Stages of Child Development - Knowing early child development will help you in your Child Care Business.

When you are knowledgeable of the stages of child development, you will realize the importance of your roll as a child care provider in an infant and toddlers life. Not only will you be a confidence builder for the child, but for their parents as well.

Through my experiences as a family daycare provider I have had many new parents who are unfamiliar with what the stages of child development are. They worry (usually needlessly) that their baby isn't progressing as they should (usually because they are comparing them to a relative's or friend's child). So it is part of my job, to ease their minds by helping them with what I know. Be sure to check into Early Childhood Curriculum as a part of this important development stage of life.

Shirley R. Wrong has told parents that her son was talking before he could walk, of course she doesn't tell them she kept him in a stroller till he was 7 year old.

Other benefits of learning some of the ways children grow, learn, and develop OR stages of child development, is that you will be able to respond to the child better and arrange your home in a safe way. I have included more of that on my CHILD SAFETY IN THE HOME page. You want to arrange your home in a way that will promote those different stages of child development. There is peace of mind knowing what behaviors are age appropriate.

Click here for GREAT information on Infant Brain Development But as you know, there are always going to be differences among them in early child development. Every child is unique! They come from different home environments and cultures.

For instance, some babies will start to walk at 10 months old, and become Toddlers while others begin at 15 months (like my 2 sons did).

The same goes for Learning to Talk. Let me give you good example of the stages of child development-

I currently have two 6 month old baby girls in my daycare. They are 7 days apart in age- one baby talks and screeches while the other will occasionally babble a sound out now and then- She is an observer who is nearly crawling, while our little screecher likes to sit and make noise! So you will notice that some abilities become obvious for one child that are not very strong for another. Because you are child care provider, do not mistake earlier or faster stages of child development with BETTER development. You may have situations where there is a lack of progress; such as speech, poor vision, or hearing. This needs attention that your parents will need to be aware of. If you want a ton of info on 4 year olds check out this Child Growth and Development page. When you are able to recognize the individuality as well as differences of each child in early child development you can provide:

• A greater sense of security. You need to build their trust and confidence.

• Support for their various activity levels. From crawling to walking, running and jumping- the active child- you'll need to provide an opportunity for them to do so. You will also want to have a quiet area for the child who requires a calm environment or more rest time.

• An environment for responding to stimulation. Children are all different on how they react or tolerate activities, visual stimulation, change, or noise. ( I have infants and toddlers who could sleep through a loud thunderstorm, and others who I swear, will wake up to a pin drop!). You'll want to provide an area for activities and another for quiet.

• Knowledge to help parents when there may be possible problems and special needs in early child development.

The first 3 years of life are when critical in early child development. It is when the child is learning who he/she is, what he/she thinks, feels and can do. So now do you understand why your actions and attitude will give them an excellent beginning?!

Remember, the more you know about children and their stages of child development, the more successfully you can meet their needs.

Check out my Infant Social Development page. It is loaded with fun developments for those very special early months, almost like seeing lights turn on!!! Then click on this link for the most rewarding information on Toddler Development.

Go to top of Stages of Child Development

Return from Stage of Child Development to Child Care Business HOME - child care jobs