The nurse is assessing a six-month-old child. Which developmental skills are normal and should be expected?
a. Speaks in short sentences.
b. Sits alone.
c. Can feed self with a spoon.
d. Pulling up to a standing position.
Answer B.
The child develops language skills between the ages of one and three. A six-month-old child is learning to sit alone. The child begins to use a spoon at 12-15 months of age. The baby pulls himself to a standing position about ten months of age.
Methods of developing a child’s skills vary, according to parenting styles, and motor skills and motor control after birth are among the most important skills that you must develop in your child because they will progress with his growth, and good control of his motor skills helps the child to explore the world around him, which helps him in Develop many other skills.
In our article, we will try to cover the most important skills that you should develop in children as a parent or caregiver for a child, and we will discuss ways and means to develop the child's skills, in addition to tips that support you in your choices of methods for developing the child's skills.
Child skills development
What is the importance of developing skills in children?
Develops infants, toddlers and school-age children; New skills and abilities steadily grow as they age, and of course each child develops at an individual pace that is different and distinct from his brothers, sisters or peers. Using checklists for the normal development of the child may be; Useful for parents who want to ensure that their child's development is proceeding healthily in key areas of development [1]:
- physical development
- Cognitive development (thinking skills)
- Language development
- Social emotional development
You can also see a specialized pediatrician who may use different lists to check the child's growth and development, in addition to the importance of remembering that each child differs in terms of developing and developing skills from other children, for example some children may start walking as early as 9 or 10 months, while others don't start walking until about 14 to 15 months or even later.
By looking at the different developmental stages, parents, doctors and teachers can; understand how children typically develop and monitor any potential developmental problems, and by understanding these developmental milestones and what age range is typical for a child to reach; You can monitor your baby's growth and development.
From the foregoing, it becomes clear the importance of developing the child’s skills of all kinds, and knowing the strategies that you have to use to develop the child’s skills at every age stage, for example when you have two children, one of whom is able to interact smoothly with others, thus making friends and winning the love of others easily, you can teach the other child these skills Social as well, because they are acquired skills.. It is important for the child to have the ability to understand the significance of his relationship with others, and to be able to empathize and interact with others, as well as to have the ability to adapt in uncomfortable situations (that cause him embarrassment, for example) [2].
The same applies to the importance of developing cognitive skills, which develop in the early stages of childhood from birth until the age of five years, and among the most important of these skills [3]:
- Attention and response.
- Language learning.
- memory.
- thinking.
- Data processing.
- solving problems.
- Simple logic.
- Understanding cause and effect.
Therefore, it is very important to focus on developing the child’s cognitive skills from an early age, because it will be the basis through which the child will deal with his entire life, as research has shown that there is a strong link between the child’s development in early childhood, and the level of success he achieves later in life. his life.
The most important skills for the development of the child
What are the most important skills that you have to develop in a child?
As we mentioned above, cognitive and social skills are among the most important skills that you must work to develop in a child, so that he will have it from early childhood. Social skills or non-verbal signals, you can work on them to develop the child's social skills in the following way [2]:
- 2 to 3 years old: Able to attract the attention of others, initiate social verbal communication (by saying hello or make a physical expression by looking at the person they are talking to), and has the ability to laugh at silly things.
- From 3 to 4 years old: Able to take turns playing with a doll, and the child begins verbal communication with expressive words.
- 4-5 years old: are able to show more cooperation with other children, use direct requests (such as pause), and are more able to chat during play.
- Ages 5 to 6: Able to deal with his friends politely, saying "I'm sorry", "please" or "thank you" and is more able to bargain, also enters into competitive games, understands fair play and enjoys good sportsmanship.
Here are the most important social skills that must be developed in the child, given the benefits that he will reap, starting with acceptance among peers and controlling the level of stress that the child may experience in the nursery or in his early school years [4]:
- Participation: Children are usually selfish between the ages of 3-6 years, but later they are more able to share. In general, studies show that children who feel good about themselves are more able to share, which makes them feel good about themselves as well, so teaching them to share may The key is to boost their self-esteem.
- Cooperation: Like participation, the skill of cooperation carries many benefits for the child today and in the future.
- Listening: which does not mean that the child maintains calm, but that he understands what others say to him, follows up on what he listens to deeply, participates, and asks for clarification of a detail that he did not understand.
- Follow instructions and abide by the rules: Children love to adhere to clear instructions, and to understand what parents expect from them, and of course you have to praise your child for always adhering to your directions.
- Respecting personal boundaries: It is important to teach your child the importance of respecting other people's personal spaces, and protecting their own as well.
