As your child develops its important they grow in a secure, caring and nurturing environment. There have been numerous academic studies suggesting that the early development years will have a resounding impact on how they will cope later in life. Here are some tips on what you can do to make your little ones feel good about themselves:

Feeling Safe

Children like to feel safe. Give them lots of cuddles and keep them out of harms way. Tell them that you are there to help them when they need it but don’t get too carried away or you might become a slave!
Belonging

Perhaps the most important aspect of early development is the need to belong. My little boy came up with the expression “all family together” reflecting the comfort he feels being a member of our family. Tell them how much they are appreciated, especially when they do things that please you. Make sure they know that they are an important part of the team.
Self Esteem
Children like to feel they can do things well and they love to be praised. Give them the approval they need. I tell my boy he’s the best boy in the whole world. I also tell him he’s got the best Mum in the whole world. It makes me feel better and probably gives him some extra comfort! If you have more than one child, be very careful to share your praise not just favour one child. Focus on their strengths. If they can do something well they feel good about themselves. My little girl was a great climber from a very young age. She was so pleased at her own prowess that she created her own nickname “I’m Jemima the climber”. My son is good at drawing. He’s also prolific but I make sure I put all those pictures up on my bedroom wall so he knows his work is appreciated.
Independence
If they are ever going to leave home they will need to develop their own independence. Allowing them to make there own choices is a great way of doing this. Let them choose their own food (within certain guidelines of course) or let them choose their own activities like riding their bike in the park or going swimming. No doubt they will choose both but it still helps them establish their own independent thought and lets them know they have control of their own destiny. I have found that introducing them to saving is also a good way of establishing their independence. Instead of always having to ask for things they want they know if they can save enough money they will be able to buy something themselves.
By Georgina Grant

Posted: September 22nd, 2008 under Your Stories.
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I could tell from the age of eighteen months that my daughter was having difficulty in learning to speak. She just couldn’t make the right sounds. As her speech developed it was incomprehensible to all but me. She’s four now and is still having lessons with a speech therapist but she has come such a long way and her speech has greatly improved.

Here are some things I learnt about just how infants develop their language skills:

The first thing to be aware of is that children develop language ability at different rates so if your child seems a little slow, there may be nothing amiss at all (just because our child had a problem doesn’t mean yours will too!). Also, particular sounds may not be age appropriate for your child such as the tough ones like l, s, f and v sounds. This is not to say all children will have difficulty with these sounds. A friend’s child was stringing together sentences better than I do now and he was just three!
It’s very important to catch any problems early because the longer you leave it, the harder it will be for your child to correct their language.
Hearing is especially important. If your child is not hearing the sounds properly they won’t be able to repeat them. The first task on the agenda if you suspect a problem is to arrange a hearing test. You might notice something is wrong if your child doesn’t turn around to a sound. My girl just didn’t like too many sounds and particular music although a hearing test didn’t find anything wrong.

Story telling is a great way for your child to learn new words and sounds. Talk to them slowly, pronounce words clearly and make sure they can see how you move your lips and mouth for each word. Watching television from an early age is not helpful as the sounds and words they hear come with too much background noise and music. They also don’t get to see how words are pronounced naturally particularly the cartoons.
Learning and singing songs and rhymes is another way to hone their language skills. It also helps to achieve rhythm and melody in their voices. As they get older it’s much easier to explain to them how to pronounce sounds correctly and what they are doing wrong. For me this breakthrough came when my girl turned four.
If you use child-care make sure that the carers have strong language skills. Your child is going to be spending a lot of time with them and this is where much of their vocabulary is developed. If you don’t like the way they speak look for a different centre.

Posted: September 22nd, 2008 under Your Stories.
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Welcome to Dreambaby Blog. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!

Posted: November 23rd, 2007 under Announcements.
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