Aiding your child’s development
Over the next few weeks, Mumsinthewood will be talking to experts in their fields about their specialities and what their perspectives are on how children benefit from them. From linguists and musicians to paediatricians, from heads of schools to special needs therapists, we will be doing our best to arm parents with as much information as possible that will hopefully help them with decisions regarding extra curricular activities, general health, selecting the right school and the importance of identifying any possible need early.
We hope you not only enjoy reading their perspectives but also that you find them useful and relevant to your children.
The aim of running these articles is to inform and thereby try and present parents with as much power as possible when making such life changing decisions for their children at such a young age. Let’s face it, it is hard enough to anticipate and respond to what a two or three year old wants, before frustration leads to an inevitable meltdown. Imagine trying to make a decision based on what sort of person he/she may grow to be and trying to foster and develop and encourage one thing over another on top of everyday battles. This is as daunting as it could possibly be. Now, add to that delightful mix, the difficult and challenging school selection process and it is enough to drive you mad. I know, I’ve been there. Hopefully the articles being published over the next few weeks will help make some of these decisions easier.
We believe that the most important development aids come through exposure to as many varied activities and social situations as possible. We have attached a development milestone guide below. But please remember that this kind of chart is just that. A guide. While development milestones are often looked at by anxious parents as a cause for concern, in reality the milestones given, stem from an overall average. Every child develops at their own pace and more often than not, in general, most children tend to average out, ability wise and (unless there is an underlying issue), physically between the ages of 5 and 7.
Below are some links to the Baby Centre website where charts for various age groups have been produced and approved by the Baby Centre Medical Advisory Board. I have added the links to help parents see, whether or not their child is meeting these milestones independently and consistently or whether or not their child is struggling. These charts are however rough guides only. It is important to note that not every child who does not meet a deadline is not doing so due to a special need. It may just be that developmentally they just take a little longer. However if you are concerned, it is always worth while paying a visit to a doctor. The sooner the better.
http://www.babycentre.co.uk/a6476/milestone-chart-one-to-six-months
http://www.babycentre.co.uk/a6477/milestone-chart-seven-to-12-months
http://www.babycentre.co.uk/a6474/milestone-chart-13-to-18-months
http://www.babycentre.co.uk/a6472/milestone-chart-19-to-24-months
http://www.babycentre.co.uk/a6471/milestone-chart-25-to-30-months
http://www.babycentre.co.uk/a6470/milestone-chart-31-to-36-months
