One of the greatest gifts my husband and I gave ourselves was enrolling our children in a Montessori school while they were toddlers. We quickly learned that even as young as 14 months, children are capable of learning how to care for themselves and be an active participant in family life. In fact, they may even express in words and actions, “Help me do it by myself!”

By adapting our household environment to meet our oldest son’s needs, we noticed that he was more content and acted out less. We also benefitted because our son progressively became more self-sufficient in the home.

Here is a list of 10 simple changes you can make in your home to support your toddler’s independence.

1. Liqht switch extenders

Install a few of these in your home to enable your child to turn on the light in the rooms he has access to. We ones we purchased were made from clear plastic, so it was not an eyesore in the home. At first your child may be so excited that he will want to practice turning the lights on and off. A LOT. This will pass. Read the rest of this entry »