I saw a link to this video on Facebook. It's a cute social experiment done in the Philippines on children.



Although my son is much younger than the children in this video, the premise of the video made me pause and reflect on how toddlers demonstrate their own capacity and desire for independence.

My son is one-year-old, and in the past few months, he's been trying to assert his independence. He tries to do everything on his own: drinking from a tumbler, feeding himself with a spoon, putting his slippers on by himself, brushing his own teeth (although of course I need to finish off for him), wiping up his own spills ....

What's fantastic is that when he succeeds at doing something by himself, he has such a sense of accomplishment. He cheers and claps for himself excitedly.

Watching my son at this stage reminds me of what I've read regarding Maria Montessori's philosophy of education. Montessori's pedagogical theory is often summarized in the statement, "Teach me to do it myself." Young children, Montessori reasoned, are competent and capable, and, with the right environment for them to explore and discover, coupled with guidance from elders, they can learn knowledge and skills on their own.

I've definitely seen the truth of Montessori's ideas in my son. It is such a pleasant surprise for me to discover how quickly a toddler can learn new skills if we let them.

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