The moment babies step into the world, they start taking every step towards learning something new every day. According to the experts, this baby phase is crucial for child development. This is especially true for the first five years. As a parent you need to understand these developments to ensure your children have the best start in their life.
These first five years play a huge role in laying the foundation of your child’s behaviour and health. These experiences also help in developing your child’s brain capacity to tackle the day to day challenges. Before we dive into the process of development, let’s first understand the different domains of child development.
Key Domains of Early Child Development
- Communication Domain
- Physical Domain
- Social-Emotional Domain
- Cognitive Domain
Communication is the first and most important domain of kids’ development. Talking with family, teachers, and peers helps your kids. It helps them develop their communication skills as they grow up.
Besides communication, the Physical domain also plays a crucial role in motor development. This motor development can also help your kid coordinate. It will help with activities like walking, jumping, and climbing.
Learning about feelings and social interaction helps your kids. It teaches them how to interact with others and who they are. This part of early child learning also helps children to develop a positive relationship with others .
Cognitive development is another most important part of early child development. It helps kids analyse how the world around them functions. With traits like adaptive behaviour and curiosity, your child can learn about maths and science. They will learn about classifying and counting.
Different Stages of Child Development
The process of early child development not only involves the physical growth of your kid. It also builds their social, emotional and communication abilities. Let’s understand these different stages of this process.
- New Born (0-3 months)
- Infant (3-12 months)
- Toddler (1-3 years)
- Preschool age (3-4 years)
- School-age ( 4-5 years)
At this stage, the babies try to make eye contact and cry for different needs. But, they usually start to smile after two to three months. During this period they try to follow the objects with their eyes and turn towards the sound with increased control on arms, legs and head.
During the Infant stage, babies react to noises. They try to respond with babbling for the first three months. However in the next stage they follow few commands when used with the gestures and may recognize their own name. Usually at this stage babies get greater control over their arms and legs and can grasp objects with one hand. They also laugh when happy and cry when they get annoyed.
At the toddler stage, your kid says the first word and can build up to five to ten words in the period of 18 months. They enjoy listening to the stories and can also talk to themselves during the play. In terms of physical movement, they can stand and walk a few steps alone.
During the preschool stage your kid masters difficult sounds and speaks more clearly. Here you can see them using their toothbrush or using a tricycle. They begin to participate in games in small groups and cooperate with other children.
This is the stage where your child uses more complex sentences and can answer simple questions about the stories you tell. They can eat and dress independently and can also understand the routines.
Key things to follow for Kids’ development in the first five years
Your toddler is growing up now, and being a parent, it becomes extremely crucial for you to help your child become more confident and independent. To support their sense of creativity, here are a few things you can follow in this learning and development journey.
- Physical Activity
- Eating Habits
- Healthy Surroundings
- Interactions
As the world has become smarter and more digital, even toddlers have become addicted to electronic devices. Since it is their crucial phase of life it is important for you as a parent to keep your child away from such distractions. You can engage your kid in physical activities and play along with them. These activities will further strengthen the bonding with your kid and will also help your kid to stay active in this development phase.
Feeding the toddler is one of the major issues most parents face due to their kids’ picky eating habits. As a parent, you always want your kid to eat healthy and nutritious meals that will support his growth. The first step you can take is to keep the junk food away and include fresh homemade meals in their food. This will help your kid to build healthy eating habits. It will also ensure a healthy body with a stronger immune system.
During the first five years of child development kids tend to get more observant and curious with the things surrounding them. Thus it is your responsibility to create a healthy and positive atmosphere for them that can boost your kids mental growth. Also, watch your kids’ interactions with the outside world. Avoid bad influences. These can harm their learning and development.
You might have seen the TV commercials. In them, growing up kids bombard their parents with thousands of curious questions. As a parent, you must respond to your kids’ questions. You must also teach them to approach others with respect. Over a period these practices deliver huge benefits in the early child development process.
Kids’ early years are for learning. So, it’s time to help them achieve milestones. At Kangaroo Kids International Preschool we understand the importance of learning and development. Thus we work together to find the best path forward for your kid. Join our hands in this journey and let’s make the first five years count towards your kids’ bright future.
