Parents love to see their children grow up. The truth remains that without proper parental support, a child can never grow up to their full potential. As such, it is very important that parents are highly involved with their children to help them grow both physically and mentally. Even though your child may grow up physically, they really do depend on their mum and dad for all-round development.
At 1 year-old, your baby is just learning to walk
Yes, your little baby is now 1 year old! At this age, they need plenty of activities to help their legs grow strong. Now is not the time to limit their activity to small restricted space indoors. Instead, you must engage with them as much as possible outdoors or in a children’s park. As most of our houses are small, children don’t have much room to run. In a children's park, they can run and play carefree, so try to take them to such spaces as much as possible.
Encourage running and jumping
Your child loves to run and climb stairs or other objects. This is a great time to introduce them to the see-saw in children's parks and other areas that have access to many play objects. Do make sure to check any play structures for safety and security. Once satisfied let them go and play under your watchful eyes!
Strengthen leg muscles
Cycling is a great activity for your little one. Riding a tricycle is one of the most effective activities you can do to help build a child's leg muscles. If you don’t have a tricycle, try finding a substitute such as a wooden horse, they’ll love to go horse riding! This exercise will also strengthen their leg muscles. Don’t forget to keep a watchful eye on your little one through it all.
Develop handling skills
You can easily help your little child to strengthen their fingers. This is the time your growing toddler will start scribbling all over the house! But don’t worry mum, try to give your child all the opportunities to scribble and draw. Give them plenty of paper and child-friendly chalk. This scribbling is a necessary and a5 vital development opportunity. Who knows your little one might be the next Picasso!
Playing with sand (e.g. ‘kom pittu’ and sandcastles) is another great activity that helps your child hone their finger maneuvering (motor skills). It is important to provide clean sand for this activity. When the child mixes sand and water together it gives varying sensations to the fingertips. In a game like ‘kom pittu,’ hitting the coconut shell with a stick helps a child develop a sense of rhythm. At first, they might not be able to coordinate their movement to do this properly, which is when they will need their super parents to help!
Your child can now grab objects, so this is a great opportunity to play with a ball with them. Engaging in such games have immense mental benefits. When a child handles a ball, their brain will need to figure out the direction, the speed of the ball and then coordinate hand movements to catch it. In addition, this activity trains the brain to focus. As a parent, it is very important that you make time to play with your child regardless of your busy schedule.
The child now has about twenty teeth
WebMD states 20 teeth are completed at 2 ½-3 years. Don’t underestimate the importance of milk teeth. The state of your child’s milk teeth will impact the health of their permanent teeth, so it is vital to keep their milk teeth healthy. Toddlers do not enjoy brushing teeth at this age, so it is your job to make it fun. You can sing a little song while they brush their teeth so their attention is drawn to the song, and not to their distrust towards brushing teeth.
Boost creativity and joint-flexibility
Provide your child with toys such as building blocks and shapes, which will help them create different models while developing flexibility in their joints. This activity will also engage their minds to think. Children’s eyes love bright colours. Make sure you appreciate whatever little structure your child makes. This encouragement will give them the self-confidence needed to build bigger and better.
Encourage your child to talk
This is the age your child needs to learn to talk and expand their vocabulary, so be sure to talk to them as often as you can. Your child will have their own set of words. It is important that you identify these and understand the tiny concepts and thoughts that are forming in your child's mind. Make it a habit to read or tell them stories, as this can catch their attention and imagination, and boost their ability to focus and listen. Stories will also prompt them to think and enhance their creativity.
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