In most families whenever a national holiday is approaching, it is either about spending some quality time with family by somehow managing to bundle it with a weekend for a quick getaway, or we are home with kids and revisiting the idea behind our country’s freedom. All we want from a national holiday is a break from the usual huddle of life.
As kids, every Republic Day our routine was to watch some cultural programmes, remember our freedom fighters, sing the National Anthem, be with family and the day would end there. And now our children are following the same footsteps. While all of the above is extremely important for our children and to know the rhyme and rhythm behind the day, it is equally relevant to inculcate some life skills in them. There’s no better day than this special day especially when kids these days are quite expressive and know what they want.
Have we ever sat down to contemplate what freedom means to us and how can we let our little ones understand and implement the beautiful gift of freedom in their daily lives? Well, my children are at a stage when they question most things and are inquisitive to know in detail about everything around them. So, I thought of explaining to them how we can use freedom in our daily lives and how doing things with a free mind can be so much fun.
Keeping up with the spirit of Independence, here are a few ways in which we can approach Independence day this year:
Freedom Of Thought And Expression :
Give children space to feel confident in sharing what they feel, without making judgements. The expression could be simply by speaking their heart out or giving their expression a creative outlet. Encourage them to feel free to share what’s on their mind in whatever manner they want to share. As parents, you would understand their mindset and form amazing bonds with your children.
Freedom To Choose :
Give them the freedom to make healthy decisions from a behavioural standpoint. Eventually, they will make lesser mistakes of harming their surroundings. We all want our children to be good human beings. While being good is difficult at times as you grow up, and right and wrong is a subjective term but inculcating values such as freedom to choose a constructive behaviour from an early age will be fruitful in the long run.
Freedom To Believe In Themselves :
Help them to believe in their strengths and talents and not get affected by negative influences in their environment. If they put their efforts in creating something then its the best version of their creativity. There is scope for improvement for everyone and they too will learn to improve themselves as they grow.
Freedom To Trust :
Help your little ones to overcome fear and move forward. For example, if your child is learning a new sport and is continuously falling and is unable to do as expected. You should talk to her to trust the process and that they will eventually learn to play well – maybe in a few days or even months. they just have to keep trying.
Freedom To Be On Their Own:
Give them ample freedom to be on their own. Let them jump, scream, shout, dance, sing, create a mess or just sit idle. Let them be! Children learn so much when they are left on their own. Let it not be a day full of guided affairs of do’s and don’ts. Believe me, they crave for space as much as adults do.
Freedom To Extend A Helping Hand :
Welcome when they want to help. They may want to help your house help in some way. Let it be. Acknowledge any kind of help they want to extend. Whether it is organizing things, laundry, baking, watering plants etc – don’t say no outright.
Freedom To Make Mistakes :
It’s okay to make mistakes. This is the only way they learn and have fun at the same time. They learn and will eventually master things that interest them. For instance, don’t grunt if your child writes a mirror image of some numbers or alphabets or don’t fret if your child takes time to grasp something new. Each child has their own learning curve. So, don’t be obsessed with being perfect at all times.
Mommies, let’s pledge to take a leap of faith with a dash of hope and teach kids responsibility by giving them enough freedom.
We will see our little ones blossom into beautiful human beings. At the same time, if a child demonstrates through behaviour and choices that he cannot handle greater freedom, do step in and help the child learn.
I hope you found the article helpful. Do share your views in the comment section.
Mansi Zaveri
Neha Savla
KSP Promotions
Parul Gupta
