how to teach a 2-year-old
independence
without going crazy!
2 years old children often try to demonstrate
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their self-reliance. Sometimes it may look
quite funny, for example when a toddler is
trying to dress himself, but it may also sometimes
drive parents crazy when their child is stubborn
and for example doesn’t want to eat and throws
the food all over the kitchen. Parents may even
feel hopeless when their baby doesn’t want
to listen to them. So how to teach a toddler
independence without going crazy?
First of all, parents should remember that
it’s a good sign when their child tries to be
independent. It means that their baby develops
properly, is curious, trust its own strength, feels
support from his parents but also wants to show
them that he’s big and able to do some things
on its own.
However such a small child doesn’t understand
yet that there are some restrictions and rules,
that some things are urgent and need to be done
quickly and other things need to be done more
precisely than the baby can do. Hence there are
some misunderstandings, which sometimes can
be fun but also a little annoying for parents. Here
are some tips how to support child’s natural selfreliance
and develop his independence.
dressing
Parents should be patient and set some rules, that
of course will be modified, along with child’s new
skills. For example, at the beginning child can
open and close the Velcro on his shoes, put short
or cap, but mother is the can that zips his jacket.
Before you start to dress your child (and argue
about what he should wear today), you should
make a deal: he can put socks on his feet, but you
help him with the sneakers. Thanks to that, child
will feel he also has control over dressing and will
know what are his duties.
Parents can also let the toddler choose what he
wants to wear, but not let him choose from two
options, not from all clothes in the wardrobe! Let