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There are many simple and inexpensive child development activities that parents can choose to do with their child every day that can stimulate positive growth and development in their child.
Child development activities that foster physical growth include climbing, swinging, jumping and running; all of the activities that can be enjoyed during a visit to the park. Children need lots of opportunities to work their large muscles in order to physically develop. As a child grows stronger they are able to meet developmental milestones in their physical growth.
Child development activities that foster fine motor control (which is the muscles in the hands which are needed to hold writing tools) include art activities, like coloring, painting and playing with side walk chalk. Simple fun activities that can be shared with your child enable them to develop fine motor control. Other child development activities that help develop fine motor control include playing with small cars, playing with peg boards cards and small action figures, and playing with puzzles.
Child development activities that foster your child’s social and emotional growth revolve around dramatic play activities. Playing with dolls, dressing up, and playing house give children the opportunity to stretch their imaginations, build on their vocabulary, and express their feelings.
Through dramatic play experiences a child can develop friendships, learn to compromise, share toys, and take turns.
Child development activities which develop cognitive or thinking skills can involve activities revolved around reading; whether that is curling up with a great picture book, reading the street signs as you walk down the street, or play a board game that requires reading the answers off of a card.
Child development activities which develop cognitive skills can also include baking activities. When baking, your child can help you read the recipe, can help you count out the ingredients, and can watch as a solid turns into a liquid and then back into a solid again as ingredients are mixed together and then baked.
In order for a child to get the most out of child development activities, the activities need to be repeated often. Your child may choose to do his favorite puzzle over and over again, or insist on hearing the same picture book again and again. But the repetition of an activity is how children learn to fully grasp new concepts.
Child development activities that are not age appropriate can hamper a child’s development. Child development activities that are ‘too young’ can cause a child to become bored and ultimately act inappropriately. Child development activities that are too old for a child can cause the child to feel frustrated, and can cause havoc to a child’s self esteem and self worth. Choosing child development activities that fit your child’s developmental age will allow your child the best way to develop skills and meet their developmental milestones.
And as children grow and learn it is also important to continue introducing new child development activities that will stimulate your child’s natural curiosity and invite exploration.
Mary Boakyewaa is publisher and co-owner of www.child-development-guide.com — a website for the development of children from birth to teens offering helpful tips and advice for parents, early year’s professionals, and students.
