Play with your child

One of the best ways your little one is going to learn those all important early developmental skills is through play. Not only are they learning and having fun but they are also spending time and bonding with you. What we do with our children today while they are young will carve who they tomorrow. Our kids learn so much in the first five years, it is just incredible how absorbant their minds are. Just watching, listening, learning. Even down to things like how we interact with other people and what is acceptable and not when in public.
Reading encourages your child to do so. This enhances their ability to read and encourages their imagination to be filled with all sorts of fun and colourful stories and games. My boy loves books and will sit for 30minutes to an hour while I read to him and he does not grab the book and try to damage it. Painting and drawing is also lots of fun and while they are learning colours and shapes they also learn pen handling skills and how to control their hands to be able to eventually write. Anthony thinks this is great mostly because we do it outside and he has nothing but a nappy on. (sooooooo messy) A bit of rough play is great way to wear down an energetic child but also teaches them some boundries. Boundries such as when enough is enough and what hurts and how far they can push things. Getting a cheap foam mattress and just pushing him around and tickling and raspberries and just rolling around. With the mattress we don't need to stress to much about some one falling and bumping their heads so a bit of a safety measure there. Games with songs and hand movements are great with young ones because they are strengthening their eye muscles and learning to follow objects. Learning to move their mouths and mimicking you and the sounds you make which eventually leads to talking. Songs like Twinkle twinkle little star, This little piggy, Round and round the garden etc etc etc. Dancing with some music on in the background is also lots of fun and encourages some physical activity. They will also be learning things like co-ordination and timing. Also a good work out for you. Who says you have to go to the gym. Playing ball teaches things like judging time distance and speed.
Letting your little one play with other children his age is also so important, because things like interaction and sharing are learnt and without these skills alot of problems can arise. Join your local mothers group if you don't have freinds with children roughly the same age. Arrange play dates, you may also make some good freinds. Free play is very important because your child needs to learn how to entertain themselves and also gives them a chance to discover and learn about their enviroment. Most importantly have fun and let your child have fun and be a kid. Don't be afraid to let you little one be a kid and make a bit of mess or get a little dirty or make some noise because they are learning every day and by restricting what they do is restricting who they are.
Hope you enjoyed reading this and it inspires you to get down to their level and be a big kid again.