03 Apr How to Support Your Child’s Developmental Milestones.
Whether you’re a first-time parent or growing your family, it can feel overwhelming trying to understand the stages of development your child “should” be experiencing. It’s easy to fall into the trap of making constant comparisons, especially when surrounded by friends and family who have children of similar ages. We have to remind ourselves that every child is unique and there are so many factors that contribute to your child’s developmental growth.
Ages 0-5 are the most crucial years for development where children reach both physical and communication milestones. During this time, parents, day nurseries and pre-schools play an active role in supporting children’s growth through a variety of stimulating activities. Our Greenwich and Forest Hill Nurseries work hard to implement the following into our children’s day-to-day activities, all of which can be encouraged at home to continue the support.
Bears and Lion Cubs (Ages 0-2)
– Explore the world of creativity with paints, paint brushes, finger paints, and crayons.
– Encourage sensory development through sand and water play.
– Enhance cognitive skills with simple jigsaw puzzles, matching, and sorting games.
– Foster imagination through puppet play and interactive toys.
– Develop motor skills with pop-up and stacking toys and balls for rolling and kicking.
– Cultivate a love for reading with picture books, even incorporating them into bath time with specially designed toys.
Tiger Cubs (Ages 2-3)
– Embrace messy play, water play, and sand play for sensory exploration.
– Introduce sorting boxes and hammer and peg toys for problem-solving and coordination.
– Engage in model toy building, such as wooden building blocks.
– Encourage artistic expression with crayons and explore storytelling through glove puppets.
– Promote pretend and imaginary play, providing ample opportunities for copying and imitating.
– Take trips to the park for outdoor adventures.
– Stimulate creativity with arts and crafts.
– Continue with matching and sorting games to enhance cognitive skills.
– Encourage imaginative play with bricks, boxes, trains, and dolls.
– Provide diverse play opportunities, including activities like threading, drawing, and colouring.
– Foster emotional intelligence by discussing feelings with toys.
Pre-School (Ages 3-5)
– Incorporate outdoor activities like climbing frames and hopscotch.
– Engage in musical statues to promote coordination and rhythm.
– Explore construction toys, including jigsaws, puzzles, and board games.
– Encourage artistic expression with playdough and books.
– Introduce matching games to enhance memory skills.
– Teach practical life skills such as dressing and undressing.
– Initiate basic computer activities to develop technological literacy.
– Cultivate imagination through creative play.
– Prioritize plenty of outdoor activities for physical development.
– Introduce swimming and riding a two-wheeled bicycle.
– Develop gross motor skills with activities like skipping and kicking a football.
– Explore artistic pursuits such as drawing, painting, and sewing.
– Encourage responsibility by involving them in home tasks like washing up and watering plants.
Incorporating these activities in our curriculum into your child’s routine at home not only supports their developmental milestones but also encourages a sense of curiosity, creativity, and independence that will serve them well in their ongoing journey of growth.
If you are interested in learning about the full curriculum and spaces at either our nursery in Greenwich or nursery in Forest Hill, get in touch with us here.
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