How to Make Children Responsible and Independent

As children grow they need to be trained towards self dependence or independence so that they learn to take stock of their situation, begin to take decisions, take responsibility for themselves, do not feel threatened and insecure about absence of support, can be on their own albeit for some time and be their own person.

Inculcating these qualities and skills in children will also enable a smooth transition into adulthood. Learning to take more responsibly, finding out solutions for some problems, deciding on future course of action etc will help them to be more confident and efficient as they move on in life.

This is not to say that you must hasten the process of independence among children. It only means using simple day-to-day opportunities to instill a sense of responsibility among children and reducing their dependency over others.

You can do this by taking some steps at home. For example, stop spoon-feeding them when they have grown up. When children need water, ask them to fill up their own glass and also dispose it in the sink or wash the glass themselves after drinking their milk or juice.

Encourage them to plan their day and decide their priorities. For example, allow children to make their own time table for the day allotting time for studies, home work, play time, eating time, bedtime etc.

You may also allot some work for children to do regularly. For example, cleaning their bookshelf or cupboard once a month, tiding their bed daily, taking responsibility for putting their clothes into the washing machine rather than throwing it over bed or chairs.

You may also assign some work to them like watering the garden on every holiday, taking pets to stroll on off days, choosing clothes that they want to wear rather than you deciding it for them, taking them to grocery stores and allowing them to decide the biscuits or snacks for the family.