Let children discover what they can do

The greatest gift we can give children is not the ability to know all the answers, but the confidence to find their own.

We need to start developing independent learners much earlier than we do. Too often, independence is treated as something children are expected to acquire when they reach secondary school, university or the workplace. By then, however, we may have spent years teaching them to wait for instructions, look for the ‘right’ answer and depend on adults to tell them what to do next. Independent learning should begin in the early years.

It is not about leaving children to figure everything out on their own, nor is it about removing the teacher or parent from the learning process. Quite the opposite. It requires thoughtful adults who know when to provide information, when to guide, when to question and, importantly, when to step back. At its heart, independent learning is about giving children appropriate knowledge and then giving them opportunities to make choices about what they do with that knowledge. It is the move from “I have taught you” to “Now show me what you can do with what you have learnt.”

Consider a simple classroom concept such as absorption. A teacher can explain what absorption means, demonstrate it and ask children to learn the definition. The children may even be able to reproduce the answer perfectly in a test. But there is another possibility. Give the children a sponge, tissue paper, cotton, cloth, wood, plastic and aluminum foil. Give them some water and ask them to predict which materials will absorb water, and which will not. Then let them investigate. They observe, touch, test, compare, record and discuss. They may disagree with one another, change their minds or discover something they did not expect. Finally, ask them to report what they have discovered.

This is a very different kind of learning. The teacher has provided the knowledge and the framework, but the child has taken ownership of the learning. This is what independent learning should look like. It is a continuous cycle of think, do, learn, unlearn and try again.

And that cycle matters enormously in a world where information is no longer scarce. Our children can find an answer to almost any factual question within seconds. Artificial intelligence can generate information, explanations and even solutions almost instantaneously. The question we should therefore be asking is not simply, “Does the child know?” It is, “What can the child do with what they know?” Can they question information, make connections, apply knowledge to a new situation, make decisions, evaluate what worked and what did not, and change their thinking when new evidence emerges? These are the skills that will matter long after a particular lesson, examination or textbook has been forgotten.

Yet developing independent learners requires courage from adults. We must be prepared to let children take appropriate risks and make mistakes. As parents and educators, our instinct is often to protect children from failure. We correct them quickly, step in when they struggle, give them the answer because it is easier and faster, and tell them exactly how something should be done because we already know the route. But sometimes, in trying to make learning easier, we make it shallower.

A mistake can be a powerful teacher. When a child makes a wrong prediction and is encouraged to ask why, learning deepens. When a child tries something that does not work and is given the opportunity to try another way, resilience grows. When a child changes their mind because they have discovered new evidence, intellectual humility develops. Mistakes open doors to deeper learning.

This does not mean that adults should simply stand back and watch. Our role is to create the conditions in which children can safely explore, experiment and take appropriate risks. We can ask them what they think will happen and why they think so. We can encourage them to consider what else they could try, what they have learnt from experience and whether they would do anything differently next time. Most importantly, we can ask them where they might use that learning in real life. Such questions gradually shift the responsibility for thinking from the adult to the child.

And this should not happen only inside classrooms. A child deciding how to organise their school bag, planning how to complete a project, helping prepare a meal, caring for a plant, solving a disagreement with a friend or figuring out how to fix something that has gone wrong is also learning to be independent. Everyday life provides countless opportunities for children to think, choose, act and reflect.

Perhaps the greatest mistake we can make is to become the adult around a child who directs so much that the child stops discovering. Our children do not need adults who constantly tell them what to do. They need adults who gently nudge them towards discovery. They need us to provide the knowledge, ask the questions, create the opportunities and then step back sufficiently for them to experience the joy of figuring something out for themselves.

Because there is something wonderfully powerful about the moment a child looks up and says, “I did it myself.” That moment is more than a small achievement. It is the beginning of confidence, agency and ownership. It is a child beginning to understand that they are capable of thinking, deciding, trying and learning without always waiting for someone else to show them the way.

So let us celebrate every new discovery. Let us celebrate the questions as much as the answers, the attempts as much as the outcomes and even the mistakes that take children closer to understanding. Let us raise children who do not simply know how to learn for school, but know how to learn for life. Ultimately, the goal of education is not to create children who need us to give them the answers. It is to nurture children who have the curiosity, courage and confidence to discover the answers for themselves.

Dr Sheeba Jojo is an educator living in the UAE