Parents
You are important!
'What parents do is more important than who parents are.'
The Effective Provision of Pre-School Education (EPPE) (2004)
When your baby is born their brain is only a quarter formed and by the time they reach three years of age their brain will have developed from 2.5% to 80%. Isn't that incredible!
This shows that the brain doesn't automatically grow but develops in lots of different ways and over a period of three years. As a parent this means you are THE most important person to your new baby. Quite literally everything you do with your child will result in the brain developing. Things like talking, sharing stories, hugging, singing and playing all have a key role to play!
This can seem like a daunting role but the key ingredient is spending time and love on your child. You really don't need expensive toys or lots of money to give your child the best experiences – they just need you! This section of the website will give you lots of tips about what you can do to help your child develop.
What can I do to help my child?
From the moment your baby is born they completely rely on you for everything! They need you to offer them the love, protection, food and physical care they need to thrive.
Babies are affected by everything that is happening around them. All the care and love you give your baby has a huge impact in their emotional and brain development.
- Babies can't control their emotions/anxieties. If your baby cries, hold and soothe your baby. This will make them feel safe and able to relax.
- Babies need love. Give your baby lots of eye contact and smiles; this will help them feel secure.
- Babies love faces! When your baby looks at you, make sure you chat to them, if you watch carefully they may even copy some of your expressions.
It can be very tiring looking after a new baby – it takes time to get into a routine and to begin to understand what your baby likes and dislikes. It is really important to have time for yourself and to ask for help when you need it! Most importantly enjoy the experience of being a parent.
Top Tips
- Read, read and then read some more! Research has shown that children who are read to by their parents have a larger vocabulary than other children.
- One of the most important parenting skills is to have consistent rules, rewarding behaviours you want to see your child do more of, and having consequences for behaviours you do not want your child to continue to do.
- Sandwell health professionals see higher than average numbers of children who have speech and language needs. To encourage language development make sure you limit the amount of time that your child has a dummy. Try to allow them to talk without a dummy in their mouths and try to completely remove the use of a dummy by twelve months.
For more helpful suggestions on understanding important milestones for children and the role you can play to support the development, follow the links below.
- Developmental milestones: understanding words, behaviour, and concepts
http://www.babycentre.co.uk/baby/development/socialandemotional/understandingwords/ - Developmental milestones: Talking
http://www.babycentre.co.uk/toddler/development/speechandlanguage/milestonetalking/ - Developmental milestones: rolling over
http://www.babycentre.co.uk/baby/development/rollingover/ - Developmental milestones: crawling
http://www.babycentre.co.uk/baby/development/crawling/ - Developmental milestones: walking
http://www.babycentre.co.uk/baby/development/walking/ - Helping children to learn at home: learning aids
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/Schoolslearninganddevelopment/HelpingYourChildToLearn/DG_185973
What is the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum?
Schools and Early Years providers have to follow a structure of learning, development and care for children from birth to five years old. This is called the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and it enables your child to learn through a range of activities.
The EYFS ensures:
- children learn through play
- providers work closely with parents
- you are kept up to date on your child's progress – and you are free to ask for any information on how your child is developing at anytime
- the welfare, learning and all-round development of children with different backgrounds and levels of ability, including those with special educational needs and disabilities
More useful links
- Childcare
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/Childcare/index.htm - Helping your child to learn: under fives
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/Preschooldevelopmentandlearning/HelpingYourChildToLearn/index.htm - Special educational needs in under fives
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/Preschooldevelopmentandlearning/SpecialEducationalNeeds/index.htm - Caring for a disabled child
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/CaringForSomeone/CaringForADisabledChild/index.htm - Preschool education
http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/preschool/
Who can I speak to if I'm worried about my child's development?
All children develop differently – this is completely normal. Your first child may have started walking at nine months but your second child may not have walked until fourteen months. It's normal to compare each child but no two children do the same thing at the same time!
However if you're concerned about your child – for example, maybe you don't think they are saying many words or you are worried about their behaviour, it can help to talk this over with someone rather than worry.
If there's something worrying you, talk to your health visitor, GP or a member of staff.