Teachers are considered to be our second parents. School is also considered to be our second home. We learn a lot from our teacher that we don't, and can't, seem to learn at home. Aside from our biological parents, teachers also mold us to be better people in the future and they help us grow through various aspects in life.
However, there are times that children, especially those who are still in preschool, show different behaviors in school and at home. There might be times that your child shows sympathy and has this sense of responsibility to clean, be helpful, and more responsible at school, but when the time comes at home, he won't even pick up his own toys. Some parents find this odd and would even ask themselves: why is my kid good to everyone but me? Why can he help others outside the home, but won't help anyone here in the household?
The answer to this question is simple: children tend to have limits with their parents because they know that their parents will love them no matter what happens. However, this does not mean that you will just accept that fact. You could get some insight from your child's preschool teacher on ways to get the best out of your child at home. Here are what some preschool teachers have got to say about this:
Make them feel like they are independent
For toddlers and preschoolers, they still need a lot of parental attention and help, but this is one common mistake that parents make. Your 3-year old child can actually start doing things on their own, only if you would let them. To do so, here is how you can encourage them:
Expect more than you think. You can set bars and rules that your toddler can follow. One good example would be hanging their jackets when they go to other people's houses, at school, or especially in your own home. This is very doable for toddlers especially if you practice with them on how to do so. This will also spark a sense of responsibility in them.
Stop doing it for them if they can do it themselves. You need to let your child do it on their own. One example of this is whenever they get dressed. Toddlers by that time already know how to put on articles of clothing, so let them do the dressing up on their own.
Don't repeat what they've done. If your child has already folded their clothes or they've already made their bed, you don't have to go through and do it again. Kids will feel pointless if you do so and it's like you are rejecting their efforts of trying to do things on their own. Let them do their thing and if anything goes wrong, teach them the right way to do it.
Let them solve little problems. Toddlers may be too little to solve their own problems, but problems like getting a toy from a distance where they can reach are already doable for them. Let their minds think of ways on how they can solve their own problems.
Give them chores. Although toddlers can't sweep the floor yet or clean the bathroom, you can assign them small and doable chores such as putting their dirty clothes in the hamper or watering the plants, or even clearing up their toys in their room. Make your child feel they are capable of doing small things that can contribute to the household.
