to make choices is important for their development, but how do we help them make good choices?

Let them make mistakes. Encourage preschoolers to make decisions even if they mess up. It’s perfectly fine to let your kiddo fail sometimes. We learn from our mistakes. By experiencing the result of bad choices with little to no risk, children develop many cognitive skills, such as critical thinking, conceptualization, and analysis.

Reflect on consequences. Assist your child to look at decisions scientifically. Scientists make a hypothesis, test their theory, then later reflect to see if they were right. Help your kiddo think through the possible condequences of their choices ahead of time without telling them which choice you think is best. Afterward, without saying “I told you" guide them in reflecting on what happened and what as what they would do differently next time.

Model good decision-making skills. Make good choices for yourself in your own life and make it a point to show your child when you are doing so. For example, you may say, “I was going to eat a snack, but I just realized it is very close to dinnertime. I don’t want to ruin my appetite.” By narrating your thought process, kiddos learn that good decisions are not random or impulsive, but rather require analysis.

Start small, this way they can build confidence. Look for opportunities to incorporate choice-making into your parenting. Beneficial ways to give young children simple choices include:

• Let them make outfit decisions, such as which shoes or shirt they’d like to wear

• Involve them in family decisions, such as dinner or weekend plans

• Letting them choose their own bedtime book

Chores and Responsibility Teaching children how to take responsibility is hard and takes a lot of practice, but your kiddo is more likely to develop into a responsible, independent adult.

Make the actions a routine. The earlier you start assigning responsibilities, the earlier it will become second nature. There are tasks that toddlers can perform, such as picking up toys, helping to feed pets, and taking care of their own dishes. Invite your kiddo to help when it is time to do house chores. Remember, it may take longer than normal in the beginning. Take the age of your kiddo into consideration and manage your expectations. Make sure you praise the work they are doing and don’t criticize what is done incorrectly. Their skills as with everything will improve with practice.

Create a list of chores. In order to foster a sense of responsibility for their actions, teach your children to take care of their things. As your kiddos grow, increase their level of responsibility. Create a list or a chore chart for the entire family. Rotate responsibilities so they can experience all household chores at some degree.

Instill lifelong benefits. One day your kiddo will be and adult and ready to leave home. When this time comes, will they have the life skills they need? One of the jobs of a parent should be to ensure children are equipped with the tools they need to thrive independently. Giving your kiddo responsibilities and chores has lasting benefits, such as:

• Building a high self-esteem

• Empowering good decision-making

• Making them feel like a valued part of the family

• Making space for self-motivation

• Validating their behavior

• A sense of trust

• Fostering independence

Remember, this is a learning process, one that will take some time! Be patient and know it will pay off as you continue to guide your kiddo to learn and grow into a responsible adult.