Parents are not the only influencers in child’s life. They are a part of child’s surroundings. Shall we pay attention to “Will child follow me” or shall we facilitate an environment of exploration.
Someone asked “will kid follow what I do?” Our answer is may be but the better way is to think Kids may follow parents but they also follow everything tangible / intangible from their surroundings. Parents are also a small part pf the same surrounding. Even if parents play important role in child’s life the child does not end up being replica of parents.
Broader spectrum of thinking should be does the environment / surrounding of the child provides enough resources and tools for him/her to explore multitudes of life?
Look around and ask, Is there bit of –
Clay to play
Dough to knead
Paper to cut
Cardboard to play
Sand to sieve
Blocks to arrange
Stone to line up
Books to read
Paper to draw
Colors to mix
Old Bucket to bang
Seeds to sow
Ropes to knot
Blackboard to write
Dice to wonder
Pillows to pile up
“Duppattas” to tie
Tools to explore
Vegetables to cut
Utensils to arrange
Clothes to wash
Brush to scrub
People to talk
Hands to massage
Tumblers to dip
Music to listen
Place to walk and run
Spoon to count
Trees to feel
Bangles to roll
“Bindis” to stick
Empty bottles to roll
Toys to open
Pen caps to explore
Magnifying glass to see the world with big eyes
Water to feel
Boats to make
Churner to churn curd
A duster to clean cupboard
Stairs to climb
Yarn to entangled
Chalk to write and draw
Sticks and leaves and stone to arrange…. And mamma to hug! And the opportunity to play, explore and experience all of them and many more!
Every day spend a bit of time with your child to explore thru – a walk, a shop, a person, a place, a resource, an activity, a song, a book and see the magic unfolding.