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Parenting -
Younger Kids
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The focus on enriching our children’s environment from birth has largely been intellectually based. When our children learn to read and understand numbers before school age we label them as exceptional.
The consensus now is that physical development is just as important, and in fact, is connected to intellectual development in the early stages of life.
By providing an environment that encourages the child to develop their fine and gross motor skills, and to develop their physical and hand-eye coordination, we are apparently helping them develop intellectually as well. It is important to your child’s intellectual progress to learn and develop their physical skills. As the body develops, the child is learning about their environment and their relationship with it.
While in utero, the child is taken care of and nurtured by the mother. She can contribute to the baby’s health by eating well, taking care of herself and taking supplements as recommended by her physician. At birth, parents continue to nurture their child. It is important to the child’s development to touch and hold the baby. It is clear in studies, that children raised in institutional environments do not develop as well as those raised by loving parents. They are physically weaker than those who are touched, held, and carried.
Physical contact is critical. It helps us to communicate with the baby and give them a sense of love, and security. It also stimulates the development of the brain and their senses. A child who is not held and touched will not feel loved. That is why physical contact is important to us throughout our lives as an expression of affection.
One of the most important activities for toddlers is play. It is underemphasized as a powerful element in development and learning. Children understand their environment through experimenting and playing. Reading to your child is great, but playing games that involve music, singing, or actions can assist in the physical and intellectual development of the child.
Children play to learn and it is through that play that they understand the world. Be sure to reinforce your child’s physical accomplishments, as well as the intellectual, and you will have a well-rounded child.
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