Content-type: text/html Downes.ca ~ Stephen's Web ~ A 4-year-old can run errands alone ... and not just on reality TV

Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community

To be clear, this article doesn't recommend simply sending a 4-yar-old on an errand unprepared. But it is about developing autonomy in children, counter to the prevailing North American trend of increasing parental supervision. "It's not so much about raising 'free range' kids – the term often used to describe children who are free to play and explore around their homes and neighborhoods on their own — but rather it's about raising smart, capable kids whose parents enable them to practice autonomy without sacrificing safety. Kids who have the skills they need to handle the responsibility." For another take on this, see this bit from Trevor Noah.

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
stephen@downes.ca

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Last Updated: Nov 21, 2024 12:37 p.m.

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