Destiny Baby

As a child, I naturally gravitated to those puzzle and game books (think Dell or Variety) that you can buy at your local grocery store or news stand. I loved to solve word and logic problems, play numbers games and cryptograms. It didn’t hurt being an only child, I suppose. And little did I know that those same games would be so similar to some of the reasoning questions found on standardized tests like the SAT. Well, this set of games will really get your toddler off on the fast track to “brainy-ness.” Reviews call it an essential tool for parents or caregivers. The pages of 125 Brain Games for Toddlers and Twos are filled with easy-to-play games based on the latest brain research. We know that a young child’s brain grows at a phenomenal rate in the first years of life, opening a window of opportunity for a lifetime of enhanced cognitive development. (Read more…)

Happy Spring!

We came across a new article from LiveScience.com at Yahoo! News, titled “Why Toddlers Don’t Do What They’re Told.” As Destiny Baby is now in his twos, you know we had to investigate. The article reports on a study of behavior among 3-and-a-half-year-olds and 8-year-olds. Findings are published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The neat things is that the study dispels the idea of kids as “little adults” who cannot do things as well. Rather, their minds work very differently.

Using pupil diameter to measure mental effort after asking the two groups of children to follow a sequence of activities, the punchline is that you cannot require your toddler to prepare for the future. No matter how much you tell them it is cold outside, that won’t make them get their coats. You have to try to mentally put them in the conflict or choice that will elicit the behavior you want. As the article notes, “3-year-olds neither plan for the future nor live completely in the present. Instead, they call up the past as they need it.” Useful to think about when doing educational learning activities with your little one!

I know there are lots of books on education and child development out there, but I was looking for freely available, authoritative information on infant and child development, especially milestones. If we are buying toys and games for our babies and children, they should support the stages of growth they are in, right?

Interestingly, it wasn’t that straightforward unless you have some places you know where to look, like the U.S. Department of Education, Presidential initiatives like “Good Start, Grow Smart,” started in 2002, State early learning guidelines (most of which are still in draft form), or the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), makers of Sesame Street, Elmo, etc. PBS has a whole child program. Along the way, I found a website called the Build Initiative, which is an initiative across different states to promote policies to support early childhood programs. Scrolling down the site, you will find a Resource Guide for Family, Friends and Neighbors Who Care for Children that includes information on social development and learning miletsones.

If you are the parent of a two year old (like I am) below is a checklist of the guidelines, by age, for 2 to 4 year olds. The guide itself has learning milestones from birth to 6 years old.

The main take away points are that infants and toddlers develop the basic mental processes of learning from birth to age 3 (focus, paying attention, persistence through frustration, communication and understanding, and pattern recognition). The great thing is that children learn from every interaction you have. From reading, playing, dancing, talking, singing, cuddling -– all of it helps them to learn and grounds them in family and cultural expectations.

Remember, your child is unique may not follow the list of milestones exactly, but if you feel she or he is behind in many areas, definitely talk to your child’s health care provider. In a future post, I plan to research free child development programs by state and post them here. Here are the milestones from the guide linked to above:

2 to 3 years:

• Kicks, jumps, and walks up/down stairs
• Pretends and shows affection
• Uses three-word phrases
• Identifies people with words
• May begin to use social labels
• Classifies people by gender
• Says at least 100 words

Order the perfect expert-selected development toys for your 2-3 year old by getting a Gift Series from ebeanstalk.com. Toys tailored to your child’s development arrive every three months. You can order for your own child or as a gift.

3 to 4 years:

• Plays with others
• Knows names colors and how to draw shapes
• Uses action words
• Identifies people according to physical characteristics
• Absorbs positive/negative feelings and ideas about
• people, including themselves
• Pedals a tricycle
• Opens door using door knob

You can also order the perfect expert-selected developmental toys for your 3-4 Year old by getting a Gift Series from ebeanstalk.com. Toys tailored to your child’s development arrive every three months. You can order for your own child or as a gift.

There are also Gift Series for newborns
and for 1-2 Year olds.