Newborn (0 to 3 Months)
Newborn babies are amazing because they bring new changes and developments every day. During this period, they can recognize very few sounds and smells, and they can also cry and smile for indicating their needs. However, every baby develops differently and on their own page, your baby may stretch, kick, grasp at things like fingers, and respond to loud noise.
What parents can do:
- Sing baby simple songs which help baby learn and listen
- Hold a brightly colored toy above their head in the line of vision and move it slowly to see if their gaze follows the toy
- Take baby outside to enjoy the sound and beautiful scenes of nature
Recommended Toy: Musical Box
A simple and enjoyable way to interact with your child is through music, which can set the stage for your child's lifelong musical development. You can use music to calm and soothe your baby, to express love and joy, and to engage with them. As your child listens to music, his brain develops, and language skills and social skills are boosted. Music also brightens your baby's mood as well as your own; as they say, music brings us joy and is the key to happiness.
Baby (4 to 12 Months)
This is a time where the baby will show new growth and be busy exploring their surroundings. At first, they will discover their hands and feet and try to grab hair or hold a toy. Then they start to move around. Rolling over, crawling, standing, and cruising. They are able to play with both hands, sit without support, respond to name-calling, make effort to stand but with support.
What parents can do:
- Give baby a little toy to grasp, hold, chew, bang on something, or drop
- Place his favorite from a distance and encourage him to reach and move
- Call baby’s name and say “Hi” or “Bye” and wave when entering or leaving a room, encouraging baby to imitate these early gestures
Recommended Toy: Comfort Toys
According to psychologists, children develop emotional attachments to soft toys, blankets because they intuitively feel they possess a unique essence or life force
Toddlers (1-2 Years)
The children in between one to about 2 years are considered toddlers. During this period, they are aware of their own behavior and others. With eagerness and curiosity, they engage in conversation and express themselves with words as well as facial expressions. Even though the toddlers are quite clumsy at times as they are still in the learning phase, they can walk with a bit of help, understand and follow simple directions, and use very short sentences to communicate.
What parents can do:
- Set an obstacle to let toddlers climb over, under, or through
- Sing action songs like “Itsy Bitsy Spider” and do the actions together
- Hide something in a room and let the toddler find it
Recommended Toy: Push Walker
When your child begins bouncing up and down, he is building his leg muscles, and a push walker can be a good toy to help him move confidently. It not only gives your child something to hold on to for support but also teaches him to look ahead of obstacles and learn to maneuver around them.
Pre-schoolers (2 to 4 Years)
The development of pre-schoolers starts around 3 to 5 years. At this age, many kids even start going to pre-schools in playgroups and nurseries to enhance their social skills and learn a bit through play themes, rhymes, songs, and dance. This is also the age they begin to communicate with other kids at school, which helps your child develop his own personality and express his emotions. They are able to skip and hop, dress and undress, interact with long hours of conversation.
What parents can do:
- Try to let them solve simple problems
- Encourage them to play with other kids and communicate with them
- Have simple props for pretend play, such as store or school
- Encourage independence by letting your child fix their own snack, or choose their own clothes
Recommended Toy: Simple Building Block
Building toys are great toys for kids, which is challenging and enjoyable for preschoolers who are eager to learn about their environment. Kids can benefit a lot from playing with building blocks, such as developing problem-solving capabilities and critical thinking, building fine and gross motor skills, help with mental, physical, and social growth.
School-age Children (5 to 8 Years)
At this stage, kids have more changes and develop independence. They begin to have their own friends and their own thoughts. Physical changes happen quickly, and he’s ready to explore on his own more. For your child, this is a crucial time for gaining confidence with his friends, in school, in sports and play, and in life in general. They start to develop the secondary sexual features, changes in the body and mind, have friends and peer interaction, and so on.
What parents can do:
- Ask him to do some housework such as setting the table to help him develop a sense of responsibility
- Set rules for them. Be clear about what behavior is right or wrong
- Help your child set her own achievable goals
- Praise your child for good behavior. It’s best to focus praise more on what your child does than on traits she can’t change
- Support your child in taking on new challenges. Encourage her to solve problems, such as a disagreement with another child, on her own
- Encourage your child to join school and community groups, such as team sports, or to take advantage of volunteer opportunities
Recommended Toy: Educational Toy
Educational toys are designed to stimulate children’s minds and advance their learning. They help develop problem-solving skills, teach conflict resolution, develop motor skills, and nurture imagination, all while your child plays!
You may be interested in the following articles: