THE IMPORTANCE OF EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT (EDUCATION)

Early childhood development is critical to the success of your child’s life in every way. You may be wondering what early childhood development entails, and that is where I come in.

So, what exactly is early childhood development? In simple terms, it is the process by which a child changes over time. It encompasses the entire time span from conception to an individual becoming a fully functioning adult. There are so many benefits to early childhood development, and I’m going to share four relevant reasons for practicing early childhood development.

A channel to express emotions

Early childhood development provides a channel that teaches your little ones to express their emotions in a positive way. Emotions can be messy and complicated, so much so that even adults can have trouble expressing them. Not every emotion can be categorized as “sad” or “happy”. Giving children unstructured play with no rules or objectives gives them a chance to non-destructively work out their emotions in a safe space. For example, play dough and itty-bitty soft rattle baby blocks have no instructions or rules, which allow kids to take control of their situations.

Enhance communication skills.

Learning to communicate is one of the most dramatic childhood developments. From a baby’s first words to the words they choose on the elementary school playground, from toddler scribbles to 3rd-grade penmanship, communication skills take years to build and hone.

Whether your kids are natural communicators or they, like many children, require additional support in learning speech or writing skills, toys can help them hone communication skills! A character toy can be of help here. An example of a character toy can be a So big sis,  Storytime Bella or Chatter Telephone. Not to forget Twinkle, Twinkle, little star. What would a child get from a character toy, you may ask? Through dramatic play with action figures, kids naturally create representations of real-world and imaginative situations using toys as they play. Also, as kids play with these figures, they “try on” different voices and vocal effects.

Broaden the spectrum of thinking.

It also teaches youngsters how to share, assists in the development of fine and gross motor skills, and encourages creativity and imagination.

It encourages children to take up a hobby or skill at a young age, which makes them advance further than other kids who are left to develop on their own. For instance, a lot of preschools and day-care centers use educational approaches when it comes to young kids, with the belief that it helps to broaden their spectrum of thinking.

It creates social and emotional awareness through communication in their early development. At the same time, it encourages them to be problem-solvers and make cognitive discoveries. An example of such a toy is the Triple Play Counting Abacus by Beilaluna. Educational toys are one avenue of introducing early childhood learning as they assist in the development of problem-solving skills, conflict resolution, and the understanding of cause and effect.

Encourage sensory play.

When children are introduced to sensory play during the early years of their lives, they are able to hone the skills of touch, smell, and play with texture in an area with little or no expectations.

Apart from this, in terms of sensory play, little ones are assisted in the development of nerve connections in the brain. It also encourages developmental skills in our kids, among others.

An example of a sensory play item is Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star by Kids books and also which can be located for purchase on our website

Most parents are discouraged and have reservations about introducing sensory play to their children due to the fear that their wards may not enjoy or be interested in it. I can categorically tell you that you have nothing to worry about as children are naturals at sensory play/learning and they have the desire to engage in it. So, have no trouble whatsoever introducing it to your child.

To conclude on this talk, we can all agree that many of the skills that children develop in their early years, with the help of early childhood education, lay the foundation for how they view education throughout the remainder of their lives. As they get used to learning from an early age, their enthusiasm to gain skills and be educated becomes greater than before. Hence, it enables them to be future-ready.