The year 2023 is behind us. That means the start of a new year, of course. 2024 is waiting for us. Who knows what the year will bring us? As a parent, you naturally want your child to discover more about life and our world every year. This way, they continue to develop themselves to be able to face all challenges later in life. Last year, we wrote in a blog about how to instill good habits in the new year. In this blog, we look back and provide some handy tips for reflecting on your child's behavior together.
Why is it so important to reflect on events with your children?
Practice makes perfect. You've probably heard that motto before. Children are true adventurers. And rightly so, because your child wants to explore the world. While your kids are playing outside, they go on an adventure. An hour later, during a walk in your garden, you come across a deep hole. Just now, your child was watching a pirate movie. There's no shortage of curiosity, so they go searching for that treasure chest. As a result, you, as a parent, have to tidy up the garden again. Just when you wanted to sit in the sun with a good book. Your little one doesn't always realize the consequences of their exploration. By reflecting together, your children learn what is and isn't allowed. This way, you prepare them for the future. It also prevents you from having to fill that same hole again.
3 tips to help you reflect with your child
Reflecting isn't always easy. It's confronting for your child to look back at their own behavior. As a parent, you play an important role in this. Therefore, here are three tips to help your child reflect.
- Discuss the consequences: Children don't always know the consequences of their actions. In this situation, ask your child to help fill that hole with sand. This way, your little adventurer also sees the consequences immediately. This works better than punishment because now your child solves the problem and learns to take responsibility.
- Offer an alternative: Of course, you don't want to take the adventurer out of your child. Do you have a local playground nearby? Go to the sandbox after watching the pirate movie and let your child go on an adventure there. Or perhaps you can create a mini playground in your own garden. Just make sure your children wash their hands well after their exploration.
- Have a conversation together: You'll naturally solve an example like this immediately. Your child learns a lot from this. As a parent, you don't see what's happening on the school playground. You do have contact with the school, but you also want to hear from your child how school is going. Schedule a daily moment to talk about your child's day. Listen especially to what they want to say, ask questions, and try not to judge right away. This way, your trust bond grows, and you help your child to tell you everything. You can do this, for example, just before or after dinner.
