Even though your newborn seems to only eat and sleep, her mind actually is developing at a rapid pace. During the next few months, she will learn to communicate, move around and entertain herself. According to Scholastic, much of your child's development will occur as she makes sense of the world around her.
Communication
Communication is one of the most important skills your child will learn. The ability to communicate is an essential part of development. According to Kids Health, your baby likely will say her first word around her first birthday. From there, she will add to her vocabulary on a regular basis and will learn an extraordinarily large number of new words by her second birthday. The ability to communicate is an important phase of mind development because it shows that your child hears and understands language and is able to reproduce the sounds of language. Kids Health recommends talking to your child constantly and avoiding correcting her mispronunciations to encourage her mind to continue to develop.
Literacy
Exposing your child to books is one of the best ways to prepare her for school, reports Healthy Children. Learning to read and write is not easy and taking the time to read to your child will encourage her development and a love of books and reading. Healthy Children says healthy brain development depends on early exposure to literacy. It is recommended that you read the same books over and over, to always read before bed, and to sing songs and recite rhymes with your child to encourage healthy mind development.
Social Development
According to Healthy Children, as your child leaves her toddler years behind her mind will develop in many different ways that will encourage social development. Toddlers typically interact with others as if the world revolves around them. As your child gets older and begins school, she will begin to show empathy for others and also will begin to think about how her actions affect other people. She will begin to form attachments to her peers and may become very close to one or two friends. As her mind continues to develop, your child will learn how to take turns, share and cooperate. These skills will continue to develop as she gets older and as her brain continues to make connections between her actions and the responses of others.
Motor Skills
Early childhood is filled with new learning experiences that help develop the mind and build motor skills. As children grow, they learn how to move their bodies to make certain things happen. During this stage of development, your child will learn to use her arms and legs to run, hop, jump, skip, catch, kick and throw. She'll also develop her fine motor skills, which allow her to accomplish other tasks, such as picking up small objects.
References
- Scholastic: Ages and Stages: Helping Children Build Language Skills
- Kids Health: Communication and Your 1-to 2-Year Old
- Healthy Children: Using Their Words: Helping Preschoolers Get a Good Start in Reading and Learning
- Healthy Children: Social Development in Preschoolers
- Kids Health: Growth and Your 4-to 5-Year Old
