Some ways to engage your child better.
- Give your child choices over clothing, toys, books or something as simple as which hand they want to hold — for instance, giving two choices regarding what they want to wear today by asking ‘Do you want to wear the left one or the right one’, or by saying ‘Do you want to brush your teeth first or use the toilet?, or perhaps even controlling a tantrum by saying ‘Do you want to walk home or should we ride the stroller?’ Such choices allow the child to feel in control and most of the time resistance is entirely because of feeling cornered. The remaining times, it is based on hunger, exhaustion or fear.
- Let them try to do something themselves before stepping in — it takes an enormous amount of self-control to not step in when your child is struggling with something.
- Allow for sensorial activities under supervision — playing with bubbles, slime, sand, stones or even food. Children register important concepts while using their hands and this is best described with the frequently quoted words of Dr. Montessori, “the hand is the instrument of the mind.”
- Commit to inculcating a love of learning in your child instead of forcing them to learn later — and this is best achieved when you go out of your way to involve them in activities that you wish for them to end up doing themselves.