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You are here: Home / At Home / DIY Projects / Five Fun Ways To Encourage Your Toddler To Be Independent

Five Fun Ways To Encourage Your Toddler To Be Independent

March 13, 2019 By Kari Leave a Comment

“I can do it myself!”

You’ve got to love that toddler independence! Even though everything takes five thousand hours to do, I love watching our son Wyatt’s interest in learning how to do things himself. We try to feed that curiosity as much as we can, and introduce him to new things all the time. I always say, never underestimate what your child can absorb (even at a young age)! Below are five fun ways to encourage your toddler to be independent.

 

 

 

Five Fun Ways To Encourage Your Toddler To Be Independent

 

#1: Teach Them A New Skill. Show them how to do something, and let them run with it! We got Wyatt an instant camera for Christmas. We showed him how it works and then let him play around. Along the way, we offered tips and suggestions of photos he may want to take. We recently brought the camera along on our Mexico trip, as well as to the Ice Castles in Edmonton. Now we’re hanging the photos up in his room, so we can reflect on our special time together.

A Few More Ways:

#2: Have them to pick out their own clothes. It doesn’t have to be every day, but maybe once a week? You could do “Wear What You Want Wednesday”! If you’re concerned about your kid leaving the house looking silly, lay out a pile of clothing you know will work together (a few shirts, pants, shoes, etc.) and let them pick from the pile. This will also save you time!

#3: Let them help with dinner. Instead of letting the frustration mount while you try to make dinner with your kids asking you to play, pull up a chair and get them to help with dinner! This is such a great way for your little one to learn about food, and develop an appreciation for what goes into preparing a meal. Encourage and praise them for helping! We always make a big deal of the fact that ‘Wyatt made supper!’ tonight. Sometimes we’ll have Wyatt set the table while we make dinner. It keeps him busy, and he takes great pride in picking and laying out the napkins. You could even get them a cute apron, oven mitts, and a chef’s hat to make it an even bigger deal. I love this one and this one!

#4: Get them to order their meal at a restaurant. This is a great opportunity to teach them manners, and how ordering works. Involve them in the entire experience!

#5: Create a chore chart. (Watch for a post on a really cool chore we made, coming soon!) Making the bed, filling the dog’s water dish, cleaning up toys, etc. This is such a great way to involve your kid in running the household, and aims to give them a sense of pride in the place they live.

Pin this to your Kid’s Activities and Parenting boards and follow me on Pinterest here!

 

Other Posts You’ll Like:

Interactive St. Patrick’s Day Craft

Time Saver: Mompreneur Tips

Easy + Adorable Snowman Craft

 

xx

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Filed Under: DIY Projects, Life, Motherhood

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Who can we call to get these lyrics changed? 😄 Who can we call to get these lyrics changed? 😄 ... but seriously? 

Actually listened to the lyrics while Miss. Rachel was on.🙈 Side note- i love her.

 What else needs changing? ⬇️
#motherhoodjourney #wheelsonthebus #1950scalled
Feel this? ⬆️ Share if you do. ❤️ You kno Feel this? ⬆️ Share if you do. ❤️

You know what drains a kid's emotional cup - being overscheduled. We've lived it and I'm here to say it's SO MUCH BETTER on the other side.

📍Last year, our goal was to give our oldest (now 8) every opportunity to try things to figure out what he loved. His schedule was packed with activities (I realize this is a privileged point). We were running - sometimes literally - from school to activity every night of the week and on weekends.

📍Fast-forward to this year - he has so much more time to just be a kid and we're all happier! He's picked a couple of things he's passionate about, but we've cut so much out and now most of our after-school time is open. Maybe we'll run an errand, maybe we'll come home and hang out, maybe we'll play at the park with friends and get ice cream. 

✨️ If one day he decides he wants to pour more time into one of his passions - we support that, but for now this is it and it's awesome! 

➡️ Have you lived this? How do you balance wanting to expose your kid to different activities so they find what they love with wanting your kids to just be a kid? Share below.

this video ⬆️ is from @fairmontjpl's Lac Beauvert. On every summer visit, Wyatt and I have a tradition of renting a kayak from The Boathouse and cruising the lake. 

❤️ Follow @kariskelton for more motherhood moments and helpful Reels to make your journey a little easier and even more enjoyable. Send me a DM to say hi. 

