Early childhood development

What children experience in the first five years of life stays with them forever. Much of what they will achieve physically, intellectually and socially in later life is determined during this time. This website provides advice and information for every step along the way: pregnancy, your child's first year, toddlerhood and early childhood.

 http://www.achievebc.ca

 Your Child's eyes and teeth... is your child ready? 
click here for more information.

 Do you want to know what to expect from yourself and your baby from pregancy to age five?  Below are a list of resources:

 Pregnancy and childbirth 0 to 9 months

Early Childhood Development: FIRST YEAR

Early Childhood Development: YEAR 1 - 3 

Early Childhood Development: YEAR 3 - 5  
 

Emotional Attachments Motivate Children’s Language Mastery

Preschool children have an impressive array of listening and speaking skills.
Reading and writing abilities are in the formative stages — almost ready to bud,
but not just yet. Without written language as a communication tool, preschoolers
often rely on art to express their affection. A crayon or marker drawing is offered
up to a parent or teacher, “Look what I made just for YOU!” Of course, it is
offered with the hope that the recipient “oohs and ahh’s” and promises to hang it
on the wall.

But even for preschoolers, sometimes a drawing doesn’t communicate, especially
if a weighty issue lurks. One of our program’s preschoolers encountered such a
moment. Chris would be leaving our child care program to enter full-day
kindergarten in a few weeks. The upcoming transition had him thinking. And
lucky me, Chris wanted to share his thoughts with me. He didn’t want to draw
me a picture, though. No, he wanted to use words just like he’d seen his sister,
mom, and dad do. Since he couldn’t write himself, here’s how he solved his
communication problem.

Here’s what Chris said — with Deanna’s original spelling intact:

“Dear Karen,
Some day we are going to be apart. Sometimes we are going to miss each other.
Some day I am going to be at my sister’s school. Somday I am going to be in
college. Form: Chris. Witen by: Deanna. I love you Karen!”
To read the complete article in  PDF and to print out this article click here . 

 ■ Language & Literacy Category: Home Routines That Build Children’s
Literacy Skills (available 7/03) • Language & Literacy related articles #1, #2, #4
■ Self Esteem Category related articles
Parenting Exchange • Language & Literacy Library #3 • 2
© Karen Stephens 2002