Preparing your child for life starts on day one of their birth, but keep in mind that as high as our expectations are, we must understand that early children’s development depends, above all, on biological factors beyond the control of their parents. That is called myelination - the process of maturation of neurological structures - which takes time to become stable in transferring nerve impulses. Caring for strong neural development is essential for better responses to stimuli, but pushing a child beyond their limits will lead to frustrations or even barriers affecting them in the near or distant future. 

Children of different ages will require distinct approaches and gain skills at different paces, so make sure, to always consider the age of your little one, and do not compare them to other children. Their development will vary greatly, so stick to good habits and be patient. I have seen cases where a child will start walking faster than its siblings, but then will take longer than them all to match squares in the right spot in a game of shapes and forms. Others said their first words before they were twelve months old, but took a while to eat by themselves. Ultimately, studies and references are overall welcome to have in mind where your child should and could be, but do not feel the need for a long checklist to tick off every month. Human interaction filled with love and attention is their prime need and the most loved kind of stimulus.

Keeping the importance of child development and individual differences in mind, here are some tips to help foster personal skills in children since the day one:

1) Belly down

Children begin to strengthen their bodies between the first and sixth months. An intense motor development involving the large muscles begins from head to toe -aka. Cephalocaudal. First, sustaining their neck, then holding utensils, seating, and eventually, walking. 

During the first month and onwards, it is recommended to lie your baby on its stomach flat on the floor twice a day. This simple but efficient engagement will provide a safe place for neck muscle strengthening while they raise their head. These activities will progress to seating by themselves, a way to support them is to arrange pillows and cushions around to provide more steadiness. 

2) Every day, all the same

 Even when they are still a newborn, it is wise to get your child used to following a routine: bath time, sleeping time, and eating time. Children like this because it helps create a sequence of daily events which allows them to organise themselves. In addition, routine is strongly associated with healthy habits, which are important for their growth - such as having eight hours of sleep and eating right.

3) Step by step

Climbing stairs with the help of an adult is a great exercise to develop agility and overall motor coordination as well as muscular strengthening. At 1 year of age, most children can already perform this activity by placing both feet on the same step, going one step up at their own pace. As they grow around the age of 3, children show a greater sense of balance and strength and begin to go up placing their feet alternately on each step. Accompanied by their loved ones' assistance and care, falls can be avoided and children get the best of this activity. 

4) Rainbow

 Babies develop colour perception around 3 months old when their vision becomes clearer and we should invest in strong coloured toys, books, and even clothing if possible. Have you noticed how many baby toys have contrasting stripes on them? That’s the kind of toy we should go for. The name of these colours isn’t the point here yet, this activity will gradually begin with phrases like “let’s play with the blue ball’ or “this is a juicy red tomato” preparing them for future speech development. 

5) Friendly book

Parents play a major role in their children’s love for reading - pleasure not an obligation. Books should be part of a child’s life since they are about 3 months old. There are plastic ones for bath time and fabric ones to leave on the crib, the latter option can also help while teething because they are safe to be bitten without being torn apart. We can also encourage their listening by talking about the book cover and the images on it, and also helping them turn the pages. At age of 4, your toddler is ready to associate letters of the alphabet, repeat pronunciations and create their own stories with image-only books. Once literate, step up to stories with rhymes encouraging their phonetic awareness. Early, pleasurable and frequent interaction with books will turn your little ones into book enthusiasts bringing them uncountable benefits. 

6) Always ask

Have you ever thought about how your questions have a great impact on the answers we get from our children? Something like “How was your day?” could leave us with a short answer like “cool” and that’s not what we want, right? Thinking a little further, we can avoid generic and short answers. Ask about the best or funniest moment of their day and something more elaborate will come out. Children will have to access vocabulary and logical skills to answer accordingly. At the age of four we can start asking for more details like, who was there, what were their names, descriptions and so on.    

 7) Blessed doubt

 “Why dogs don't eat pizza?”, “Is it true that grandma was once a child?” Although children's questions can be a bit disconcerting – and even cause embarrassment sometimes. They are essential for the child's understanding of the world. Mainly concerning the process of distinguishing between real and imaginary (which occurs around the age of 4) and the construction of relationships between known elements. Therefore, the “whys” are so welcome in their development process. Even if you don't know how to answer everything your child asks, show that their question is pertinent and recognise when you don't know to answer. 

 8) Play, tidy up, play, tidy up, play…

 As play time progresses, it is recommended to focus on a single game each time to develop concentration. If your child gets bored and wants to move to something else it is important to encourage the habit of putting things away before playing a different game. Parents and children help each other, making organizing fun and essential. After all, a good sense of organization will influence their life now and in the future.

9) "I do it on my own"

 Commonly, toddlers will begin to try dressing alone, there are so many benefits involved in this daily task. Their little fingers, for example, researchers call fine motor skills, strengthening tiny muscles in their hands and fingertips. Their brains also work on logical sequencing like wearing socks before shoes, a t-shirt before a jumper, and underwear before trousers. Parents can help by providing easy-to-wear clothes, such as leggings, open-collar t-shirts and velcro sneakers. With time, they will be able to adventure with buttoning up shirts and tying up shoelaces. 

10) Let's share?

 It is normal for children of 1 and a half years old to think that everything is theirs. Therefore, the best way to reduce this innate selfishness is to present situations in which they will gradually learn how to share – and nothing better than the food time to begin. When your child's friends come to play at home, or even among siblings, serve food that can be eaten from a community bowl, such as popcorn or baby carrots. Let them decide where the bowl will go or who will hold it.

Different approaches to children’s upbringing can lead to better communication and understanding of each other's needs. Thinking, behaving, and living differently.

I hope this short read helped add happier moments to your home. 

Thank you ;)