By Patience Schauer, Preschool Lead Teacher

A cornerstone of our preschool and 4-K classrooms is teaching children self-help skills. Learning these basic (but tricky) skills is so important because it fosters independence, builds a child's confidence and self-esteem, prepares them for school, allows them to take care of their own basic needs, and helps them develop a sense of accomplishment. This ultimately leads to a more positive self-image and better overall development.

Here are some of the ways students practice independence in Yellow House, one of our 3-year-old classrooms.

Our childcare classrooms serve all meals family-style, with each child serving themselves. This learner is using a pair of tongs to serve herself salad. When she is done, she will then pass the bowl to the next child.

The children also pour themselves milk. They learn to hold the cup with one hand and the pitcher with the other. When they are done they pass the pitcher to the next child.

If they happen to spill their milk (and yes, they spill their milk a lot) they are taught how to clean it up. They go and get paper towels and wipe up. One of the rules of Yellow House is that students clean up their own messes — whether that's spilled milk, the toys they played with or the paper they cut up in the art center.

They also help sweep up the floor when they spill their snack (or after completing an art project).

When the children are done eating, they take turns going to the bucket to scrape their plates. They use their fork to scrape the food into the bucket, pour out any milk they have left, and then place their dishes into the dirty dish bucket bucket. They then push in their chair and go wash their hands and face.

After lunch, our preschoolers make their nap mats. First they have to find the corners on the short side of the sheet. Then they can lay the sheet down and make their mat by tucking the corners of the sheet under the corner of the mat.

Students put on their own coats by laying their coat on the floor, standing by the hood of the coat, placing their arms in the holes, and flipping the coat over their heads (coat flip). Yellow House's newest self-help skill is zipping their own coats — which has been both empowering and frustrating!

Some of the things children learn from developing self-help skills:

Confidence
Curiosity
Connection
Creativity
Independence
Self-pride
Self-esteem
Problem-solving
Fine and large motor skills
Planning and sequencing
Communication
Self-competence
Observation skills
Hand-eye coordination
Cause and effect
Sustained attention

By encouraging these skills in our classrooms, we empower children to become capable and independent learners. Through daily practice, they develop the ability to care for themselves and take pride in their achievements. These foundational skills not only support their early education but also set the stage for lifelong success.

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