Development Of Children Under One Year: 6 Practical Tips

2024 Author: Harry Day | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 15:43

By becoming a parent, everyone wants to give their son or daughter the best. Food, clothing, education, and of course early development. But what do children really need? In the article, we will look at mistakes and practical advice for the development of a child from 0 to 1 year old.

What development looks like in the minds of young parents:

• expensive toys: tweeters, play mats, walkers, whole complexes with objects;
• special classes in mini-gardens and centers (in Kiev alone there are about 300 such institutions);
• learning foreign languages from infancy;
• extreme methods: diving, hardening, gymnastics, massages;
• falling asleep on their own and eating from a common table from the first months of life.

This is NOT about development.

Of course, the goals are good. But all of the above is not a priority in the first 12 months. In this article, we will look at what normal development is from birth to 1 year old, and how adults take part in it.

Physical development: from bar to runner

The main task is to master your body. At about three months, the baby begins to hold his head, at 5-6 - to sit, a little later - to crawl (although some children skip this stage), and by the end of the year - to stand and walk on their own. In addition, the baby learns fine motor skills. While still lying in the crib, he tries to reach out to objects, study them by touch, and manipulate in every possible way.

The parent should support, be attentive, but not pull. Let your baby sit or crawl later than the friend's son. Let him not eat curd if he doesn’t want to. Everything is still ahead! Remember, a child is not only a weight gain and skill set, but an individual.

How the brain develops: don't rush things

The brain is formed in the prenatal period, that is, before birth. The nervous system is initially a plate that transforms into a tube. Brain bubbles are formed from it. Each bubble is the beginning of brain structures.

First, the trunk is formed, then the limbic system, and at the end - the neocortex, that is, the cortex. The trunk is responsible for the basic functioning of the body - breathing, circulation of fluids, muscle contractions, sleep. This part of the brain is already formed during the prenatal period. The limbic system, the midbrain, is involved in the activity of internal organs, instinctive behavior. Thanks to him, we are able to remember, feel emotions. Rational thinking, planning, logic, will are impossible without the bark.

It is in this sequence that the structures of the human brain develop. You need to teach the child in the same order. First - coordination of movements and the emotional sphere, and only after - memory, thinking and other mental functions. Leave him alone with your Chinese. Yes, at an early age, the brain is flexible and able to learn more easily. But you can't sacrifice the basics. Do not expect a newborn to be able to control emotional responses. There is a misconception that young children can manipulate adults. It's just fantastic, because the baby's bark has not yet matured, thanks to which he can perform such complex actions on purpose. Childhood behavior is unconscious. He cries simply because he is upset, hungry, or missed. His actions may seem to us conscious, because we perceive the world in this way.

To help and not to interfere: what is the help of an adult

1. Safety and satisfaction of basic needs.

A secure environment is the foundation of development. First, the child needs physical safety, shelter, food, warmth. This is clear. Secondly, psychological safety. It is vital for a small person to see his adult up close (a newborn is able to distinguish images only at a distance of up to 20 cm), hear a voice, smell, feel touches. His place is in his arms, in a warm embrace. In the book "On the side of the child" F. Dolto describes the cases when children during the hostilities were in shelters with their parents and felt good, developed, despite the lack of food and light. After some of the children were evacuated to peaceful areas, but torn away from their parents, they began to develop worse and eat poorly. It follows from this that emotional care and warmth are no less important than physical well-being. This means that you should not hesitate before picking up a crying baby in your arms. This is the best thing to give him when he is upset or scared. Forget that grandmother's “don't teach it to your hands”.

As they get older, the child copies your way of dealing with adversity and learns to calm himself down. This mechanism is called interiorization. In psychology, the term was introduced by L. S. Vygotsky. The bottom line is that in childhood, any skill is initially formed with the help, later - in the presence of an adult, and only then - as an independent skill. And calming yourself down is as much a skill as talking or riding a bike. When you teach your offspring to ride, you hold him, put on a helmet, protection, and so on. And at the same time expect that, having fallen, he will console himself.

