Encourage your child to enjoy their age
– By Stephanie Ferguson, Halton Waldorf School
A s adults, many of us long for the carefree days of our
childhood when we could spend hours catching frogs in the
creek or playing hide and go seek with our friends in the
neighbourhood. Many children today don’t seem to experience
the same joy and satisfaction with these simple activities as
we did, choosing instead to pursue activities typically enjoyed
by much older children.
With more and more elementary level students owning
tablets and/or smart-phones, the opportunity for exposure to
grown-up influences from online sources also increases. The
peer pressure we experienced as children is amplified in today’s
world through the ease of communicating with friends using
social media. Instead of a gradual move toward adulthood,
these days it seems to be a sprint. Child development experts
say that physical and behavioural changes that would have
been typical of teenagers decades ago, are now common among
children ages 8 to 12 – or “tweens.”
As parents, how can we guide our children to take a breath
and enjoy their age? One of the best things we can do is
to simplify our children’s schedules. Filling free time with
organized activities and play dates sounds like a great idea, but
it doesn’t allow children the time they need to just be a kid.
Even though there are numerous external influences
surrounding tweens, as parents we still have plenty of influence
over our children. Model the behaviour you want your children
to exhibit, which can be as simple as putting down your
smartphone more often and pulling out the old board games,
or dusting off those skipping ropes.
Make sure their educational experience is a good fit. Are
they in an environment that allows them to learn at their own
pace? A developmentally appropriate curriculum that supports
a child’s natural ability goes a long way to build a strong
foundation for learning. Give your child the opportunity to
enjoy being their age, and enjoy it with them! •
Halton Waldorf School
Inspired Learning
SM
Celebrating over
30 years
as an accredited,
independent,
non-profit school.
With an experiential
approach to learning
through curriculum that
integrates the arts, music
and movement into daily
practice, we create
opportunities for students
to engage in their
own learning.
“Where children are inspired to become
creative, critical thinkers.”
905.331.4387
High School • Grades 1-8 • Kindergarten (age 4-6)
Preschool (age 3-4) • Parent & Child
2193 Orchard Road, Burlington
www.haltonwaldorf.com
A non-profit organization.
Established 1984.
Silver & Gold Magazine ~ AUTUMN 2018
Lots more online: www.kidsnaturally.ca
27
27