The initial years of a child's life are undoubtedly the most significant towards their development; and because children are particularly impressionable during this time, their environment and mode of learning stands as a foundation upon which their future is built.
Children need to explore and play as much as possible during these early years in order to develop their creative and cognitive processes. At the same time, parents need to ensure that their children gain exposure to various enriching means of learning - from visual toys for an infant, games for a toddler, or puzzles for a five-year-old - because children constantly turn to their surroundings as a source of learning and development.
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Infants love to look at contrasting colours and patterns; in fact, at four months, babies are able to organise visual information according to brightness, shape, and the proximity of the objects. They can even recognise faces and gestures, in addition to imitating them. Therefore, providing a baby with bright and visually stimulating toys - even if they're not yet old enough to play with them - is highly beneficial to their development. Soon, a baby will begin reaching towards the shapes and colours on toys, furthering motor skills and stimulating the senses.
An inclination to explore and experiment is apparent in children just as soon as they can move about on their own. But generally, the one-year mark is about the ideal time to actively begin encouraging the development of a child's imagination and creativity by providing not only various games and toys to play with, but by incorporating things like art and music into their games. In addition, children at this age will rapidly develop recognisable thinking, communication and social skills, so it is vital to encourage them to play with other children in addition to just playing with their parents. A musical game or a paint set can be loads of fun for a group of children and their parents to engage in together.
Once children become a little older, their skills and capabilities become more advanced; they start to demonstrate problem solving skills, read and write, and their confidence levels begin to build in various areas. It is therefore essential to provide them with challenging yet enriching activities to partake in; puzzles, crafts, and sports are among the countless ways in which you can encourage a child at this age to develop his or her skills.
Parents and teachers have a number of fantastic resources and online toy shops to turn to for tools that will help their children grow and develop their skills to full potential. Whether you provide your children with games or toys to play with at home, or activities to supplement their learning process in school, you can rest assured that they will benefit immensely - not only because they'll be exploring and learning, but because they'll be having fun in the meantime!
If you have young children or teach in a school, take advantage of the critical time during which children develop; encourage cognitive, social and emotional development by providing them with a loving, secure and enriching environment. After all, the developmental process for a young child greatly influences not only his or her youth, but many aspects in later life.
Explore, Play And Learn: How Every Child Can Be An 'Early Bloomer'
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