5 old-school parenting tips that you should still use today

Parenting isn't what it used to be, but there are still some holdovers from the good ol' days of letting kids play in the dirt and scrape their elbows.

Dr. Tovah Klein, Director of the Barnard Center for Toddler Development and author of "How Toddlers Thrive," and Angela Lanscom, a pediatric occupational therapist and author of "Balanced and Barefoot," talked to INSIDER about parenting tips that seem old-fashioned but are still worth following.

Eat dinner together

Eating dinner together may seem old-fashioned, but it stands the test of time. A family meal allows everyone to connect and talk about their day, and creates a familiar routine that kids find comforting.

"It seems so 1950s, not that the mothers have to cook anymore," said Klein. "The fathers can cook, too!"

Send them outside by themselves

"It used to be that kids went running off in their backyard or with friends and parents said 'Don't come home until dinner,'" said Klein. "Nobody would do that today, but giving children freedom to play and be on their own... seems very old-fashioned but is very good for kids."

According to Hanscom, playing outside also helps children refine their senses in ways that carry over when they come back indoors.

"Spending time outdoors fosters sensory and motor development, which actually lays the foundation for sensory organization," she said. "Being able to pay attention in school is reliant on that, being able to use the eyes to function and read. Being able to control their emotions also relies on being able to organize the senses."

Let them play with sticks

Hanscom said that playing with raw natural materials increases kids' muscle development and creativity.

"The more practice you get going outside, the more creative you get with using things like sticks in different ways," she said. "The first time you go outside you're going to see a stick and it's just a stick, and then you start experimenting with it, digging in the dirt, and it becomes a tool, and then you realize you can use it to build if you see someone else building with it."

Be a parent, not a friend

Parenting isn't a popularity contest.

"Children feel safest when the parents are setting the rules," said Klein. "It doesn't have to be overly strict, but the structure that parents give and the rules that they set with the child in mind actually help children grow and develop and feel secure."

Let them fail

Let kids try things that are a little too hard. Let them fall down. While they may be frustrated or upset in the moment, it builds their self-confidence when they can pick themselves back up.

"For children to be able to try things, to try it again, to try it their own way, and not be told that it's wrong, is really important," said Klein.

5 old-school parenting tips that you should still use today - 07-10-2019 10:02:33am

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