Fostering Independence

As the calendar changes to mid-October, we have noticed changes in the weather, our environment, and the animals in and around our spaces. These changes have led to shifts in our own human behavior, including adjustments in our schedules and routines. During this chilly mornings and warmer afternoon, layers are key! Now that we are 29 days into the school year, the children are taking on more responsibilities, both for their own self-care and community jobs, demonstrating their independence and familiarity with our environment and routines.

Skills that foster independence in children build confidence, support teamwork, and provide the ability for children to take of themselves and the world around them. Of course, adults and other children are always around to lend a hand, but developing these self-help skills are a cornerstone of any early childhood program. As adults around here say, "try it yourself first, then ask a friend for help, then ask a teacher." This week, we are sharing some of the expectations we have here at school, which we adapt to fit each child's developmental stage and physical abilities, as well as some of the tips we employ to help children with these jobs.

There are many steps between complete adult support and a child completing a task independently. Here's an example of how a child might learn to put their lunch in their backpack:

1. The child watches the adult put the lunch in the backpack and zip the backpack.
2. The child carries the lunch to the backpack and the adult uses "hand over hand" to put the lunchbox in and zip the zipper with the child.
3. The adult holds the backpack open as the child puts in the lunch inside. The adult starts the zipper, showing the child how to place one hand at the end of the zipper while using the other hand to pull the zipper.
4. The adult uses verbal prompts to walk the child through the task:  "Lunch in bag. Hold it open. Slide it in.  Find the zipper. Zip it up."
5. The adult supervises the child put the lunch inside and zip the zipper. If the child is resistant to the task or gets frustrated/upset, we use language like "You try first. Let me know which part feels tricky."
6. The child is able to put the lunch in the backpack and zip it independently! 

Physical skills like getting a lunch into a backpack and zipping it up are just one part of independence. Another important piece is following directions and remembering what steps are needed to complete a task. At school, we use verbal and visual supports as stepping stones to independence. For example, we use a photographic schedule to help children know the plan for the day. As our "getting ready" routines start to involve more items of clothing, we will also introduce a visual step-by-step guide to support children moving through the process independently.

Taking care of our surroundings and community is a fundamental part of taking care of ourselves and the things that we hold dear to us. When it comes to Choice Time or Playground Time, there follows the just-as-important clean-up steps, so that we store the materials that we used back away in good condition and in a place where we will be able to find and use it again tomorrow. The Sunnies take care and ownership of this space like it’s their own because, well, it is!