Instructions for children, why is it important to tell them how to do things?
Nobody is born knowing how to do things. In all learning in this life you need instructions that indicate how to do things the right way. To pretend that a child knows everything from the first moment is something impossible, to the parents this corresponds teachings that serve as a guide to the smallest of the house.
Of course, in each house there will be different instructions and different teachings to transmit to the little ones. But what can serve as a common link is the method to inculcate these guides to the children. Something that will teach children to cope with certain situations both in their present and in the future.
The importance of the instructions
As indicated in the Department of Health and Human Services of the United States Government, the instructions they play a very important role in the development of every child. No person has been born knowing, every teaching that we have received has been accompanied by a guide to a greater or lesser extent. An example is how a little boy learns to tie his shoelaces.
If in this case you need instructions to do it correctly, why not in other situations? The work of every father is to teach his children how to act and this also applies to the behavior of the little ones. Thanks to these guides the children will know how to act in different contexts and be successful in achieving their goals.
When talking about instructions you can think of a series of rules about what the child can or it can not do at home. But with these guides, for example, children can be instructed on how to play in an activity without cheating so that in this way they can fulfill what is proposed along with their friends. At the same time it will also serve as a prevention against possible dangers.
An example can be a hike next to a steep area, the child should be instructed how to walk to avoid falls and possible injuries derived from it. At the same time, the instructions can encourage the autonomy of children by proposing alternatives and that the children choose. An example of the latter is to indicate the clothing for a certain event but allow the small one to decide the color of some garments.
Patience and consequences
Just as nobody is born knowing, few learn at first. The instructions may take time to become internalized. Therefore, from this Department is recommended to parents a lot of patience and not expect immediate results, especially in those lessons more difficult to understand as the rules of a game. Over time the children will learn that the results are more positive when these guidelines are followed than when they are not.
In the process of internalizing these messages they also have importance the use of consequences. During the first teaching instruction process, children should see first-hand the results they follow if they do not follow the instructions. Cheating in a game can cause you to be left out of these activities the next time.
Damián Montero
