From when children are born we are always teaching them how to do different things. It doesn't stop as they get older I am constantly teach my girls how to do things and my dad still teaches me how to do various things. It is a never ending job.
Faced with tantrums and short attention spans a study of 2,000 mums and dads has revealed the skills they’ve found, or are finding the trickiest to pass on.
Tying shoelaces, whistling and using cutlery are the hardest things to teach young children according to a poll of parents. My two were pretty good at tying their shoelaces and learned it early on but Becky only learned to whistle a couple of years ago. She blamed it on the fact she had wonky teeth and then braces on. lol and I am still teaching Ellie to use cutlery. She holds her knife and fork in such a strange way. I am thinking at the time she was learning to use cutlery properly when she was little she broke one of her left fingers and at the time was left handed so had to adapt and change her dominant hand.
Learning to ride a bike is the fourth most challenging activity to teach. My girls only learned to ride their bikes last year. They had been up and down the back alley at our old house but hadn't got the hang of turning corners. When we moved here the first time they went on their bikes, they were off. There was no stopping them literally as stopping seemed to be the last thing they learned.
Telling the time came in at the 5th hardest thing to teach children. My two obviously can tell the time but Ellie does struggle with the 24 hour clock. She has no patience to learn it either. Eesh!
Sometimes helping children with all these important skills is not easy for parents. I sometimes find it frustrating especially with Ellie who tends to learn things in her own time. She wears her hair down now, all of the time because she won't let me teach her put it into a pony tail. (13th in the list). She is a stubborn so and so sometimes.
What my girls have struggled to learn is how to help around the house. Putting toys away, putting dirty clothes in a laundry basket and how to wash dishes. It is just laziness on their part. They know how to do everything they just have to learn how to do it properly every time.
There is always so much pressure on us as parents especially if little Susan is learning something quicker than our child. It is hard not to compare. We have to remember that every child is unique and will develop skills at different times.
The 40 Hardest things to teach kids!
1. Tying shoelaces.
2. Whistling.
3. Eating with cutlery.
4. Riding a bike.
5. How to tell the time.
6. Buttoning a button.
7. How to swim.
8. Brushing their teeth.
9. Trying different foods.
10. Writing their name.
11. Putting toys away.
12. How to blow your nose.
13. Tying up hair.
14. Getting dressed.
15. Washing hair.
16. Making a bed.
17. Putting dirty clothes in a laundry basket.
18. Learning parents'/home phone number.
19. Colouring inside the lines.
20. Learning to tell your left from right.
21. Sharing things with other children.
22. How to count money.
23. Zipping a zip.
24. Using a potty / toilet.
25. How to cross the road safely.
26. Learning their home address.
27. Adding numbers.
28. Doing a forward roll.
29. Counting to 20.
30. Swinging on a park swing.
31. Helping with cooking.
32. How to wash dishes.
33. How to load / unload dishwasher.
34. Counting to 10.
35. Hopping.
36. Knowing the alphabet.
37. Washing face.
38. How to set the table.
39. Washing hands.
40. Riding a scooter
What did you think was the hardest thing to teach your child?
I don't remember teaching my kids to ride their scooters they just jumped on and were off. Bikes were a different matter though. Tying shoe laces is really hard but I think that's down to the fact that barely any kids shoes have laces these days, if they had to do it they would learn. Toilet training I thought was really difficult and I'm so glad that stage is over.
ReplyDeleteOh gosh can relate to this! X
ReplyDeleteTeaching kids how to identify and manage emotions should be number 1.
ReplyDelete