Healthy Development
The early years of a child’s life are very important for their health and development. Healthy development means that children of all abilities, including those with special health care needs, are able to grow up where their social, emotional and educational needs are met. Having a safe and loving home and spending time with family―playing, singing, reading, and talking―are very important. Proper nutrition, exercise, and sleep also can make a big difference.
Effective Parenting Practices
Parenting takes many different forms. However, some positive parenting practices work well across diverse families and in diverse settings when providing the care that children need to be happy and healthy, and to grow and develop well. A comprehensive report looked at the evidence in scientific publications for what works, and found these key ways that parents can support their child’s healthy development:
- Responding to children in a predictable way
- Showing warmth and sensitivity
- Having routines and household rules
- Sharing books and talking with children
- Supporting health and safety
- Using appropriate discipline without harshness
Parents who use these practices can help their child stay healthy, be safe, and be successful in many areas—emotional, behavioral, cognitive, and social. Read more about the report here.
Positive Parenting Tips
Get parenting, health, and safety tips for children from birth through 17 years of age
Helping children cope with stress and worries
Easy-to-use, interactive web tools for children and teens to deal with thoughts and feelings in a healthy way.
Developmental Milestones
Skills such as taking a first step, smiling for the first time, and waving “bye-bye” are called developmental milestones. Children reach milestones in how they play, learn, speak, behave, and move (for example, crawling and walking).
Children develop at their own pace, so it’s impossible to tell exactly when a child will learn a given skill. However, the developmental milestones give a general idea of the changes to expect as a child gets older.
As a parent, you know your child best. If your child is not meeting the milestones for their age, or if you think there could be a problem with your child’s development, talk with your child’s doctor and share your concerns. Don’t wait.
FAQs
Child development can be defined as the process by which a child changes over time. It covers the whole period from conception to an individual becoming a fully functioning adult.
What are the 5 main areas of child development? ›
There are 5 key areas of development:
- gross motor skills, for example crawling, jumping or running.
- fine motor skills, such as writing and drawing.
- speech and language.
- cognitive and intellectual, such as counting or identifying shapes.
- social and emotional skills, such as playing with other children.
What are the 5 Stages of Child Development? These are Newborn Development, Infant Development, Toddler Development, Preschooler Development, and School-Age Development.
What are the 4 basic needs of children for their optimal development? ›
For a child to be successful in school they need to be well fed, sleeping well, feeling safe at home, and have confidence in themselves. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is a popular theory which focuses on a series of needs to be successful.
What is the most influence on child development? ›
Family is almost certainly the most important factor in child development. In early childhood especially, parents are the ones who spend the most time with their children and we (sometimes unwittingly) influence the way they act and think and behave.
What are the general principles of child development of a child? ›
All domains of child development—physical development, cognitive development, social and emotional development, and linguistic development (including bilingual or multilingual development), as well as approaches to learning—are important; each domain both supports and is supported by the others.
What is key to all areas of child development? ›
Relationships: the foundation of child development
Children's relationships affect all areas and stages of their development. In fact, nurturing relationships are the foundation of healthy child development. Through warm, responsive relationships, your child learns vital information about themselves and their world.
What are the stages of child development by age? ›
- Newborn, 0 to 3 months. A new baby reacts to stimuli, such as noise, light, and temperature variations in the environment. ...
- Infant, 3 to 6 months. ...
- Infant, 6 to 9 months. ...
- Infant, 9 to 12 months. ...
- Toddler, 1 to 3 years. ...
- Preschooler, 3 to 5 years. ...
- School-Age, 6 to 17 years.
5 ways to help set your child up for future success
- Stimulate baby talk and treat it as real conversation. ...
- Read to your baby to exercise language. ...
- Use everyday experiences as learning opportunities. ...
- Take play seriously. ...
- Lead by example.
Some age-related development periods with defined intervals include: newborn (ages 0 – 2 months); infant (ages 3 – 11 months); toddler (ages 1 – 2 years); preschooler (ages 3 – 4 years); school-aged child (ages 5 – 12 years); teens (ages 13 – 19 years).
The formative years or the early stages of childhood are between 0-8 Years of a child's life where they learn more quickly than at any other time in life. These are the years in which a child experiences rapid cognitive (intellectual), social, emotional, and physical development.
What are the 4 characteristics of child development explain briefly? ›
Child development incorporates four main characteristics that can be assessed at each stage of a child's milestones. These characteristics are physical, intellectual, emotional and social.
What things make children happy? ›
10 Ways You Can Raise Happy Kids
- Make your child feel connected.
- Try to be happy yourself.
- Praise your child whenever you can.
- Let your child try, try again.
- Let your child experience both success and failure.
- Allow your child to have some responsibilities.
- Support the 'shy' ones.
- Always be polite with your little one.
Healthy development means that children of all abilities, including those with special health care needs, are able to grow up where their social, emotional and educational needs are met. Having a safe and loving home and spending time with family―playing, singing, reading, and talking―are very important.
What are the 5 basic needs of life? ›
According to psychologist Abraham Maslow, human beings' physiological needs for food, water, clothing, shelter, and sleep must be satisfied in order for them to address more complex needs like mental and physical health, relationships, sobriety, long-term housing, and employment.
What is the importance of understanding child development? ›
Understanding developmental milestones in children is critical for parents to provide appropriate support, create a positive environment, and promote healthy development in children, allowing them to achieve their maximum potential and thrive.
Why is it important to know and understand child development? ›
Research has consistently shown that good early childhood development will have a direct positive impact on a child's long-term health outcomes and will improve future opportunities, school attainment and even earning potential.
Why do you think the understanding of child development is important? ›
The most important reason for monitoring each child's development is to determine whether a child's development is on track. Looking for developmental milestones is important to understanding each child's development and behavior. Milestones can help explain a child's behavior.
What is child development and why does it matter? ›
Child development is a child's physical, social, and emotional development, which contributes to the child's overall well-being. It consists of a sequence of thoughts, physical activity, and emotional balance between birth to adulthood.
