Self-care skills include the basic abilities children need to perform activities of daily living. These skills include various activities such as toilet habits, personal hygiene, putting on and taking off clothes, eating habits, cleanliness and order. The preschool period is a critical time when children strengthen their sense of independence and acquire healthy life skills.
Developing toilet habits is one of the most fundamental self-care skills in early childhood. As children learn to control their urine and feces, they also learn to use the toilet. This is an important step in children’s physical and emotional development and often requires patience and guidance from parents. In the process of developing toilet habits, children’s physical and emotional readiness is monitored and the child’s awareness of his or her own body and needs is encouraged.
In early childhood, children learn basic skills in personal hygiene. Daily hygiene routines such as hand washing, brushing teeth and combing hair help children develop cleanliness habits. The skills acquired during this period influence children’s habits for many years to come. At the same time, personal hygiene habits teach children healthy lifestyles and reduce the risk of germs. It minimizes the risk of disease by keeping them away from germs and bacteria.
From an early age, children begin to learn the skills of putting on and taking off their clothes. The process of putting on and taking off clothes helps children develop their motor skills and strengthen their sense of independence. They learn competencies that they will always need in their daily lives, such as buttoning buttons, tying laces and pulling zippers. These competencies develop as their motor skills improve. It also helps their ability to make decisions about choosing clothes. The ability to wear clothes supports the child’s self-confidence by enabling them to be more independent in their daily lives.
In early childhood, children also begin to learn healthy eating habits. Eating themselves, choosing the food on their plate and trying a variety of foods supports the development of self-care skills. In this way, children gradually learn to eat independently and begin to meet their own needs.
On the other hand, this period covers the years when children learn the basic skills of cleanliness and order. Activities such as picking up their toys, organizing their rooms and helping with simple household chores develop children’s sense of responsibility and sensitivity to their environment. Cleaning and tidiness habits enable children to be more independent in their living space and help them maintain order in their environment by supporting their self-care skills.
Learning self-care skills in early childhood enables children to become self-confident and strengthen their sense of independence. These skills form the foundation for more complex abilities that children will build on and develop later in life. It is important for families to offer patience, understanding and guidance to support and strengthen children’s self-care skills.
Uzm. Gozde Akoglu