By Sarah Hamaker
The elementary school years (ages 5 to 12 ) can be some of the best parenting years.
Children this age are eager to please, eager to learn and eager to be helpful.
Parents have a golden opportunity to disciple their children during these
years, as parental influence is at its height.
Here are a few tips to help you make the most of this
child-rearing season.
Establish clear
expectations for behavior. Don’t leave room for misinterpretation in your
instructions because kids are masters of taking advantage of any “wiggle room”
they find.
Assign plenty of
chores. Children should do chores every day to contribute to the family and
the household. Generally, kids want to help do “grown-up” things, like cooking.
Don’t miss the opportunity to properly train them in how to do chores—they are
more capable than we often realize. [See the April 2013 issue of Practical Parenting for more on chores
and children.]
Impart your values.
Kids love to know why their family does things the way they do. This is the
best time for parents to share with their children family traditions, stories,
religious beliefs and thoughts on sex, drugs, politics, culture, etc. As a
parent, you should develop an open dialogue with your children on these and
other relevant topics in an age-appropriate way, of course.
Be consistent with
discipline. Children will still be kids and that means they will misbehave
and need to experience consequences. It’s worth it to put in the time to be
consistent with your discipline—it will pave the way for a smoother transition
to the teen years if your kids know you mean what you say, and you say what you
mean.
Keep your humor
intact. Parents should approach these years with a smile, as kids in this
age group find many things hilarious—and you will, too, if you stop to join in
their silliness.
Stop trying to figure
out your kids. This is also the age when kids do things just because, so
you can save yourself a lot of head-scratching if you don’t try to figure out
the whys of behavior (both good and
bad) and focus instead on dealing with the what.
Allow time for fun.
Don’t over-schedule your children with sports, play dates, after school
activities and other time-fillers. Kids will only want to sit in the dusk and
watch the fireflies for a certain magical time, and the elementary school years
are that time. Give them plenty of fresh air, sunshine and freedom to structure
their own games and play fueled by imagination.
