Early childhood is a special time with huge potential to develop children's intelligence and life skills. It is important to engage in the process of raising a child because it can profoundly influence their future. We should start early, as much as possible, and try our best to offer them something that can aid in their maturing and encourage their contribution to society.
It is important for children to form their own habits early on. This is why parents need to engage in routine and task management for the toddler from a primal time. It should be done in a way that does not take too much of the parents' attention away from their kids and is also beneficial for their development.
Throughout the process of growth, it is not necessary for parents to focus exclusively on one aspect, but instead, they should allow their child to roam freely through all areas in order to fully experience them through their senses and direct interactions.
Kids development between 12 and 18 months
The pace of growth slows after a baby's first birthday. Your youngster is becoming quite active. If he or she is not yet walking, they will be soon. This will allow them to explore locations that were previously inaccessible and to practice independence.
It is essential that you begin speaking a lot to your baby on a regular basis because listening to your voice will assist your kid in developing communication abilities. It is also initial to react quickly to your little one’s tantrums as during this period a mother-child bond is formed and becomes stronger each time you commit to your kid’s emotional order.
Before their first birthday, children already can easily recognize familiar faces and have a bunch of favorite activities. Kids enjoy the love and affection you give them and become very curious every other day. Their social and emotional skills are being actively developed through playing games and constant engagement with people.
At this point, your little ones should recognize their names when somebody is calling them and understand some emotional context by differentiating voice tones as well as facial expressions. Toddlers adore their parents and try to mimic everything they can. That’s when mumbling starts as kids try to imitate sounds they heard to communicate or get something they need at a moment.
Did you know that children can cry differently, depending on what is bothering them? Either they are hungry, in pain, or just want something they can’t yet describe. This frustration from the inability to tell what they need or get their parent to do what they want can often lead to a temper tantrum. It’s important not to complicate your kid’s outbursts but to deal with them no matter how annoyed and angry you could be because these incidents will be fading away with further development of their communication skills.
Tantrums can be frightening to parents, but they're normal for sensitive toddlers. You may have been able to keep your child calm during infancy because they could always find comfort with their favorite blanket or toy. Now that language skills are developing, kids will have trouble expressing what they want. They may give up on words altogether and fall back on fussing for attention. Tantrums are actually a way for children to express their feelings. They can be frustrating, but most kids grow out of them.
As for the physical and movement abilities of your kid, they probably should be able to crawl by now and easily interact with all of their toys. They can track objects with their eyes and sometimes even make a move to reach them. Because seeing different things they never reached before makes them curious, which helps to develop walking skills. First, they learn how to stand with some help, and, after they get a grasp on it, they start walking holding onto surfaces.
Kids development between 18 and 24 months
As your baby grows into a toddler, so will their needs grow. Expect your toddler to need more food, nutrition, and sleep. Arrange your home and yard so the baby can be safe when exploring. Use gentle discipline to teach your kid in ways that won't lead to any harm.
Toddlers are busy exploring their world and learning new skills. They can laugh and sing, kick a ball around and start playing with other children. In addition, they’re beginning to build relationships with family members and friends, which helps them establish positive social skills like sharing and taking turns with others.
The toddler times are exciting and energetic. During their second year, they learn to speak in sentences while developing a sense of independence and exploration. They’re also learning to copy behaviors — sometimes dangerous ones. They can get into cabinets and reach for hot things on the stove. Guide them by teaching them new skills, setting limits on what is safe for them to do, and showing them how to use a potty or toilet.
A child's development has a direct impact on the relationship with parents. As your toddler’s skills increase, so do their independence and ability to think for themselves. For example, most kids at this stage can follow two-part instructions like "Please, put your toys away."
Your toddler can follow simple instructions, and may even ask you questions. These are important times to build conversations and a sense of trust while also encouraging youngsters to meet their own needs. As they become more independent, inspire them to use what they know in new ways.
Kids development between 2 and 3 years
By the age of two, a toddler develops many of the skills that he or she will need to make friends and adjust to life in a group. Two-year-olds are more independent and determined, which may be difficult for adults to accept at times. For example, they learn to dress and undress, feed themselves and use their own cups. Most two-year-olds can understand simple two-word phrases at this age and begin to use “no” or “not” in their sentences. They become aware of themselves as individuals and their needs change from pleasing others to self-assertion. During this time parents should be encouraging their children to explore the world around them through play and pretend as well as helping them to learn language through conversation with surroundings and books.
2 to 3-year-olds are capable of many new skills and behaviors. Some of these include:
- being able to imitate a behavior demonstrated by an adult,
- using surprise to make another laugh,
- expressing affection for people who have been kind to them,
- helping adults with tasks such as getting dressed and undressed on their own,
- helping out in the kitchen, for example, in cooking or washing the dishes,
- feeding the pet from the hand or serving them food and water in specific plates.
Toddlers feeding their cat pet
The 2-year-old has a sense of self, their likes, dislikes, and preferences. They can feed themselves with very little help from adults or ask for specific things, like a glass of milk. At this age, children are becoming more cooperative and are better able to understand simple commands. Although they have less need for dependence on others now that they can do much more on their own, it will be important for kids to continue to establish close relationships that make them feel secure as they explore the world.
So…
It has been shown by over one hundred years of experience in dozens of educational methods, that a prepared environment helps children to learn and succeed more easily. It is important for kids to gain control over their environment in order to become independent and responsible human beings. Not only do they learn to utilize their senses to explore their world, but they expand self-discipline and self-reliance through self-directed learning activities.
Children develop at their own pace, with no external pressures or comparisons to others of their age. In a Montessori environment, they explore materials at their own level of readiness with the teacher serving as a guide, mentor, and facilitator rather than a lecturer or person directing instruction. By providing a prepared environment that matches their interests and natural curiosity, children are given the freedom to explore and learn on their own terms.
