Each child develops at his own pace and it is imperative both the teacher and parent recognize this and adapt their approaches to the needs of the child.

I always liken a child to a peach on a tree – no matter how much attention, food etc. you give that tree, the peach will only ripen in its own good time – and it is the same with the child.

If you picked the greenish peach and tried to force it to ripen quickly, it would be spoilt. Just so, if you try to “force” a child to display behaviour and learning that is too advanced, you will “spoil” the child. He’s ready when he’s ready, don’t hurry him up, don’t force him to learn to read or write if he is not ready.

If he doesn’t want to colour in, leave him to play. Our children have enough time ahead of them to do pencil and paper tasks. No amount of coaxing or coaching will hurry up the maturing process.

So the teachers aim to:

*develop a child’s self-esteem and sense of achievement

*encourage the child to express his/her feelings

*provide the child with a secure environment

*develop confidence

*encourage the child to be able to cope with fears, anxieties and difficult
experiences