Wake up at this time. Eat this much. Wear this, not that. Play for ten minutes, then it's time to go.
Somewhere between keeping them safe and keeping the day on schedule, a child's whole day can end up being run by someone else. We don't mean to, but we're often so busy keeping schedules that we rarely ask children what they actually want.
A five-year-old who picked out his own mismatched socks that morning walked into class prouder than any outfit we could have chosen for him.
Even small choices like which spoon to use, which story to read, which shoe goes on first - are quietly teaching a child something big. Take all of those choices away, and a child doesn't just lose a moment. They lose a little bit of practice at deciding things for themselves.
At Golden Bells Early Years, we build in these small moments on purpose - a choice of activity. Not because it's easier for us. It's usually not. But because a child who's never allowed to choose the small things struggles to trust themselves with the bigger ones later.
Tonight, hand them a choice you'd normally make for them. Which pyjamas. Which bedtime story. Let them decide.
Because a childhood that's only ever run on someone else's schedule is a childhood spent waiting for permission to be themselves.
