The task of parents is to teach their child, however, the development of children occurs according to a special law. One of these patterns was formulated at the beginning of the 20th century by the famous psychologist L. S. Vygotsky, who called it the zone of proximal child development.
Zone of proximal development of the child
Upon reaching a certain age, the child learns certain things that he can do on his own - walking, buttoning, washing hands, etc. But at the same time, there are also a number of such things for him that he can do only with the help of an adult. This second category is the zone of the child's proximal development. The third category of cases includes the rest of the actions, including those that the child is not currently able to master, even with the help of the parents.
L. S. Vygotsky proved that the expansion of a child's skills occurs only through those actions that relate to the zone of proximal development: tomorrow the child will independently do what he did with his mom and dad today. Thus, if the parents do a lot of work with the child, the zone of his proximal development becomes as wide as possible and does not include only what he is unable to master. Such a baby very quickly learns many skills and abilities, feels more confident, prosperous, more successful. Leaving the child to himself, parents narrow his zone of proximal development, reduce his potential.
This law can be clearly represented by the example of how you teach your kid to ride a bicycle. First, you put your child on the bike and roll it, holding the handlebars. Gradually, the child begins to pedal and steer himself, but you continue to hold the bike by the seat. Finally, you let go of the bike and the child rides on his own. It is very important to understand when it is time to let go: if you do it early - the child may fall and start to feel fear, let go late - the baby will develop a feeling of insecurity.
How else can you use the law of L. S. Vygotsky
Many parents, sooner or later, are faced with the fact that the child stops listening to what the parents recommend or order him. More often than not, these verbal messages cause the opposite reaction - you cannot force a child to read if you do not pick up the book yourself. If you want to instill good habits in your baby, stick to them yourself: arrange family readings and competitions, go fishing, ski or ice skate.
What other effects can be obtained from joint activities? The child's general ability to learn changes for the better, his self-esteem and self-satisfaction grow. In addition, the joint activity of parents and children contributes to the emergence of long-term friendship and good mutual understanding.
