Every parent wants to give their child the best education possible. We want them to have a head start before going off to school, and we also want them to be more prepared for life in general. But what skills should they learn? This article will discuss four essential skills that you can teach your toddler from a young age that will benefit them as they get older!

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1 Hygiene 

Hygiene is essential, and it should be taught to your child from a young age. More so then ever it is a necessary to teach them the basics but in turn this will help them for years to come. You can teach them how to wash their hands and brush their teeth from a very young age. Instilling this in as early as possible will create a fantastic habit. My children will not go to bed without brushing their teeth as they are so used to it being part of their routine. Washing hands correctly is a life skill and you will be thanking yourself later when they don't pick up as many bugs. This is a great skill to teach before starting primary school and it will definitely leave you feeling more comfortable to let your kids be independent. Occasionally, for some reason they may forget these essential skills (it happens!), but there's no need to worry because you've already instilled the importance of hygiene into their mind at such an early stage and hopefully it will just be a one off!

2 Potty Training 

Many parents dread the day when they have to start potty training their children. But in reality, it's not that hard! You'll be surprised at how clever your little humans are. You need a little bit of patience and persistence from both you and your kid. It might take several weeks before they finally get used to going on the toilet instead of having accidents all over the house! Although this is more difficult for some than others, with time and practice, your toddler will eventually learn how to use the bathroom properly without any help at all. I introduced the toilet to my children at 1 years old so they became comfortable and used to sitting on it with a toilet seat, by 18 months my children were happy to do their number two's on the toilet frequently! Never doubt your child's ability to learn!

3 Decision Making 

As your child gets older and you start letting them go out with their friends on a more regular basis, they will need to make decisions independently. For example, if they want to buy ice cream from the shop down the street or play at a friend's house instead of going somewhere else, then you need to teach them how to make these types of choices from an early age. Even though they might seem small now, these are essential skills that all children should learn! You can do this with your toddler by giving them options and letting them make some decisions. Also respecting your children's decisions and explaining why or why not it is a good decision can also help. We need to encourage our children to be critical and independent thinkers as this will benefit them later on in life too!

4 Time Management

When your child starts going to school, you will notice that their schedules become a lot busier. They might have homework on top of all the extra-curricular activities they participate in after class! Therefore, they need to learn how to manage time when they get older so that everything runs as smoothly as possible and this also makes things easier for us parents. This can be taught by giving them chores around the house (such as setting the dinner table every night) and ensuring these tasks are completed before it's too late! If you have younger children keeping a strict routine with them will also help with understanding time and how long things last for. All children love routine so keeping some consistency, for example, a set bed time, or a set time in the day for reading, will really help them. You may find your child coming to you at that specific time in the day to ask for these things themselves as their body clock has found this pattern of time. It's never too early to create a routine for your child.

5 Reading

Teaching your child essential skills is not an easy task. But if you want them to succeed in school and life in general, it's something that has to be done! With the proper guidance and motivation, they will become independent people who can think for themselves when making decisions. It might seem strange to think of this so early on in their lives but the earlier children are introduced to these skills the more likely they are to carry them on. The first 5 years of your child's life, their brain is like a sponge and ready to learn, so give it a go.

Amina xx