31 Everyday Ways to Connect with Your Child, Day 6: Notice the Little Things
A child’s life is filled with little things. Little clothes, little problems, little ideas. But someday those will be big problems and BIG ideas. He wants to make a cave out of dirt or she thinks it would be pretty to stack her books like towers. It sounds unimportant, but if you are tuned in to your child’s heart, you will occasionally feel the connection of childish ideas with grown up possibilities.
All of childhood is a link to the future. A passage into adulthood. And these little things are the stepping stones to greatness. Pay attention. Watch. Be amazed.
Give him opportunities to explore his ideas. Let him fail. Cheer him to success. He wants to take apart the DVD player to see what’s inside? Get him one at Goodwill along with a screwdriver. While he’s doing it, ask him what he likes about it. The small things.
When she wants to redecorate her room, give her ideas a try. If her favorite thing is reading, be sure to say to her occasionally, “You’ve been so helpful today. How about if I set the timer for one hour and you go outside and read. Go ahead. I’ll let you know when the timer goes off.”
Make sure they know that you care about the little things in their life. It will make a huge difference in who they become.
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I have found that this is so true! When I let my daughter do things like that I’ve seen her creative side come out. She opens up more. My son is a little harder to crack, but every once in awhile he shares things. Thanks, Lisa!
Becky B.
http://www.organizingmadefun.com
Organizing Made Fun
Becky, sometimes it’s better not to try to crack him…..just watch and be amazed. 🙂 Lisa~
This is soooo good! Thank you for the reminder. It truly is the little things that make the biggest difference.
It’s hard to put the mess to come out of your mind for those DVD moments! But you are right. My son, 5, asked if he could paint. I said, “Yes, you can have 4 colors.” (I was thinking clean up & art book advice about not giving too many choices.) He said, “Can I have 5 colors since I’m 5?” “YES, you can!” Proud momma. Happy boy:)
Candace, I have such a hard time with that too! But that boy is smart. 5 is a good number of colors for a 5 year old. LOL! Lisa~