- The importance of eye contact: Teach your child the importance of eye contact when he is listening or speaking, and be careful in teaching a shy child the skill of good eye contact.
- Good Manners: You have to set a moral example for your children first and foremost.
You can also enhance some important skills of the child; Teamwork, adaptability, critical thinking, problem-solving, self-control, and working memory, through [5]:
- Teamwork: by playing with a friend or when helping with housework.
- Adaptability: which should be developed from an early stage in a child's life.
- Critical thinking: the ability to take in new information and determine the best way to use it.
- Problem-solving ability: It can help children become more successful adults.
- Self-control: Whether during a fight between siblings, a child getting angry before bedtime, or crying for some reason, all children suffer from self-control at some point.
- Develop working memory: which helps the child follow directions and adhere to instructions.
Ways to develop children's skills
How to develop the skills of the child according to the age stage
Children acquire most of their skills through play, and this is how they explore the world around them. You should encourage them to learn new skills while playing. Play supports a child's physical, social, emotional, language and cognitive development. Children develop the following cognitive skills through play [6]:
- solving problems.
- The power of imagination and creativity.
- Concepts such as shapes, colours, measure, counting and letter recognition.
- Strengths such as focus, perseverance and resilience.
You can also develop the child's skills while playing and encourage him to learn through:
- Share with the school and the teacher about your child's interests and abilities, so that they can plan your child's play experiences at school or nursery... based on that.
- Playing with your child Don't leave a chance to play with your children during the day.
- advocate for safe play spaces for children; In your local community (building, neighborhood or village).
You can also help your child and teach him the life skills necessary for him, according to the age he is going through [7]:
- Between the ages of 2-3 years: Teach him self-reliance skills, such as getting dressed and brushing his teeth with your help.
- Between the ages of 4-5 years: You have to teach your child safety skills, his full name, phone number and home phone, and how to help you with simple housework.
- Between the ages of 6-7 years: You can teach the child safe cooking techniques, arrange his room, toys and other things that enhance his self-reliance.
- Between the ages of 8-9 years: the skills of maintaining his personal belongings and hygiene.
- Between the ages of 10-13 years: when the child begins to perform most of his life skills independently of you.
- Between the ages of 14-18 years: when the child is proficient in the skills of his independent life, such as doing complete cleaning work and relying on himself in purchases.
Tips for developing child skills
Tips to help you develop your child's life skills
You can follow certain strategies; Promote the development of your child's basic life skills from early childhood, and to actively participate in the child's cognitive development from the beginning of his life, here are the most important tips that can help you in developing the child's skills [2] [3]:
- Teach empathy: Test out different scenarios by asking your child how others might feel when certain things happen, and substitute different situations each time.
- Practice social initiatives: Teach a child the appropriate way to start a conversation, get someone's attention, or join a group of children playing together.
- Being with and only for the child during the day: Sit with your child for at least an hour a day, play with him, join him, watch his favorite show or do his homework.
- Talk to your baby: You can start this from the stage of pregnancy, because language learning is one of the important aspects of a child's cognitive development.
- Help your baby learn the names of things: As soon as your baby is born, keep talking to him and him and share with him the names of the surrounding things, which contributes to increasing his thinking power and helps him learn languages faster.
- Singing and reading to your child: Studies have shown that music helps children develop healthy skills, because it is calming and creates a positive environment.
- Let Your Kids Explore and Observe: Babies have a natural curiosity for things around them, and they should be allowed to explore and learn things through observation. Overprotective parents may hinder a child's normal development and ability to learn thus.
- Answer your child's questions: When your child grows up and starts asking questions, answer them accurately and patiently, children are naturally curious, and you must stimulate your children's curiosity, as it will help them learn.
- Encourage Creative Play: Creative play enhances children's cognitive skills. Allowing children to use their imagination is beneficial, as they can imagine themselves in different roles and can eventually learn a lot.
- Encourage your child's interest in books and puzzles: Children can increase their focus, patience and sense of achievement when they solve puzzles, books are a great way to spark imagination, and reading aloud helps children build their vocabulary and language skills.
- Engage in outdoor play: Studies have shown that stimulating environments such as the outdoors; It can stimulate greater development of the part of the brain responsible for thinking, perceiving and understanding languages.
- Tell stories to your children: Storytelling is an important tool that helps children develop their imagination and enhance their motivation to learn. It also helps develop openness to new ideas, problem-solving abilities, risk-taking strategies, and the ability to reach decision-making.
In the end, encourage your child to tell stories not only to enhance his imagination, but also to develop his language skills, reading comprehension, pronunciation, grammar, and social skills. You should also support your child's hobbies, so that they can be educational tools that enhance his skills and may lead him to his future profession.