During those early months of life, you certainly witnessed your preschooler’s distinct personality beginning to emerge as they reached enthusiastically for a rattle or even pushed away a teddy bear. But, your child’s individuality will truly start to show between the ages of 3 and 5.
What kind of changes should parents anticipate during their preschooler’s development and what can parents do to support their child? Or should you even attempt to step in?
Self-expression and some self restraint
According to Kirby Deater,psychology professor at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and author of Parental Stress, children between the ages of 3 and 5 become more comfortable expressing themselves verbally.
Preschoolers also develop more self-control during this time. They start to depend more on themselves and less on you and other people. They are becoming more focused and less emotionally reactive as they learn how to control their emotions when they become thrilled, scared, or sad.
In addition to increasing their self-assurance, preschoolers are also learning how to treat others and getting a lot of experience in this area. By the time they are five years old, children usually begin to exhibit more concern for their parents and are finally beginning to comprehend that you have wants and feelings of your own. Together with these changes, they start to express their affection more readily, start to live in their imaginations, and may alternate between being demanding and cooperative.
How to Foster Personality Growth in Your Kid
Although your child’s personality will develop organically on its own, there are a number of things you can do to support them as well as some things to avoid.
i. KEEP IN MIND THAT YOUR CHILD IS SPECIAL. The developing personalities of children, including siblings, vary from one another in astonishing ways. In the end, parenting that is considerate and responsive to the unique talents and needs of the kid will promote healthy personality development.
ii. AVOID LABELING. You want your child’s personality to emerge naturally, uninfluenced by your (or anybody else’s) worldview. Don’t describe your preschooler as shy, domineering, emotional, or tough, for example.
iii.BE A ROLE MODEL. Your preschooler probably imitates and observes you the most. Therefore it’s up to you to provide an example of grace, generosity, and patience.
iv.INITIATE PLAY. A child’s growth is greatly influenced by play. To encourage your child’s personality to develop, give them time to play. Children can grow physically, cognitively, and emotionally via play. They learn how to resolve disagreements, cooperate in groups, use their creativity, and assume various roles. Children develop their decision-making skills, learn to advocate for themselves, create, explore, and take charge while they play.
V. INSTEAD OF MOLDING YOUR CHILD INTO REPLICA OF YOU, LET THEM BE THEMSELVES.It’s possible that you’re shy, quiet, extroverted, or concentrated. Perhaps you also desire it for your children. The fact that your child is authentic, makes friends, and experiences the world in his or her own manner is much more crucial. You may encourage your child’s personality to develop in additional ways. In order to reduce television time, for example, reading to your preschooler might be crucial.
Vi. ACKNOWLEDGE THE ROLE OF NATURE AND NURTURE. Don’t merely attribute your child’s personality to nature or the care you give. Both factors contribute to the variety of personalities found in both children and adults.
Is it advisable to try to change your preschooler? Although encouraging children to attempt things that may seem to push their developing identities, preschoolers should nevertheless be allowed to be themselves.
The main components of personality are already quite solid by the time children enter preschool. They are not strict, though. Humans evolve, and the elements that make up our personalities are somewhat malleable.Don’t try to alter your child’s personality; instead, concentrate on providing them with opportunities for learning that might encourage their development in novel ways.
Each child has unique features and talents that parents need to appreciate and even embrace. While they attempt to determine how to react to the same child’s more tough or demanding behaviors. Instead of attempting to mold the child into a specific type of person, the objective is to work to establish a caring and supporting atmosphere.