Importance of Early Childhood Development and What You Must Know About It

Have you seen soft clay? You can bend it, roll it or mould it into any desirable shape. Such is the personality of a little child. Right from the time it is a toddler, you can mould the mind and personality of that child to become a better adult in the later years. And it’s not we saying this; there is enough scientific research to prove this phenomenon.

Science says that the kind of learning a child imbibes from a very young age by being exposed to the environment around them has a major impact on their behavioural tendencies. And these traits tend to stay on with them not just through childhood but, sadly enough, for an entire lifetime.

Early Childhood Development – What It Is

And though the whole experience of raising a child may seem so natural and spontaneous, educationists give it a lot of weight and even have a term for it. They call this ‘process’ early childhood development. The stage where it needs to be clearly determined as to what kind of environment should be created around the child to ensure their healthy physical, emotional, and social well-being.

By environment, we mean the talks at home, either with the child or before them, the media content they are exposed to (TV, radio, laptop, mobile, or iPad), and the like.

What You Must Know About Early Childhood Development

Now that you know that providing good care to the child right from the beginning plays a very important role in their latter years, let’s look at how you can help achieve this.

Let the child cherish positive childhood experiences

Did you know that a petty but furious quarrel with your spouse before the child can actually tar your image in their mind forever? It may seem very trivial an issue to you, which you may forget later by patching up. But the impression it may have created in their mind about you goes a long way. They may even start copying your behaviour and learn to fight, even hit others, from a very early stage.

What we can do: Create a positive environment around your child so that they can remember positive experiences and learn the best things in life.

Keep them healthy

The very first rule of parenting, we don’t really need to tell you this. But unfortunately, our current lifestyle has made eating out a common occurrence, especially during family outings on weekends. The likes of pizza, burgers, and French fries start becoming kids’ favourites much earlier than it should be.

What we can do: Make a conscious effort to encourage healthy eating habits among them. Eat healthy so that they follow suit.

Takeaway

Providing a healthy, positive and caring childhood experience is not the sole responsibility of any one party. It is a collective responsibility of parents, siblings, teachers, and all those who can come in contact with them day in and out. It’s only then that we can expect to achieve a healthy child – both physically and emotionally.