Parents: Children learn through playing!!!!

 

Know your child's developmental milestones.  There are 5 areas to focus on Social-Emotional, Language/Communication (receptive and expressive), Cognitive (learning, thinking, & problem solving),  Physical development (fine and gross motor skills), and Adaptive.  And I am going to include 2 more areas Vision and Hearing.

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So let's discuss briefly each area:

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Social-Emotional-  A child's ability to interact with caregivers, parents, and other peers, as well as being able to express themselves and regulate their emotions.    Some good examples is by the age of 6 months old responds to other people's emotions and often seems happy, or by a 1 year old is shy or nervous with strangers, repeats sounds and actions to get attention, or by 18 months old shows affection to familiar people and may have temper tantrums.

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Language/Communication (receptive and expressive) -    Receptive Language is a child's ability to understand what is asked or told to them. Expressive Language is a child's ability to put thoughts into words or putting 2-4 words together to make sentences.  To name objects or pictures. Some examples is by 9 months old should understand "no" and able to make a lot of different sounds.  By 18 months old a child should be able to say several single words or point to show someone what he/she wants.  By 2 years old, should be able to follow simple instructions, or repeat words overheard, and begin saying sentences with 2 to 4 words.

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Cognitive (learning, thinking, & problem solving)-  A child's ability to remember, problem solve, make decisions in trial and error activities, matching, recognizes familiar people,  plays simple make-believe games, and knows what ordinary things are for; for example, hairbrush, fork and spoon, or telephone.

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Physical development (fine and gross motor skills)-  Fine motor skills-A child's ability to coordinate small muscles such as finger, thumb, hand, and wrist movements to pick up, grasp, reach, transfer an object from one hand to the other.  Gross motor skills- A child's ability to move large muscles such as in the arms and legs; to be able to move from place to place, such as crawling, walking, running, and swimming.

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Adaptive/Self-help Skills- A child's ability to feed self,  be able to dress and undress, or go to the toilet.  For babies being able to indicate hungry, dirty diaper, or discomfort by different cries.

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Vision- As a baby grows, they should be increasing eye contact with parents and others,  smiling when smiled at,  following objects from side to side, and to recognize a familiar people from a distance.

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Hearing- Before your baby is released from the hospital to go home, a hearing screening is assessed.  By 2 months old, turns head toward sounds, by 6 month responds to sounds by making sounds, by 1 year old tries to say words you say, and by 2 years old able to follow simple instructions.

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CDC has a wonderful website to print off and track your

child's developmental milestones.  

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 Learn the Signs. Act Early.

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Parents, have you ever heard of the ASQ -3 - Ages and Stages Questionnaires Tool this is a way you can screen your own child.  https://agesandstages.com/free-resources/

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