- By Eden
- Salley
I’m a Big Kid Now: The Importance of Autonomy Support for Fostering Self-Regulation
This article is part of our weekly series, Executive Function Tips for Families.
Autonomy Support and Self-Regulation
In this series, we explore the ways parenting impacts child development. Recent research emphasizes one way parents can support their child’s cognitive growth: by fostering their child’s ability to self-regulate emotions and behaviors. Autonomy-supportive parenting practices encourage children to try tasks independently while providing support only when necessary. By understanding and adopting autonomy-supportive parenting practices, caregivers can help children develop essential executive function (EF) skills. In this article, we review a study that highlights the importance of autonomy support when fostering self-regulation in preschoolers. Keep reading for actionable steps parents can incorporate at home!
What is Autonomy-Supportive Parenting?
Autonomy support involves:
- Encouraging your child to try activities independently: When your child is working on a puzzle, praise their efforts (“Great job finding that piece!”) and encourage them to keep trying if they get stuck.
- Providing constructive feedback and encouragement to keep them motivated: Offer hints rather than solutions. For example, offer a couple of pieces as options when they are struggling to find a new piece. (“What about one of these two pieces? They both have part of a pink petal.”).
- Avoiding over-controlling behaviors: Refrain from completing tasks for your child or dictating exactly how they should be done.
Key Takeaways From the Study
The study found that autonomy-supportive parenting plays an important role in a child’s development by fostering skills that influence their long-term success. According to the study, autonomy supportive parenting can have the following impacts:
- Develops Executive Function Skills: Encouraging autonomy helps children strengthen key EF skills, including working memory, cognitive flexibility, and inhibitory control, which are vital for problem-solving and learning.
- Promotes Independence: When parents provide opportunities for autonomous decision-making and problem-solving, children build confidence, self-reliance, and the ability to complete tasks on their own.
- Supports Emotional Regulation: Allowing children to experience and navigate frustration, with appropriate guidance, helps them develop effective strategies for managing emotions. In this way, adopting autonomy supportive parenting practices can lead to increased self-regulation in children.
- Builds a Strong Foundation for Success: Self-regulation skills cultivated in the preschool years underpin academic achievement, social competence, and long-term cognitive and social outcomes.
Actionable Steps for Parents
- Promote Autonomy:
- Provide just enough help to allow your child to succeed on their own.
- Example: Let your child put on their shoes independently. Offer guidance if needed (e.g., “This shoe goes on your left foot”) but resist stepping in unless they’re truly stuck.
- Try: “Let’s Sort it Out”, an executive function sorting game to encourage autonomous problem-solving while you provide appropriate guidance.
- Offer your child choices with incentives to foster decision-making and independence.
- Example: Allow your child to pick their favorite activity to start with during learning time.
- Provide just enough help to allow your child to succeed on their own.
- Be Responsive:
- Pay attention to your child’s needs during activities and provide appropriate guidance when necessary.
- Example: During a scavenger hunt, offer hints if they’re struggling (“What’s something green that we can find in the kitchen?”).
- Try: Let’s Have a Scavenger Hunt to practice supporting your child in various ways.
- Pay attention to your child’s needs during activities and provide appropriate guidance when necessary.
Conclusion
By adopting autonomy-supportive practices, parents can help their children better develop the Executive Function skills needed to navigate challenges with confidence and adaptability. These early experiences of independence and problem-solving lay the groundwork for lifelong learning and success. Remember, fostering autonomy doesn’t mean leaving children to figure everything out on their own—it means being a responsive guide, ready to step in with encouragement and support when they need it most.
For more information, read the full study here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0193397318300303?via%3Dihub
