Author: Nickey Williams
Published: Aug 21 2013
Taking steps to ensure that your child develops properly can help them have a more successful future, but it is also important to recognize that some children naturally develop more slowly. In other words, if your child is slightly below the curve, you will probably not need to worry. However, if the rate of development is very different from anticipated, you should definitely ask your doctor to determine if your child is dealing with any mental or physical issues that will prevent them from achieving normal developmental milestones in a timely manner.
There are several things that you can do to help your child's physical and mental development. For example, breastfeeding during infancy has been proven to improve a child's health and IQ, and these benefits will have a positive impact on their entire life. You should also make sure that your children have age-appropriate toys like Bright Starts toys for infants, which are good starters. After all, if the toys that they are using are way too old or young for them, they will not be able to experience the positive benefits that are associated with play time.
Additionally, you should always ensure that your child is eating a healthy diet. Keep in mind that starting them with nutritious food from an early age will help prevent them from becoming addicted to junk food. Another way to ensure steady development lies within proper communication. Avoiding baby talk from the start is needed in order to have a good foundation for verbal development.
As previously mentioned, each child will develop at their own pace, but there are certain milestones that everyone should hit within specific time frames. If your child is not developing according to these time frames, you should get them the appropriate type of assistance to help them catch up to their peers.
1. Three Years - At the age of three, your child should be speaking in coherent sentences that include multiple words. Additionally, most children at this age can climb well and sort various objects by their color and shape.
2. Four Years - Children who are four should be able to hold a pencil or crayon correctly, and they should also be able to write recognizable letters. However, they will still need to hone their writing skills over the next few years.
3. Five Years - By the time your child has reached the age of five, they should be able to recite their full name and address, get dressed on their own, as well as be able to hop, jump and skip.
4. Six Years - Once your child turns six, they should be able to tie their own shoes, brush their teeth properly and avoid issues with nighttime wetness.
5. Seven Years - Although children will start learning how to read when they are younger, the average child will have a firm enough grasp on this skill by their seventh birthday in order to confidently read age appropriate books aloud without much assistance.
By consulting with this timeline of basic milestones, you can quickly determine if your child is developing according to normal guidelines. As long as you provide them with all of the essential building blocks for proper development such as a good diet, your child should be able to meet all of these goals in a timely manner.
Home Schooling mother of two Nickey Williams made certain to set the proper foundation for her children to be able to progress properly, and has ensured this from their beginning stages. By utilizing developmental toys like that of Bright Starts toys for infants early on she was able to accomplish this feat.
Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/usaghumphreys/8573608640/
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