Each year I expect my grandchild to take more responsibility for herself so that I am not constantly reminding her of what she has to do. She certainly has grown a lot more confident and capable since her kindergarten year, but she gets easily distracted when her interest is caught by something else and needs lots of reminders to keep on track. There is a big difference between what a child sees as important and what an adult regards as number one priorities. I have found that she really likes a list of jobs written in the order in which she is to do them.This works well for tasks she must do when she wakes in the morning. When it comes to homework, she starts, but if I’m not there she doesn’t keep on task very well. it is hard to be patient when I too am tired and trying to get end of day activities wound up.

These early years are when good habits are developed. It is easy to keep on doing things for children after they are capable of doing them alone and it is good to encourage them to do more complicated tasks each year.

An eight year old take on many self care tasks such as

• choosing his/her own clothes
• showering or bathing alone
• cleaning teeth but that needs to be checked
• making the bed and keeping the bedroom tidy
• making their own breakfast, and lunch or getting a snack after school
• pouring drinks
• helping prepare food for the family
• putting out the school lunch box etc. to be washed
• putting dirty clothes out
• folding clean clothes and putting them away

I still prepare breakfast and make the lunches in this house but in lots of families, the breakfast table is set before bed the previous night.

Money matters are still vague in the 8 year old’s minds. They wish for tablets, revamped bedrooms and luxury items they have seen on TV. Maths skills being practised at school haven’t translated across into the real world yet.

And time? What the clock says is not the real time in the mind of a grade three child.

Tags: behaviour