Little children experience time differently than we adults do. They are not even able to discuss what happened in the recent past — they live here and now, and only this is important to them.
When you go on a new road, you spend more time than if you hurry along a familiar one. Here is a child, for whom all roads are new, moving slowly. This is a sign of a desire to look around in new circumstances in order to be absolutely sure of the correctness of their actions. «What did you do in kindergarten today?» we ask. In response — sour silence or a monosyllabic: «Eat.» At the same time, he pulls at your hand: “Does this excavator work?” For young children, it does not matter what happened in their lives some time ago, but everything that happens at the moment is extremely valuable. They are generally not in a position to discuss what they do not observe right now. They cannot plan their lives the way we adults do. Because they experience time differently: their rhythm is much slower. It is impossible for them to explain why it is necessary to fasten the jacket and pull on the boots as soon as possible. Why go to kindergarten? Are you in a hurry again? Why can’t everything be done in a measured and calm manner?
After three years, children love to look at photo albums. «Who is this little one?» we ask. “It’s me,” the child recognizes. Unbeknownst to himself, he begins to notice the passage of time, masters such concepts as «before» and «now». He has a feeling of being «big» and an idea of himself being «small». Does he think about the future? In the adult sense associated with the relentless planning of tomorrow — «I’ll think about it tomorrow» — no.
An «adult» sense of time arises in children by the age of nine. But from birth, the child has a great desire to master the wisdom of the adult world himself. It’s difficult, it doesn’t work right away, but if you support it and don’t limit it with strict time frames, he will definitely learn everything in due time. It is only important to believe in it, be patient and sometimes just wait. But real patience is hard work, it requires not passive waiting, but a relentless search for moves that would help the child move forward. Does he already know how to do something himself? It is better for adults not to invade this reclaimed territory, and where he still needs help, it is important for us, when helping, to know when to stop. Often we are driven by our adults and seemingly the best intentions: we are trying to lay a straw for the future. But it is better to just give him the opportunity to solve his own problems as early as possible, to teach him to live without interfering with others.
Children don’t think about the future like we do.Although they certainly have the expectation of a happy moment. The child is waiting for the door to slam in the entrance and the mother to return home after work. He counts the minutes until she takes her mind off her business and talks to him. Or when the time comes to decorate the Christmas tree and he will be presented with a new bicycle or a dog. Every child has small and big expectations. Well, if we manage not to deceive them. And at the same time, do not get ahead of them, do not come up with something for them that they do not expect at all, but help them live in today’s day.