Early development of common sense in children is crucial for their overall growth and ability to navigate life’s challenges.
Common sense can mean different things to different people on the surface. However, it fundamentally represents the basic wisdom and intuition needed to understand life and make sound judgments.
While education provides essential knowledge for children to get along in life, common sense shows why education alone isn’t enough.
When it comes to how to encourage the development of common sense in children, Margaret Mead perfectly says our thoughts:
‘Children must be taught how to think, not what to think
Putting children in the right direction from an early stage on how to make their own decisions is different from telling them exactly what to think.
Children shouldn’t be forced into a specific way of thinking. Instead, we should encourage them to view life through the lens of common sense
As children contribute to our happiness as we grow older, we must not leave their development to chance.
One day, you’ll reflect on all the effort you’ve put into raising your children and wonder if you made the right choices. Be mindful, as our time on earth is limited. To live a more fulfilling and happy life, prioritize their growth from an early age.”
Be mindful of the friends your children spend time with. What kind of thought processes do their playmates have? These are important details to be aware of. The easiest way to understand this is by maintaining close relationships and having regular conversations with your kids.
In this post, we’ll explore several key areas and steps you, as a parent, can focus on to help your children develop this essential life skill:
1. Model Common Sense Behavior
Children learn a lot by observing their parents. Demonstrate common sense in your daily actions and decision-making processes. For example, if you’re cooking and realize you’re out of an ingredient, show your child how to improvise with what you have.
Explain your thought process out loud so they can understand how you arrive at practical solutions. If you encounter a problem at work, discuss how you plan to solve it with your child.
Children often mimic the behavior of their parents. Be a role model by demonstrating common sense in your actions and decisions. Show them how to handle challenges calmly and thoughtfully.
By doing so, you will be encouraging your children in their common sense development. It really doesn’t matter how much money you have. It is just an understanding that can improve their life view and that will make them understand and see the imperfection in our perfect world and vice versa.
2. Encourage Problem-Solving
Give children opportunities to solve problems on their own. Whether it’s figuring out how to share toys with a sibling or deciding what to wear based on the weather, allowing them to make decisions helps build their common sense. For instance, if they choose to wear shorts on a chilly day, they’ll quickly learn the importance of dressing appropriately.
These simple learning processes encourage children in their common sense development because they tend to grow with it knowing this basis. So with time, you wouldn’t need to speak about it anymore. They just see the reasons themselves because then it makes better sense to them.
3. Teach Cause and Effect
Help your children understand the consequences of their actions. Discuss scenarios where their choices lead to specific outcomes. For example, explain how not wearing a coat on a cold day can lead to feeling uncomfortable or getting sick.
This helps them see the practical side of their decisions and helps the children in their common sense development. If you just wear them the coats without telling them why all the time.
You will end up making them grow without a sense of reason. And they may not know the consequences that come with not wearing it during those periods should they become uncomfortable wearing it at any specific time.
4. Promote Empathy and Responsibility
Encourage interactions that foster empathy and personal responsibility in them. Teach children to consider others’ feelings and perspectives, which helps them make more thoughtful and considerate decisions. For example, if they accidentally hurt a friend, guide them to apologize and make amends.
There is no better well to help children in their common sense development and in having a chance at living a happy life than helping them grow on their empathy.
If they can’t see reasons why they should grow on these life paths, then they will likely end up being unnecessarily mean to others for no just reasons.
5. Simplify Complex Concepts
To enable children to have a better chance at their common sense development, you must endeavor to break down complex ideas into simpler, more understandable terms.
Use age-appropriate language and examples to explain concepts like safety, fairness, and responsibility. For instance, explain the importance of looking both ways before crossing the street in a way they can grasp easily.
6. Use Storytelling
Storytelling is a powerful tool for teaching and helping children in their common sense development. Share stories that illustrate prudent decision-making and the importance of thinking things through. Discuss the characters’ choices and the outcomes of their actions.
This makes learning about common sense engaging and relatable. It also boosts the chances of them understanding how to make their own decisions in the most logical way possible.
7. Create Routines
Establishing routines will help children understand the importance of consistency and predictability. Routines teach them to manage their time and responsibilities effectively, which is a key aspect of developing common sense. For example, a bedtime routine can help them understand the importance of a good night’s sleep.
8. Allow Mistakes
One of the most important aspects of early common sense development is letting children make mistakes and learn from them.
Mistakes are valuable learning opportunities that help children understand what works and what doesn’t. Encourage them to reflect on their experiences and think about how they can make better choices in the future.
For instance, if they forget their homework, they’ll learn to be more organized next time. It also comes with teaching them not to give up in life, and to take life the way it comes step by step while pushing forward.
9. Ask Open-Ended Questions
Engage your children in conversations that require them to think critically. Ask open-ended questions that encourage them to explain their reasoning and consider different perspectives. For example, “What do you think will happen if we leave the door open?”
This type of question helps them develop their problem-solving skills by allowing their minds to explore. By asking children such questions, you are giving them the opportunity to make the most common sense decision which helps their common sense development.
