Children Making Decisions

02/06/2012

If you have made a mistake . . . there is always another chance for you. . . . You may have a fresh start at any moment you choose, for this thing called 'failure' is not the falling down, but the staying down.
Mary Pickford

"I would like to think that at my school we are giving children an opportunity to grow," observes Carol Hillman in her Exchange book, Teaching Four-Year-Olds. "I like to think that we are offering a course in decision-making. The most important thing to remember about decision-making is that it fosters growth toward independence."

Here are some questions that Hillman offers if you are considering promoting decision-making by the children in your center:

How do you establish an expectation for young children to feel capable of making decisions?
How can you simplify decision-making choices so they are appropriate for young children?
Have you considered the technique of answering a question with a question in order to promote decision-making?
Can you admit to the children that on occasion you have made a 'wrong decision' and need to change your mind?
How will you communicate to parents about the importance you give to decision-making, so there will be consistency and carryover into the home?

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