One of our goals as parents is to raise confident, independent human beings who can take care of themselves so they can one day leave home and start a life of their own. The problem is, today's culture of gentle hands-on parenting is often construed as not letting your child make any mistakes, and doing everything for them. So how can we encourage autonomy in our children from a young age in a kind and supportive manner? What are some things we can let our toddlers do on their own to help build their confidence?
In this episode, I talk to early childhood consultant Rae Pica about ways to develop and educate your child as a whole by letting them take action on their own and make their own decisions and mistakes.
Author of 22 books, including What If Everybody Understood Child Development? and What If We Taught the Way Children Learn? Rae has shared her expertise with such groups as the Sesame Street Research Department, the Head Start Bureau, the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the Chicago Children’s Museum, Mattel, and Hasbro.