1. Cling to Memories of Childhood
Most everyone can remember what it was like to be a child. The growth that occurs during childhood surpasses any other mammal on planet. We learn to crawl, walk, speak, and eventually reason and create things all within the span of about ten years. Knowing the life cycle of the child through remembering your own development can be a great way to start understanding child development and provide a strong framework for child-rearing.
2. Watch Your Child Grow Up
For the average person, delving into the science of child development can seem tedious. A few basic child development theories are easy for most everyone to grasp. Erik Erikson is considered the grandfather of child development. His eight stage theory of development is easy to recognize in children. Many other researchers have developed his original hypothesis further. These eight stages include: Hope, Will, Purpose, Competence, Fidelity, Love, Care and Wisdom. The fun in Erikson's theory comes from the fact that you can watch and test developmental stages yourself through exciting engaging experiments with a child. The final stages occur when the child is an adult.
3. Development Starts in the Womb
Child development does not just begin once the child is born. In fact, most modern research cites the prenatal environment as extremely crucial in the healthy development of a human child. The physiological, psychological and emotional well-being of the mother all play an integral role in the development of the child before birth. Keeping the child free of undue stress and proper pre-natal care are extremely important in laying the groundwork for further development.
4. Learn to Parent Effectively
Being a parent is perhaps one of the hardest jobs on the planet. Leaving the development of a human being up to another human being is one of the most confounding and precious gifts. However, it's not a walk in the park and must be taken seriously. Parenting skills and understanding the mind of the child, especially in reference to respective age, is extremely important in the cognitive development of the human being. Parenting classes and interaction with other parents is important in helping parents learn good parenting skills. A good relationship with a pediatrician and regular medical care is also important for parents.
5. Educate Children From Birth
Perhaps one of the most important aspects of child development is education. Educating the child begins at birth when the baby first learn to recognize faces and the positive touch of the mother. From then on, a baby grows leaps and bounds in development. Scaffolding, or challenging a child to learn a little above the ability level, is a wonderful way to emphasize continued development and help a child's mind thrive. Using Erik Erikson's model of child development is a good way to know and test a child's mental development against the typical development of other children.
