5 Ways to Support Your Child

Attending Wildflower is really a family experience. As our children learn and grow, so do we as parents and as home educators.

A question often asked by parents is: How can I support my child at home?

Here are 5 simple ways:

1. Take Good Care of Yourself

Your children love you and need you to be at your best. Make sure you are getting the rest, recovery, and support you need to be the very best parent you can be for your child this year.

2. Do Less and Teach More

It's so easy to jump in and do for our kids all of the time. It's often much faster to do it ourselves. But taking this approach can actually hinder our children's independence and sense of confidence.

One of Maria Montessori's famous quotes, while pretending to be a child, was: "Help me to do it alone!" Children thrive when they are taught HOW instead of just told what or even worse, pushed aside because someone told them they CAN'T.

So when you have an opportunity to slow down and teach your child, take it! This will build their sense of self while also freeing up your own plate as they learn to take things on.

3. Let Your Child Make Mistakes

So you took my advice from #2 and taught your child how to cut verries for breakfast, but now there are berries all over the kitchen floor. IT's OKAY! Mistakes are part of growing and making mistakes gives us more opportunity to learn. You don't need to rescue your child every time or reprimand them when they do things wrong. The point is not to be perfect but to learn to do it themselves. When they make a mistake, help them learn from it and try again.

4. Make Routines WITH Your Child

Children feel valued when they are included in decision making processes. So leave some room to include them in the routines and rules of the house. Not every idea they have will pan out or even be practical. But some ideas they have will work great and can be easily incorporated into the family. This can help build their sense of self and inner motivation to contribute to the family.

5. Make Dua!

Ask Allah for barakah in your homes and learning journey this year. Without it, nothing is possible.