Nurturing Innate Wisdom: The Importance of Self-Initiated Activity in Young Children

Can you recall an experience where you had a completely new idea entirely out of your own initiative? What did it feel like? Perhaps this idea created a spark of interest and curiosity and a drive to follow through because this completely new inspiration came out of your own innate wisdom. Imagine if this inspiring experience was a constant feature of your daily life. This is the experience of the young child.

For the young child, everything about our world is new. They have the potential to be constantly filled with fresh inspiration and act on it. While adults' memories blend with new inspirations, a child's memory is just developing. It primarily helps them understand the world and create connections and relationships, but doesn't influence their experience to the same degree. They get to delight in a feast of fresh inspiration.

Nurturing Space for Innate Wisdom

Adult or child, connecting with the inspiration of a new idea requires space. For adults, when our world is filled with stimuli that dictate our thoughts, it can be challenging to connect with our own individual inspiration. This is why many of our best, most inspired, and self-initiated ideas arise during mundane tasks like washing dishes or taking a shower. At those times, our minds are free to connect with our innate wisdom, free from the chatter of the outside world. We adults can create this space consciously, with an awareness that by doing so, we’re nurturing the connection to our innate wisdom.

The child, however, instinctively creates this connection. Being so new to the world, this intuitive relationship to innate wisdom is all they know. Our task as adults is to help create an open environment that allows them to maintain this connection. By doing so, we plant seeds for their future confidence, autonomy, critical thinking, and ability to stand independently while supporting others.

Creating an Environment for Authentic Development

Our aim is to create an environment that allows the child to take risks and engage in self-initiated activities within a safe space. This environment doesn't seek to harm by exposing them to challenges they're not yet prepared to face, nor is it overly protective. Instead, it provides children with an authentic experience, enabling them to draw what their innate wisdom provides for their development rather than simply what adults believe they should take away.

When we support a child to initiate their own experiences in the world, they grow to understand that their innate wisdom is an integral part of being human. They will develop a habit of turning to this inner wisdom, reducing their need to rely on the outside world to know and understand themselves. This innate wisdom helps protect the child from becoming selfish, and as they receive its gifts, they will naturally give back to the world through their experiences.

What is the Adult’s Role in Creating This Environment?

It sounds simple enough: to leave the child to explore and follow their innate wisdom, we just need to sit back and watch. However, as many parents can attest, watching your child explore, make mistakes, and learn from them is not easy. These moments often remind parents that their own path of development is just as complex and challenging as their child’s.

Yet, it's not as simple as merely sitting back and observing. The caring adult’s task is to cultivate skills of active observation. By observing, we develop our intuition, enabling us to understand how the child’s activities contribute to their development. We can then become co-creators with the child, fostering an environment that provides experiences that allow them to connect with their innate wisdom and follow their unique path of self-development.

In this way, we serve as an anchor for the child. We’re not passively letting them figure everything out on their own, nor are we micromanaging every detail, anticipating their every need and impulse. Instead, we provide balanced support that nurtures their growth and autonomy.

What Can You Do to Cultivate Observation Skills?

Focusing on a few key areas can enhance our ability to refine our intuition.

Language: How aware are you of the language you use with your child? Consider how many of your words throughout the day direct your child’s actions or ask them questions. How would your language change if you led with observation and trust?

Care: How much do you do for your child? When you perform tasks for them, are you unintentionally communicating a lack of confidence in their abilities? Or have you even considered whether the tasks you do for them are things they could do themselves?

These activities reflect how adults can unintentionally fill the space, replacing the openness that supports a child’s ability to connect with their innate wisdom. By increasing our awareness of our actions and their impact on the child’s environment, we become a stable and confident presence that anchors the child’s experience of the world.

Written in collaboration with Lisa Bono, Cedarwood’s Caregiver & Child teacher. Want to learn more about how you can support your young child’s development? Cedarwood’s Caregiver & Child classes are designed to support caregivers of children aged 6 months to five years. Learn more about the program here or reach out to Lisa at lbono@cedarwoodschool.org for more information.