Child development stages: How Early Experiences Shape a Child’s Growth

Child development stages: Understanding the Foundations of Early Growth

Child development stages: The formative years are crucial because this is when a child learns how to walk, talk and interact with others. Young minds are extremely malleable, and this is why parents need to choose their words and behaviors carefully. It’s no secret that bullies at school, often, are themselves bullied at home. If a child sees their parents regularly arguing and fighting, then there is a high probability that their future relationships will be volatile too.

Benefits of play for children: What are they?

There are of course, exceptions to every rule and there is no reason why a child born into a dysfunctional family can’t be very successful. Conversely, there are countless examples of people who’ve got themselves into the most awful situations, when given every advantage early on. However, in all probability, the child blessed with a great childhood, has a significantly better chance of success, than a child from a dysfunctional family.

Modern living makes for a very comfortable life with many benefits, but it would not be unreasonable to say that we are now much less resilient than previous generations. For example, day to day life 100-years ago for most people was hard, and the average person had to be tough just to survive. There was no electricity, food was not guaranteed and there were many deadly diseases around, that have largely been eliminated today. In some respects, it’s a miracle that anyone made it to old age in those days, but many people did, because they adapted to their environment.

Why playing with others shapes character and outcomes

It is impossible to understate the benefits of play for children with regards to developing resilience and self-discipline. Physical exercise strengthens the body and teaches self-discipline. Team activities teach children how to belong to a group and consider the needs of others. They learn that to win, they must bond, and work hard towards a common goal. Self-discipline is also crucial to success, because it removes us from our comfort zones and forces us to push the boundaries. It is widely accepted in psychology that most humans are capable of far more than they realize. This is why it is essential to encourage positivity and stimulate the imaginations of children, during those formative years.

Playing with other children is fun and there are numerous benefits. During my childhood I spent every waking hour playing outside with my friends, and we shared some great times together. Looking back, I now understand the importance of play in childhood, because it taught me how to read other children’s emotions and moderate my own behaviors. In some ways adulthood is an extension of childhood, we just become increasingly sophisticated as we get more experienced. However, the moves remain the same. Firstly, people want to be accepted by the group, and then once accepted, they fight for position. Of course, not everyone plays these games, but many people do.

Decades later, I still reminisce with my best friend about the fun and laughter we shared, during those carefree days. We are still best friends today, partly because of the strong bonds that we built leaning to play together as 5-year-olds. We took pleasure from our friendship and learnt how to look out for each other, in the playground and beyond. Fifty-years later we are still very good friends, and these strong bonds formed during those early child development stages.

How can educational nesting dolls benefit children?

Child development stages are both mental and physical. Obviously, the parents have a significant role to play mentally. However, fine motor skills are essential for writing, drawing, hand to eye coordination and picking up small objects too. Playing with dolls develops fine motor skills, and matryoshka dolls are particularly good in this regard. Typically, there are 4 – 6 dolls in each set, each of which consists of 2 halves, which pull apart, to reveal a smaller doll inside. Vital skills are learned taking apart a set and then putting it back together again which includes twisting, pulling, and size recognition of the dolls. Playing with these dolls improves dexterity and helps muscle development in the hands and fingers.

Explore our educational nesting dolls — inspire learning through play