Monday, October 15, 2007
Child Development Resources...
One of the most requested topics, from both child care professionals and parents that I train, is child development. Today I would like to share a few child development resources with you.
However, before I share these resources, I cannot emphasize enough that developmental milestones are simply guidelines. Each child is an individual and will develop at his or her own pace. The milestones just give us areas to watch and possibly aid in a child's development, not to create undo alarm if they are not met exactly.
First: A great online resource for children for ages 1 to 5 is the PBS Parents' Guide to Child Development. There is a great deal of information here. You can look up ages and see tips, information, and developmental milestones. There are also book recommendations and activities to promote child development.
Second: The website for The Whole Child is a good resource of child development information. This is an excellent program. (I also teach the 13 class series workshops if you are really interested in more information about in-depth child development. These classes are currently being presented by the CCR&R in several locations.)
Third: The National Department of Health and Human Services gives us the "Healthy Start, Grow Smart," health education series is intended to improve early childhood education for America’s youngest children by providing easily understood information to parents and caregivers about best practices in early childhood development.
"Healthy Smart, Grow Smart" offers 13 issues, one for the newborn and one for each of the first 12 months of the new infant's life. Published in English, Spanish, Vietnamese and Chinese, these booklets have been developed by health experts to provide valuable age-appropriate information about health, safety, nutritional needs and early cognitive development.
This is a tool you can provide to assist parents in raising healthy children, and it is absolutely free. You can order the 13 booklets or download them at this website. (Note: This is a great resource about children less than 1 year old. I have boxes of these booklets that I give away at my developmental classes.)
There are many more resources, but this is a start. Remember, as the PBS website states so well...
A child's development is unique and complex. Although children develop through a generally predictable sequence of steps and milestones, they may not proceed through these steps in the same way or at the same time. A child's development is greatly influenced by factors in his or her environment and the experiences he or she has.
One of the most requested topics, from both child care professionals and parents that I train, is child development. Today I would like to share a few child development resources with you.
However, before I share these resources, I cannot emphasize enough that developmental milestones are simply guidelines. Each child is an individual and will develop at his or her own pace. The milestones just give us areas to watch and possibly aid in a child's development, not to create undo alarm if they are not met exactly.
First: A great online resource for children for ages 1 to 5 is the PBS Parents' Guide to Child Development. There is a great deal of information here. You can look up ages and see tips, information, and developmental milestones. There are also book recommendations and activities to promote child development.
Second: The website for The Whole Child is a good resource of child development information. This is an excellent program. (I also teach the 13 class series workshops if you are really interested in more information about in-depth child development. These classes are currently being presented by the CCR&R in several locations.)
Third: The National Department of Health and Human Services gives us the "Healthy Start, Grow Smart," health education series is intended to improve early childhood education for America’s youngest children by providing easily understood information to parents and caregivers about best practices in early childhood development.
"Healthy Smart, Grow Smart" offers 13 issues, one for the newborn and one for each of the first 12 months of the new infant's life. Published in English, Spanish, Vietnamese and Chinese, these booklets have been developed by health experts to provide valuable age-appropriate information about health, safety, nutritional needs and early cognitive development.
This is a tool you can provide to assist parents in raising healthy children, and it is absolutely free. You can order the 13 booklets or download them at this website. (Note: This is a great resource about children less than 1 year old. I have boxes of these booklets that I give away at my developmental classes.)
There are many more resources, but this is a start. Remember, as the PBS website states so well...
A child's development is unique and complex. Although children develop through a generally predictable sequence of steps and milestones, they may not proceed through these steps in the same way or at the same time. A child's development is greatly influenced by factors in his or her environment and the experiences he or she has.
// posted by Tammy Wachter @ 3:37 PM 
