Teach Your Child to Ask for Help

If there is one thing that children will do when they are young is constantly ask for help, they will ask why, ask how and ask for assistance until your head spins. As children begin to grow so does their independence and resistance to ask for help, even if they need it.

There are a number of reasons children don’t ask for help, beginning with feeling ashamed or embarrassed to ask, feeling stupid or foolish in front of his/her peers, not feeling comfortable asking someone they don’t know well (teachers, neighbors, etc.) for help, or not knowing exactly what or how to ask for assistance. But there are ways you can help your child feel comfortable when asking for help.

Grades K-3rd
These are the few years when children are just beginning to feel the pressure of asking for help, normally asking for help starts to become a problem more in the 3rd grade level rather than the kindergarten and first grade level. Yet, some children may begin to feel uncomfortable at the kindergarten level. Encourage your children to understand that asking for help is the responsible thing to do, and worrying about others judging them will only hinder them from understanding a certain topic or from learning the topic altogether.

Provide stories about your childhood, your experiences or those of children you knew, who had a problem because they didn’t ask for help.

Grades 4th-6th
True stories are an inspiration to youngsters in this age group, they love to hear about what their parents did when they were young and about all the mishaps and misadventures they got themselves into while learning and growing. Think back to your childhood and share a story about a time when you needed help because you didn’t know how to do something. Did you ask for help right away? If not, what happened when you tried to do it without help?

Your children should be aware that asking for help is a responsibility and shows their maturity. When you ask for help you are merely showing that you don’t know everything, nobody knows everything, and you are allowing yourself to learn more, which will in return make learning that much easier.

Main points to address:

• Tell stories about your childhood experiences, or other children that you knew in your childhood, who had a problem asking for help.
• Encourage your child to understand that asking for help is a responsible thing to do.
• Persuade your children to not worry about the judgment of others, as this will only hinder their learning ability.

Resources
Resources that can help you in your venture include:

• FAQ Kids – http://www.faqkids.com/
• Good Character – http://www.goodcharacter.com

These stories and books can be told to your children:

• Values to Live By – http://www.valuestoliveby.com/

Posted in Health.

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