What is appropriate at this age?

It is every parent’s responsibility to ensure their children are loved and nurtured to the best of his or her ability.

Every child develops differently in his or her own style. Some learn faster, some are slower. Some learn by looking at adults, some learn by participating in group activities. At every stage of development, children will have different abilities and concern. As a parent, you should not expect your child to do many things that are not in their ability. They may physically ready and know how to feed, put on clothes and keep their items away but at times, they may need a little reminder.

Many children at the age of 3 have short attention span and need instructions repeated to them before they can comprehend. They required a great deal of patience and understanding. Children in their early childhood years need the adults in their lives to show them how things are done. Whenever possible and where needed, you can show your children how to perform simple housework.

Doing certain things for your children is not going to make them lazy and dependent on others. You are not enslaved to them if you offer them occasional helps when they need them. Forcing your child to do things that are not within her range of abilities can yield negative results. Crying and lack of attention could be signs that the child find it hard to cope with your expectation. Children need to learn to do things for themselves but they also need times and space for practice.

It has been found that excelling in activities and school learning during the early childhood years is no indication of later success in life. So a child is always on a life-long journey of learning and along the way, he or she needs parents’ support, understanding and patience to excel.