The Benchmarks Of Child Development Milestones

With the fast-paced lives of modern families, there are activities suitable for monitoring the growth and development of children born in this century. Often times, both parents are working and have hectic schedules. Nevertheless, these are not excuses to not track your child's development each month.

From a newborn up to the age of twelve, it is a good idea to track the activities and milestones of your child. This will help you understand and discover the strengths and weaknesses of your little one even without the aid of a doctor. You can use available online tools as benchmarks for you to track and take note of each month.

Here are some of the major benchmark points you can use as guide for your child's monthly development:

* Language skills

Teaching your child the alphabet in a creative way such as singing can help instil this activity as a fun and enjoyable one. Remember that toddlers love to babble words that are unrecognizable, but often bring out smiles on the faces of adults. Once your child start babbling, you may also start telling him simple words like 'mommy' and 'daddy'. He may not understand nor be able to say the same words as you do, but the moment he mimics what you're saying, you'd be smiling from ear to ear. As some parents and pediatricians would advice, it is best to start early to instil the activity as a positive thing for your child.

* Social Skills

You must realize that the younger the chid, the more self-centered he is. At toddler age, his social skills will begin to develop at around two to three years old. Allow your child to play with other toddlers at the park or with other kids in the family to help him learn how to cooperate and share toys. You should be present when these child development milestones happen, so you can encourage him to be more sociable and friendly with other kids.

* Skill-building Tasks and Activities

Toddlers have lots of energy and they can play the whole day with just short naps or snacks in between. This is the stage where you can teach them about nature and their environment, the fascinating things in the city, and many others. You and your child can go for a walk at the park, take a stroll at the mall, or even exercise for the fun of it. While you're at it, you can teach your child about colors, objects, and things that catch his eyes. If he loves color and using his hands, give him child-friendly coloring books, crayons, and sharpies. The huge wall at home can be an interesting canvas for your child, but make sure to put up a large piece of paper first. Let him enjoy and use his imagination at this stage.

* Emotional Development

Children laugh, cry, and throw fits. These are expressions of varied emotions from a child who is still exploring his environment and also the people around him. Expect the more curious child to have the worst tantrums because they simply get what they want. Within the fragile stage of emotional development, your child will be able to learn self-control, the necessary skills for certain tasks, how to trust other people other than his family, and many others.

Child development can be a challenging stage for both parents and children. But you can help your child during these phases of his growth through proper guidance and patience.