All family members can help with the healthy development of a younger child.
Often when a household has a toddler or baby in it, older children, no matter how much the parents try to avoid it happening, can end up feeling left out or neglected, while much of the attention is going toward the younger child.
There are various forms of child development and all members of a family, particular older siblings, will be able to help with the healthy growth of a younger child in the family. Language development is one of the areas of education, of course. The others are physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development.
One of the areas in which the entire family can help in a toddler's development is in the social realm. A good activity idea to foster this is to plan family social hours or nights. Be sure that older children will understand that they are helping the younger sibling to learn new things. The older siblings will be very happy to be doing something so helpful and valuable.
Your plans for the social interaction time will be age-appropriate but the main objective in this planning is to have family members interrelate with the younger child. Some suggestions are reading together or playing a game in which all family members can participate.
Children enjoy singing, so planning for the family to sing together is a fun idea and even the youngest children seem to enjoy the excitement and will clap along even if they are not talking yet. Be sure to let the child know that he or she is an important part of family.
In addition to social development, nurturing a child's emotional maturity is vital. There are many ways in which the whole family can be part of cultivating this. When the child reaches a new milestone, or does something of accomplishment, be sure that positive reaction comes from you or other family members. It is never too early to start showing this kind of support.
Involve the youngest child in family conversations whether or not you think he might fully understand the topic. When he is in the room, include him in the conversation and if he is old enough to be talking and understanding, ask for his opinion on various topics.
Many of the traits that will remain with a person through adulthood are learned very early in life. When the entire family is helping with child development, there are some basic essentials that should be used and taught. One such stance to teach is that conflicts are not resolved by loud words or hitting (this will help the older siblings learn how to treat each other as well). Nurture the idea that sharing is good and explain that it is all right to make mistakes.
To help a child advance in the area of language, the entire family will be making some lovely family-time memories with the large selection of activities that can be planned. An older child can take the younger around the house and quiz on the names of various items or play a game of "where is the. . ." in which case the family member will choose the name of an item in the house that is something the younger child may not recognize and help him find it. This also works well with photo albums, or any books with colorful pictures, to help with new word recognition.
Reading, of course, is another excellent idea to help with language progress. Family members can take turns reading to the child, or it can be done as a family activity. After the same book is read a few times, the younger child can be asked what the next word is, or asked questions about what is happening in the illustrations. If reading is not possible at the moment, tell stories to the child at any time of day. Instruct other children to do the same. Fostering verbal communication by keeping language at the forefront of activity is always a good idea for children of any age.
Physical child development covers the areas of nutrition and exercise. It is more difficult for the family to get involved in the nutrition area since it is a parent generally planning and preparing the meals. Family members can, however, help a child begin good exercise habits. Let him see siblings and parents doing regular exercises with an invitation to join. Buy a child-friendly exercise or aerobic video and use it with the entire family.
The family may enjoy taking a walk or hike together, or putting up a basketball hoop or treadmill. The possibilities for physical activities with the family are endless so just find out what everyone would enjoy doing together and make the plans.
Cognitive development is defined as those skills which allow a child to reason, solve problems, and develop memory. Many of the ways that a family can help with this are the same activities listed in other areas such as talking to the child, playing with him, asking his opinion, etc.
If the child is old enough, simple memory games are often enjoyed. An older child can draw pictures on blocks of cardboard or paper. The same picture will be drawn on two of them, just as the old classic memory or concentration games were played. Be sure not to have too many sets, however. Three sets of matches will be fine for younger children, perhaps five for older children, but you will want to make it an accessible goal and make sure the child will be able to put together the appropriate matches without a feeling of failure if it is too difficult for his age level.
Older children can easily help with number recognition and counting games, as well as games with colors and shapes. All family members will be able to help sharpen cognitive skills by giving the child choices in minor decisions. Let him choose which book someone reads or whether to have peas or corn with dinner. Clothing choice is another way to teach a child thinking skills while building self confidence.
Sorting, counting, and matching games are all very good in helping to strengthen cognitive ability. A good bottom line is to practice including the youngest child in all family activities and he or she will constantly be learning new and exciting things.