10. Provide Positive Reinforcement
Acknowledge and praise your children when they demonstrate common sense. Positive reinforcement encourages them to continue making practical and thoughtful decisions. For example, praise them for remembering to pack their school bag the night before.
What better way to let children know that they are doing great in their common sense development? It will nudge them to improve more and more and to make better common sense decisions in the future. Because they will come running back home to tell you what decision they took in a similar case maybe in school.
11. Teach Safety Awareness
Instill a sense of safety awareness in your children. Teach them basic safety rules, such as looking both ways before crossing the street and not talking to strangers. Explain to them why these rules are important for their well-being. For instance, discuss the importance of wearing a helmet while biking.
These points may come as though they are normal because you know them, but even though you feel they should have learned it, it’s always good to talk about them with the children as it helps in their common sense development.
12. Encourage Independence
Allow your children to take on age-appropriate responsibilities and make decisions independently. This helps them build confidence in their ability to handle various situations and develop their common sense. For example, let them choose their clothes for the day or help with simple household chores.
13. Discuss Real-Life Scenarios
Use real-life situations to teach common sense. Discuss news stories, family events, or everyday occurrences, and ask your children what they would do in similar situations. This helps them apply common sense to real-world contexts. For example, talk about what to do if they get lost in a store.
These basic conversations propel their minds to develop problem-solving skills and an independent mindset. It makes them understand that they can find solutions even when you are not there. They will begin to see life from a different perspective. By using real-life scenarios, you are helping in their common sense development.
14. Foster Critical Thinking
Encourage your children to think critically about the information they receive. Teach them to ask questions and seek evidence before accepting something as true. For instance, if they hear a rumor at school, guide them to verify the information before believing it. This helps them develop a healthy skepticism and make informed decisions.
By making your children follow a certain process in how they process information they hear anywhere, you will enable them to make better-defined decisions. Decisions that they wouldn’t come back to regret that they did because they followed due processes before reaching a decision.
This helps in building their self-happiness and love for themself. Most importantly, it helps in the building and development of common sense in children.
15. Encourage Curiosity
Nurture your child’s natural curiosity by encouraging them to explore and ask questions about the world around them. This curiosity can lead to a deeper understanding of how things work and why certain decisions are made.
For example, if they ask why the sky is blue, take the time to explain it in simple terms. Do not think their question is a silly one probably because you do not know it.
Find a way to tell them that you will get back to them on their question if you do not know the answer right away. You can even take the opportunity to teach them that it is okay not to know everything at a time and not to feel sorry or bad for not knowing. Rather teach them that they can go learn about the topic and come back to teach it, which is exactly what you will do.
By taking such practical steps, you will not only encourage their curiosity, but you will end up helping your children in other areas of their common sense development.
16. Teach Practical Life Skills
Equip your children with practical life skills that require common sense to help their common sense development. Teach them how to cook simple meals, manage money, and perform basic household tasks. These skills not only build their independence but also reinforce the importance of common sense in everyday activities.
17. Promote Social Skills
Help your children develop strong social skills by teaching them how to interact appropriately with others. Encourage them to practice good manners, listen actively, and show respect. For example, role-play different social scenarios to help them understand how to respond in various situations.
You would be pushing their common sense development further by doing such tasks. You are creating a balance in their minds about how things and real events that come up should be handled in real life.
Bottom Line on how to encourage the development of common sense in children
The development of common sense in children is a vital part of parenting. By modeling common sense behavior, promoting problem-solving, teaching cause and effect, and fostering empathy and responsibility, parents can help their children build this essential life skill.
Simplifying complex concepts, using storytelling, creating routines, and allowing mistakes further reinforce the Importance of common sense.
Additionally, asking open-ended questions, providing positive reinforcement, teaching safety awareness, encouraging independence, discussing real-life scenarios, fostering critical thinking, encouraging curiosity, teaching practical life skills, promoting social skills, and leading by example all contribute to nurturing common sense in children.
By incorporating these strategies into daily life, parents can help their children develop strong common sense, which will serve them well throughout their lives.
Common sense is not just about making practical decisions; it’s about understanding the world, interacting with others, and navigating life’s challenges with confidence and wisdom.
You must decide how you want your child’s life to turn out in the future. If you don’t make efforts to teach them common sense early enough, they will grow up not knowing how to react and respond to life.
They will grow up being influenced by other people’s teaching which may not be right for them. It is always better to start early. Don’t say that they are small and will learn when they grow up.
If you truly understand the role of common sense in life generally, then you must start right away to put it into play in your children’s lives.
Food for thought for Parents:
Be sure to enhance your own common sense as a parent because if you lack it, you won’t be able to help your children in their common sense development journey.
Everyone should strive to enhance their common sense to lead a more balanced and fulfilling life. It is never too late to start. It requires a decision and a conscious step in the right direction.
Maybe your circle of friends is part of your drawback. Then you might want to do a review on your life. If your children’s overall well-being is important to you, you must take some steps back to think through your life. Make sure you make the best decision for them, not for you.
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