Exciting early childhood involves the development of four main mutually dependent areas. Motor, cognitive, communication and language and social and emotional development areas have to work together in order to make a fully developed personality that is ready to go to school, perfect the old and build some new life-needed skills.
It is difficult to determine the exact point at which each of the areas starts developing, thus, we cannot say which of them starts first.
However, for us, parents, it is not really information of significance. Our primary importance is to do what is needed for our children to grow up and prepare themselves for life.
Cognitive Development
The scientific definition of cognitive development defines it as changes in one’s ability to think, reason, and extract meaning from experiences encountered in multiple contexts and social relationships.
In simple terms, cognitive development is mental growing up, creating a unique perception of the world and changes in thinking that ageing brings.
Cognitive development is a very important life skill. It starts totally unexpectedly. For example, a child accidentally hits the crib mobile, which starts spinning. The baby likes it, remembers it and links it to a pleasant, happy emotion it has produced in the baby. Naturally, the baby will want to repeat it in order to experience the same feeling.
Thinking, exploring and learning from experiences are some key stages of cognitive development. This way kids can figure out things for themselves and create their view of their environment. It is important that parents let them get to the conclusions themselves.
Helpful Home Activities
Parents have to be there for their children when they need it the most. The first five years present the crucial period of children’s development in which every support is of key importance.
When you are at home, you will be able to:
- Spend time with your children, supervise them while they explore their environment, toys, furniture, and playground equipment and remain safe but full of new experiences and cognition about the world around them;
- Name objects that your children are exploring, describe them and teach kids vocabularies like colours, shapes and materials;
- Read, talk and sing to your children;
- Play with them, do puzzles, prepare lunch together, lay the table or tidy up toys;
- Do all the activities you regularly do, as I have already described in this blog;
- and always talk to your children, ask them questions and provide answers for each of their Why.
Helpful Toys
The essential tool for the proper development of a child is a toy. However, you have to take care of the safety and usefulness of the toy your child is playing with. You might want to read more about it here.
I’ll tell you about my three favourite purposeful toys, but you may also choose toys yourself because there are plenty of such in online stores.
Shape Sorter Toys provide five shapes in five different colours for infants to sort in corresponding places. Besides stacking, children can also apply their previous experiences and make houses, trees and similar objects they have encountered in their environment. Also, your toddlers can make some of their own creations by experimenting with the toy. You may want to “test” them for understanding by giving them instructions to sort them by shape, colour or number.
(As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases)
Another great toy that will enhance your baby’s cognitive but also life-needed skills is the Wooden Puzzle. This is a pack of 4 puzzles with different animal shapes: dolphin, bear, rabbit and dinosaur. Learning about the world around them and recognizing shapes, numbers and colours are challenging for the little ones. Except for cognitive and problem-solving skills, it also supports dexterity practice, concentration and hand-eye coordination.
(As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases)
Shape Colour Sorting Clock, an open-ended, versatile toy helps children develop so many skills including cognitive, fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Logic is also applied in solving this challenging puzzle. It teaches shapes, colours, numbers, counting and obviously telling time. Fantastic, occupational toy, Shape Sorting Clock needs parents’ supervision for younger kids who still like to taste their toys before playing with them.
(As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases)
Patience
As stated before, parents’ patience is significant. These seemingly fast changes do not happen overnight. Observe your children, talk to them and test them. Let them draw their own conclusions. Don’t shape them still, just help them when they need it.
Why is it important to supervise your children?
First of all, they need to be safe which is of course possible only with you by their side. Secondly, they need help, as I have explained above. For instance, they can’t know the name of an object if we don’t tell them. And third and most important, you will be there if something doesn’t function as it should. This way, you will notice any developmental delays or dysfunctions and will be able to act on time. When you act on time, you will spare your child and yourselves unnecessary troubles.
You should consult your physician if your two-year-old toddler has
- short attention span;
- troubles remembering regular activities;
- trouble following the instructions;
- lack of curiosity;
- lack of age-appropriate skills.
Conclusion
Do not worry, your children will definitely develop properly because there are enough stimulating objects in our environment. Even without proper toys, they will learn life-needed skills.
However, let’s make their learning more interesting and easier with attractive toys that will make them even more curious and eager for knowledge. Carefully choose an appropriate toy that suits your pocket, too.
Today’s toys are open-ended, versatile toys, that stimulate the development of all four areas during children’s first five years of life. Make use of them, play with them, invent new purposes, then pass them down to another generation, donate them or recycle them.
Wooden toys can always be used in all situations and without concern that they might harm the environment or children’s health.
Aww gal so attractive, so beautiful.
If I may ask, how do you make all this please?
I love the creativity
Hello Maureen,
I am so happy you like the toys we promote. The toys in my photos are promotional, from Amazon. They are very attractive and more importantly, they’re very useful in the development of a child because they build up so many skills like motor and cognitive and at the same time make children express their imagination and creativity.
My husband and I made similar toys when we had our own wooden toy shop. As soon as our children mastered their motor and cognitive skills they were allowed into our workshop. They were amazed and soon they started expressing their creativity. This is the point where parents should let them experiment but only under parents’ constant supervision. Thus, children will grow into creative beings and make a lot of attractive products.
We made our toys by hand. That was the real magic to turn a rough wooden plank into a smooth attractive toy. Believe me, the process is captivating because your mind is so occupied with reaching the final goal, that is a toy. When it is finished you are satisfied, and when a child or a parent loves it and buys it, you are overwhelmed with joy!
Thank you for taking interest in my blog. Feel free to ask more questions if you have them.
Nevena