At Discovery World, we support children in developing self-help skills as part of their daily routines. These skills help children build autonomy, confidence, motor development, and problem-solving abilities.
Self-help skills develop gradually through practice and encouragement. While we intentionally scaffold these skills at school, reinforcement at home is essential. We understand that families are busy and that allowing children time to practice can sometimes feel challenging. However, giving children opportunities to try, even when mistakes happen, helps them build independence and self-esteem.
Accepting imperfections, modeling, and offering another opportunity to try can make a big difference. Over time, these small moments of practice help children become more capable and confident.
Below is a look at some of the many skills we scaffold at school and ways families can support them at home. These experiences help build large and small motor skills, confidence in trying new things, early independence, and pride in one’s own accomplishments.
3–8 Months: Young Infants
We support at school:
- Self-feeding exploration
- Crawling and early walking opportunities
- Holding one’s own bottle / controlling feeding
At home:
- Allow time for self-feeding exploration
- Provide safe opportunities for movement practice
- Practicing hand-over-hand with bottle feedings
8 Months–2 Years: Infants / Toddlers
We support at school:
- Using spoons and cups during meals
- Offering opportunities with open-face cups with water
At home:
- Practice pouring using cups and measuring spoons, e.g. water in the bath or sand at the park
- Offer a spoon and sippy cup at mealtimes
- Offer a small open-faced cup when offering water
18–30 Months: Toddlers
We support at school:
- Serving food from platters with spoons
- Feeding independently with utensils
- Changing clothing during water play and accidents
At home:
- Encourage dressing independently, starting with the support needed and decreasing to encourage emerging skills on the cusp of development, e.g. start with pulling up pants after one ankles and then help teach how to put in feet
2–3 Years: Preschool
We support at school:
- Caring for toys, materials, and belongings
- Cleaning up after play
- Serving food from platters with various utensils, including tongs, and pitchers
At home:
- Practice pouring liquids in the bath and at the dinner table
- Encourage dressing independently, especially pajamas and shoes
- Invite children to help with laundry (pairing socks, a cognitive skill too!)
3–4 Years: Preschool
We support at school:
- Taking care of toys
- Classroom responsibilities
At home:
- Practice pouring and serving food
- Encourage dressing independently
- Give small household responsibilities like wiping baseboards, bringing plates to the sink, and placing dirty clothes in the laundry or hamper
- Ask for help with laundry (pairing socks, a cognitive skill too!)
4–5 Years: Preschool / Transitional Kindergarten
We support at school:
- Taking care of toileting needs
- Participating in daily classroom routines
At home:
- Prepare for school the day before, picking out clothing and setting out the night before
- Dressing and undressing independently, placing dirty clothing in the laundry or hamper
- Organizing their room and using bins with words and images of the items inside to label
- Sorting laundry, folding pants and towels
- Helping with small chores
- Pairing socks
Partnering Together
Self-help skills grow strongest when children have opportunities to practice both at school and at home. While it may sometimes feel faster and neater to step in and help, allowing children time to try, even when done improperly or spilling, builds independence, confidence, and cognitive skills that benefit them long-term.
Mistakes are a normal part of learning. Expect children will break, spill, mess up, and put on everything backwards and inside out. An imperfect end result does not negate their hard work and skill and character development. And we would even go so far as to say, leave the shoes on the wrong feet. If it doesn’t bother them, it’s not worth lessening the pride created by getting there “myself”. With patience, encouragement, and consistent practice, children successfully develop the skills they need to care for themselves and their environment.
Thank you for partnering with us in supporting your child’s growing independence
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