2. Communication

At first, the baby only needs mom, dad, or people who replace them. Even a nanny, but she must become a person to whom the child will become attached. L. Petranovskaya in the book "Secret Support" calls such a person "her own adult." The child gets used to it, relies on it. If these people change often, he does not have time to attach, and he feels in danger.

As the baby gets older, he becomes interested in other people. You can meet children on the street, with neighbors, go to visit relatives and friends a lot, even take them to work. The first reaction in a baby will be crying. He is scared that his mother (or another adult) will leave him. A good strategy is to hold the baby in your arms until he gets used to it. You can not scold and force to communicate with others.

By the way, scientists from Scotland have published the results of a study of "children's language", or lisp. As it turned out, such a conversation only contributes to the development of speech.

3. Developing, but not overwhelmed environment

A room littered with toys and an empty room are two extremes. Both are not conducive to development. There should be things that grab attention. But when there are many of them, the child is lost. We know how difficult it is to convince relatives to stop giving gifts. Change them. Expose some, and hide others for a while. The simpler the toy, the more room for imagination. You should also not create an environment with only toys. It is much more interesting to look at real things, watch how you work, do your house, chat with friends.

If the TV is constantly on in the room, this is also a congested environment. A laptop or phone that you don't part with is very interesting. Try to break away from the gadgets yourself and do not burden your child with them. At an early age, it is difficult for him to process a large amount of information. The kid gets tired and may cry. By the way, scientists have proven that colic is not a pain in the stomach, but a headache. Including - from an overabundance of impressions. So, in the international classification of headaches, infant colic belongs to the section with migraines. Remember how in the movie The Fifth Element, Leelu looked through the entire history of the world in a short time? About the same amount of information is processed by a tiny baby's head! He still has plenty of time, let him explore the world at his own pace.

4. Mirroring

In the book “Reflecting in People”, M. Jacoboni describes mirror neurons - nerve cells, thanks to which a person is able to copy behavior, show empathy, and guess the intentions of another. The child learns all this in interaction with the adult. Broca's speech zone in the cerebral cortex is activated not only when we speak, but also when the lips, larynx and hands move. And also when observing the gestures and facial expressions of another. This is mentioned by G. Rizzollatti in the book “Mirrors in the Brain.” Children love to be repeated after them. Play mirroring with your baby, so he will enjoy learning.

5. Maintaining interest

It is difficult to learn new things when everything is impossible. Sockets, pots, glass, jewelry and money. Hide everything valuable and dangerous. This is better than bringing the child to tears by ripping his wallet out of his hands.

Maintain your interest. For example, he noticed a ball. Throw it, ask to throw it back. Praise your toddler when he comes into play. Support his hands if he starts to walk.

6. No violence

Violence is not just a beating. This is carelessness, neglect, uncomfortable clothing, force feeding. Don't do what you wouldn't do with an adult. Imagine you are eating and smearing the sauce all over your face. Your coworker takes a picture of you, puts the picture on the Internet, and everyone else laughs at you. Naked photos, discussion on social networks of intimate or uncomfortable details about your child are also violence.

A child is not a blank board on which you need to frantically draw everything you need. Well after three it's late! He is a new person who grows and develops at his own pace. He has his own desires, goals (albeit not yet realized), emotions. Our task as adults is to serve him chalk. Be present, respond to his needs, gradually introduce him to the world (and not load terabytes of information directly into the brain). He will definitely learn to walk, fall asleep on his own and call a taxi. Take your time, let him and yourself enjoy your childhood!

What to read on the topic:

• Yu. V. Mikadze. Pediatric neuropsychology
• F. Dolto. On the side of the child
• L, Petranovskaya. Secret support
• L, Petranovskaya. If it's difficult with a child
• L. S. Vygotsky. Human developmental psychology
• M. Jacoboni. Reflected in people
• G. Rizzollatti "Mirrors in the Brain"
• Mitsuhiko Ota, Nicola Davies-Jenkins, Barbora Skarabela. Why Choo-Choo Is Better Than Train: The Role of Register-Specific Words in Early Vocabulary Growth. Cognitive Science, 2018