PARENTING UGANDA YOUNG PARENTS SEMINAR, BASICS OF CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Key concepts
- Every child develops at his or her own pace
- Understanding child development helps us appreciate our child and have realistic expectations for our child
By the end of this module Parents will:
- Understand the concept of development stages
- Learn a few key characteristics of their child’s stage of development
- Be aware of resources for concerns about potential development delays
Understanding And talking About Child Development
There are three things we need to remember about child development.
- Parents are the best resources on their children.
We are the natural experts and the most experienced observers of our own children. - Development is progressive(or cumulative).
New achievements build on previous ones. That is, certain things have to happen developmentally before other things can . a child can not walk on his own before he has learned to creep and crawl and is physically capable of supporting himself in an upright position. - Development happens all the time.
The period between birth and age five is a time of very profound change, and the changes taking place in this period are very influential in setting the stge for later developmental success.
Five Facts About Child Development
- Children are on a journey toward independence.
- Young children are self centered, which is not the same as selfish.
- There are many things that adults know that children do not.
- Young children do not understand the world the way adults do.
- Every child and every parent has his or her own temperaments.