#parentingjourney #overshedulingkids #letkidsbekids
This ⬆️ make you want to be a better parent? M This ⬆️ make you want to be a better parent? Makes me want to be a better human. ✨️✨️

Words by @wordsof_emmaheaphy 

📍Save this to come back to and share with your friends in motherhood. Be sure to check out my Reel two back on 'Glimmers' - that one has helped me with the tough days.❤️❤️

➡️ Follow @kariskelton for more motherhood moments and helpful Reels to make your journey a little easier and even more enjoyable. Send me a DM to say hi. 👋

#motherhoodjourney #momquote #parentingquotes
🚨Two Laundry Hacks!🚨 Share this with a frien 🚨Two Laundry Hacks!🚨 Share this with a friend who could use some laundry help. 🤗

➡️ Do you hate laundry? Love it? I love washing and hanging. My husband is definitely better at folding. ❤️

Tip 1️⃣ has been a game-changer. Fresh laundry and no stinky clothes that have been sitting too long. I schedule mine to end when our baby naps so I can get to it right away. 

Tip 2️⃣ if you want wrinkle-free clothes that don't wear down as quickly - take your clothes from the wash and throw in the dryer for 5-8 mins only and then hang to dry. I do this for everything but stuff that is workout pant or bathing suit material (that goes straight on the rack).

The little time on the dryer is just enough to take the wrinkles out without shrinking or compromising the longevity of your items.

Towels, blankets, and sheets do go in the dryer for a full round. 

Did this help? 

❤️ Follow @kariskelton for more motherhood moments and helpful Reels to make your journey a little easier and even more enjoyable. Send me a DM to say hi! 👋

#laundryhack #laundry101 #momtips #laundrytips
Load More… Follow on Instagram

kariskelton

Who can we call to get these lyrics changed? 😄 Who can we call to get these lyrics changed? 😄 ... but seriously? 

Actually listened to the lyrics while Miss. Rachel was on.🙈 Side note- i love her.

 What else needs changing? ⬇️
#motherhoodjourney #wheelsonthebus #1950scalled
Feel this? ⬆️ Share if you do. ❤️ You kno Feel this? ⬆️ Share if you do. ❤️

You know what drains a kid's emotional cup - being overscheduled. We've lived it and I'm here to say it's SO MUCH BETTER on the other side.

📍Last year, our goal was to give our oldest (now 8) every opportunity to try things to figure out what he loved. His schedule was packed with activities (I realize this is a privileged point). We were running - sometimes literally - from school to activity every night of the week and on weekends.

📍Fast-forward to this year - he has so much more time to just be a kid and we're all happier! He's picked a couple of things he's passionate about, but we've cut so much out and now most of our after-school time is open. Maybe we'll run an errand, maybe we'll come home and hang out, maybe we'll play at the park with friends and get ice cream. 

✨️ If one day he decides he wants to pour more time into one of his passions - we support that, but for now this is it and it's awesome! 

➡️ Have you lived this? How do you balance wanting to expose your kid to different activities so they find what they love with wanting your kids to just be a kid? Share below.

this video ⬆️ is from @fairmontjpl's Lac Beauvert. On every summer visit, Wyatt and I have a tradition of renting a kayak from The Boathouse and cruising the lake. 

❤️ Follow @kariskelton for more motherhood moments and helpful Reels to make your journey a little easier and even more enjoyable. Send me a DM to say hi. 

#parentingjourney #overshedulingkids #letkidsbekids
This ⬆️ make you want to be a better parent? M This ⬆️ make you want to be a better parent? Makes me want to be a better human. ✨️✨️

Words by @wordsof_emmaheaphy 

📍Save this to come back to and share with your friends in motherhood. Be sure to check out my Reel two back on 'Glimmers' - that one has helped me with the tough days.❤️❤️

➡️ Follow @kariskelton for more motherhood moments and helpful Reels to make your journey a little easier and even more enjoyable. Send me a DM to say hi. 👋

#motherhoodjourney #momquote #parentingquotes
🚨Two Laundry Hacks!🚨 Share this with a frien 🚨Two Laundry Hacks!🚨 Share this with a friend who could use some laundry help. 🤗

➡️ Do you hate laundry? Love it? I love washing and hanging. My husband is definitely better at folding. ❤️

Tip 1️⃣ has been a game-changer. Fresh laundry and no stinky clothes that have been sitting too long. I schedule mine to end when our baby naps so I can get to it right away. 

Tip 2️⃣ if you want wrinkle-free clothes that don't wear down as quickly - take your clothes from the wash and throw in the dryer for 5-8 mins only and then hang to dry. I do this for everything but stuff that is workout pant or bathing suit material (that goes straight on the rack).

The little time on the dryer is just enough to take the wrinkles out without shrinking or compromising the longevity of your items.

Towels, blankets, and sheets do go in the dryer for a full round. 

Did this help? 

❤️ Follow @kariskelton for more motherhood moments and helpful Reels to make your journey a little easier and even more enjoyable. Send me a DM to say hi! 👋

#laundryhack #laundry101 #momtips #laundrytips
Load More… Follow on Instagram

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