How to Support Childhood Development from a Fort Walton Beach Licensed Childcare Provider
If you talk to any licensed childcare provider, they will tell you there are several developmental milestones that a child is expected to reach by the age of five. These milestones are met when a child learns a new skill by playing, speaking, moving, behaving, and learning. The exact timing when a child will learn these skills can’t be predicted exactly, but the milestones are there to give you a general idea of when your child will most likely learn specific skills.
It’s important to keep in mind that our children will develop at their own pace. There are a few ways to ensure you help your child reach these childhood development milestones, however. Here are some ways you can help your children along in Fort Walton Beach.
Physical Development
A 3 to 6-year-old will typically have all 20 primary teeth, have 20/20 visions, and sleep between 11-13 hours each night. There will also be gross motor and fine motor skills that they’ll develop as subcategories of physical skills.
Gross Motor
They’ll begin to learn new jumping, kicking, and running skills. They can catch a bouncing ball, hop on one foot, learn to ride a bike, and steer it.
Fine Motor
At the age of three, your child might learn how to draw a circle or a person, self-dress with some help, and use blunt-tip scissors. At the age of four, your child might learn how to draw a square, cut in a straight line, use eating utensils, and dress correctly. At age five, your child will learn how to draw a triangle and use a butter knife to spread with.
Practicing any of these skills with them will help them reach these milestones at an appropriate time.
Language Development
A 3 to 6-year-old will begin to learn and use language much more often. Although it might not always be clear pronunciations, your child should be starting to talk with improvement over time, including mimicking what they hear and see around Fort Walton Beach.
Year 3
At age three, your child will begin to speak 3-worded sentences. They’ll also know how to use pronouns, prepositions, and plural words.
Year 4
At age four, your child will begin to learn how to count. They’ll start naming colors, follow simple commands, and enjoy rhymes.
Year 5
At age five, your child may begin to understand the concept of time. They’ll most likely know how to count to ten or more and understand how to answer questions that ask, why. They might even know their telephone number at this age.
You can practice counting, showing your child colors, and asking your child questions to help them develop these skills.
Behavioral Development
A preschooler will often develop social skills during this time. Your child will learn how to play and work with friends, which is a major part of social development. Around the ages of 4-5, your child might even begin playing games with friends that require following rules.
Your child will learn social skills, listening skills, and other behavioral skills by spending time with other children in a classroom setting under the guidance of a teacher. At home, you can enjoy spending time with your child at local parks or group classes with other children their age.
You Can Promote Healthy Childhood Development in Fort Walton Beach Today
As a parent, you can promote healthy childhood development today by understanding what the different milestones are and how to guide your child to each one. Placing your child in a child care center that offers preschool and VPK environments with certified teachers in the Fort Walton Beach area will help encourage your child to reach each milestone.
At Grow With Us Learning Academy, we offer nursery, toddler, and VPK/preschool programs. Each program has its own curriculum tailored to the specific age developmental needs.
Contact us today to learn more about getting your child enrolled and supporting healthy development through our programs.