Imagine waking up in the morning full of energy, and ready to start your day. You go to get clothes from your closet but find that they are behind a door that you cannot get open. After struggling to open the door and finally succeeding you find your clothes are all hung up way too high. You cannot reach no matter how hard you try. You give up on the idea of getting dressed for now and head to the bathroom. You have a funny taste in your mouth and all you can think about is brushing your teeth. The bathroom door is locked and has a doorknob cover on it. You try and try but there is no getting that door open. You really need to go pee, you know that you are supposed to go in the potty but the potty is also behind this locked door. You know your parents are sleeping but there is nothing left for you to do to help yourself so you have no choice but to wake them. They are not happy to be woken so early, and you are feeling sensitive after already experiencing so much discouragement today.
I think as adults we can forget what it feels like to be small. To have so many things out of reach and to so reliant on adults. We forget what it feels like to be hungry and not able to do anything about it. We forget the pride that comes with accomplishing things independently the first few times. It takes a little extra thinking and planning but it is so worth it to find ways to prepare your home to be accessible to your children. Especially in their bedrooms. When you are planning and setting up or adjusting your preschooler’s room consider if they can use what they need to in their rooms. Can they turn on the lights? Can they reach their clothing? Can they put their own clothes away? Can they access tissue to wipe their nose, and do they have a place to put the soiled tissue? These little adjustments can make a world of difference for a preschooler! My four year old takes great pride in his room, and in taking care of himself and his space. He gets himself ready in the morning independently and then he takes a few minutes to make sure his room is tidy before heading downstairs. He is usually the first one in the family ready for the day, and since I know I do not need to provide him any help I can focus on getting myself and Little Miss ready for the day. Little Miss has taken notice of her brother’s ability to get himself ready and she is also starting to attempt more self dressing and we are preparing to make her room more suitable for independence as we know it is so worth it for the whole family.
