
CBC Manitoba: Winnipeg school community hopes the key to kids’ independence and confidence is child’s play
February 3, 2025 —
Melanie Soderstrom, head of the University of Manitoba’s department of psychology, calls the program’s approach “a great idea.”
“I think it’s long overdue. One of the things about the development of maturity and independence is that it has to be learned through experience. If we don’t give children the opportunity to grow and make mistakes occasionally then they don’t learn to develop the skills to manage those mistakes,” she said.
“Obviously we’re not encouraging unsafe behaviour, so it is a balance.”
For instance, kids should still wear a helmet when biking but be able to go on their own to a friend’s place.
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