What Can You Do at Home to Help Your Child’s Development?
A child’s early years are crucial to his/her long-term development. That’s when the foundation is built and the advantage will surely carry over until his/her career and later years, which is why parents want everything there is to know about early childhood development.
Truly, early learning centres play a huge role in child development (especially when it comes to cognitive and social skills). However, kids still spend a huge amount of time at home. That’s also an opportunity for them to learn.
What can you do at home to help your child’s development?
Let’s first discuss how early learning centres work. This will give you useful ideas and insights because those centres have programmes geared towards the holistic development of kids.
For example, a reputable early learning centre is likely to place equal emphasis on the following:
- Cognitive skills (basic numeracy and literacy)
- Physical development (nutritious menus to aid kids’ growth)
- Social skills (ability to collaborate with peers)
- Developing communication skills (e.g. telling stories)
- Developing sense of belonging
- Encouraging active exploration
- Building awareness on other people and surroundings (sustainability, social cues)
This can be accomplished by using play-based learning. After all, it’s a recommended approach that covers almost all aspects of learning and development. Then, that development should be supported by clear guidance and nutritious foods.
At home you can also somehow emulate that. First, it’s good to encourage your child to play (more physical activity). In fact, at least 3 hours is recommended for dedicated playtime. That’s because it aids children in exploring and making sense of the world. It’s through rich interaction that they’ll accomplish that (instead of immersing in gadgets or sitting for long periods of hours).
As a result, more physical activity demands more energy. That’s why energy-rich foods should always be available to support your kid’s play and exploration. Moreover, those foods should be packed with nutrients so children will be able to build strong bones, muscles and brain through the months and years.
Other things you could do
Aside from encouraging more physical activity, it’s also good to encourage your child to talk and communicate. You can ask your child about his/her day. Let the child finish whenever he/she is telling a story. At first, children really struggle expressing themselves. They won’t always find words to express what they’re feeling or what they’ve experienced. But through practice, the task gets easier and becomes more natural for them.
To get better and optimal results, parents often use the right approach whether at home or the early learning centre. They choose the right centre that will best help the kids learn and develop.
For example, if you want to learn more about our approach here at Surry Hills Early Learning Centre, you can contact us or read our brochure. After you call us, you can also request to visit us at 618a Bourke Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010 so you can learn more about our facility.
