Building Initiative at Our Toronto Indoor Playground

At Jungle Land, our inventive Toronto indoor playground challenges kids to explore a dynamic environment, interact with fun surroundings, and take initiative. Initiative is an important precursor that is learned during childhood and has lasting positive effects in later life. Learning how to take initiative is a major part of growing up and is a marker of healthy development. Studies show that children who are encouraged to do small tasks on their own grow up to be more independent, decisive, and confident adults.

What is initiative?

Initiative is the ability to evaluate and resolve tasks independently. It is also having the focus to plan and take the necessary steps in order to arrive at a desired result or solution to a problem. Initiative is at the core of a lot of valuable life skills such as autonomy, diligence, and perseverance.

How can I encourage initiative in my child?

• Start small. Little responsibilities can be very beneficial to a child’s growing brain. For example, a simple task such as gathering all of the crayons into a receptacle at the end of a coloring activity can nurture self-awareness and one’s responsibility for their own things.
• Add steps along the way. Once a child has mastered a simple task, you can slowly expand on the responsibility by adding an extra step. “Now that all the crayons are in the container, you can put the container away in the drawer.”
• Be positive. Positive reinforcement and encouragement goes a long way. Both adults and kids like to feel appreciated and that their tasks are acknowledged. Give warm praise for when your child initiates his or her tidy routine without being reminded.

Initiative can be learned in many different ways and manifests when children are encouraged to take charge of their environment, explore their options, and be themselves. That is why we at Jungle Land take pride in our Toronto indoor playground facility. Our playground is expansive, dynamic, and safe, allowing kids to explore without concern.

Want to learn more about childhood development that occurs through play and exploration? Read our previous article: Benefits of a Toronto Indoor Playground.