Helping children to feel 'needed' rather than 'needy'

Feeling capable is fantastic. Knowing that the people who love you ALSO believe in you — they think you are resourceful and resilient — that’s the wind beneath your wings. When parents trust children with some independence, both generations feel a weight lifting. The sky’s the limit!

Dear Parent, please think back on your childhood. The joy of playing. The afternoons absorbed in a hobby. Or even the time that something went wrong and you had to figure out what to do — and you did.

Remember? You were trusted with some independence. And it shaped you.

But today, for a number of reasons, children don’t get as many chances to do things on their own.
This makes it hard for them to stretch and succeed, or even bounce back from disappointments. They
need a little of that bracing, old-fashioned independence YOU had. The Let Grow Experience gives it to them. Why?
• In their free time, children discover their deep interests.
• Children who struggle with school or relationships feel great joy and relief doing something not graded or measured.
• Treating children as fragile is making them so!

Recently, Prof. Camilo Ortiz completed the first pilot project treating anxious children with a “mega dose” of independence. They walked to school, ran errands — simple stuff. But this “Independence Therapy” worked better than drugs and faster than Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.

At Milldown, the Let Grow Project will be run in a two ways:

1) Focused attention and increased opportunity for 'free play'.

2) Let Grow Experience suggested activities for children to complete at home, with parental permission, that improve independence. 

During the school day and after, children will be given more opportunities for free play. A Let Grow Play Club, run during lunch or after school, will support children in improving their executive functioning skills. Our playtimes are enriched to support key 'executive functioning skills'.  Children who take on Let Grow Experience suggestions, will be celebrated in school half termly. 

The Let Grow Experience is a homework assignment that has children go out and do something new, on their own. Make breakfast, climb a tree, run an errand. The point is to stretch the boundaries of childhood just a little bit.

When children do something new on their own, big things happen. Both generations get a burst of
confidence. Worry gets replaced by pride and joy.

It can be hard to let go, so The Let Grow Experience provides this little push. And of course you and your child will discuss together what their Projects will be.

Be prepared for a lump in your throat. And thank you for giving your children this gift!

To find out more please visit Let Grow