The early years are fundamental in your child's learning and development. They learn to crawl, walk and talk, but they also learn to be loved.
We know that the first few years of a child’s life are the most important as they include key moments in their development and babies and toddlers grow exceptionally fast.
Here are some of the top things to know about early learning and development:
The early years are the most important.
As mentioned above, the first few years are vital in how your child grows and develops. Experts say that the first five years are important as they shape your child’s future health, happiness and learning abilities as well as their place in their family and how they manage social situations and embrace community life. Though the first three years are the most important for brain development, there are many things that build the foundation for your child’s learning and development.
Children learn faster during the early years.
Children learn faster in the early years of their life and it is easy to understand and observe why - anyone who spends time with a child can see the major thinking and observation they do daily. It is simply mesmerising to watch a child figuring out how to build blocks or trying to start walking. They are consistently learning, and their brain is organising all of these observations into compartments so they can use them in the future.
Kids need emotional intelligence as well as technical knowledge.
And it isn’t all about learning in the technical sense either as children learn by being loved and gaining self-confidence as they grow. Children require a sense of belief to learn to walk, talk and play, and this comes from their parents and how they feel affection, love and encouragement as they tackle the unknown.
Love is the basis of these things and a good diet of nutritious food and health care is important too. Your child will regularly visit the Public Health Nurse to keep track of their development and this is a good way to gauge their progress, as you have someone who knows best and can advise you (if needed) on encouraging your child’s learning and development.
All kids develop differently.
Children develop differently and that’s ok. Some kids are fast while other kids take their time to win the race. It is good if parents encourage their children but be aware, that some kids develop at later stages and that’s ok.
Parents should know that children develop through their lives with little and major milestones like learning to walk, talk, play with others and going to school. School is a major transition from a full-time home life to a part-time school life and in school, they learn more about writing, reading and social situations.
Their relationships matter.
Relationships matter when it comes to development as children need to experience relationships to feel needed and appreciated. A child’s development is crucial and if they have good social skills, empathy and trust they should develop into older kids that are confident, self-assured and empathetic to their family and friends.
You can do everything right with your child by building blocks, learning colours or teaching them how to add but what children need most is love and trust from the moment they are born until they are young adults and beyond. This way, they can develop into fully functioning and well-adjusted young adults with lots of future prospects.
