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It can be a scary thought to let your child do their own things, but starting early on can show your child how to appreciate kindness, support and guidance from others. Independence is also the cornerstone of boosting self-esteem and confidence – so how should you nurture independence? Here are some top tips from this boys school in London.

Compromise
Not every task has to be done because you say so. Children will learn what they like and what they don’t like through trial and error – it’s key to give them that opportunity to discover what they enjoy. In these situations it’s worth offering a compromise to see what your child can handle. For instance, if you were planning a day trip but then it starts raining heavily, then offer them the choice to come up with another activity that they can do inside.

Give them more responsibility around the home
Chores are a good way of encouraging children to help around the home in their own special way. Again, we all hate specific chores more than others, which is why working together will give your child more confidence in doing these tasks. Say they don’t enjoy vacuuming the house, why not try to let them try out dusting and wiping down surfaces around the house instead?

Other responsibilities you can give your child can be giving them the choice of what lunch or dinner should be. Ingredients can be written on a list and they can help you out with the cooking and planning. Tasks like these will give your child a lot of confidence in their own skills that they can use in the future.

Identify opportunities
These can be ways that your child can handle tasks on their own without your supervision. As they get older they’ll be able to follow their morning routines such as getting ready for school, brushing their teeth and choosing their own breakfast without your guidance. Routines are great ways for children to pick up things independently and show that they’re confident in doing tasks by themselves.

Let go gradually
Over time you don’t need to watch over your child constantly. They’ll begin to learn how to handle situations by themselves without guidance; sometimes there will be times where your child might not know what to do, but show them that it’s okay to not have all the answers straight away. As adults we’re constantly learning about how to handle situations and it’s the same when we’re kids – ensure you’re giving your child support when they face new situations and show them how you would handle them.