Personal autonomy are an important part in the development of the pre-school child. During his early years, this means that the child is capable of carrying out tasks independently (eg: eat alone, dress himself, clean up his toys etc.). It is important to know the stages of development so we do not overburden the child with task he may not be able to perform at that particular age.

Why is personal autonomy important? Personal autonomy links closely with one’s self esteem, the feeling of being useful to others and to the need to manage independently when he is alone. Education is about creating indoviduals who are capable of adapting and integrating successfully in society.

How does a child get to master these skills? This is done in an environment supervised by the parent who sees when the child meets obstacles and helps him overcome them. The child tries, fails and tries again until he is successful. We are not there to offer the answer, but to guide him find the answer for himself.

What can we do to stimulate their independence? It is important to understand that children develop differently so the time and the support required is no the same for every child. Children need support, but this does not mean they are helpless, so when we offer support too early, we take away the motivation and reason to become independent. The child will always know that someone else will do the talk for him.

Being critical does not help the child-parent relationship. By criticising his failure, we rob them of their initiative.

We should acknowledge the effort, not the end result. A child feels the trust we have in him. If we deny him trust, he will not believe in himself.