The Importance Of Early Childhood Development

Your child’s early years can make a remarkable impact on the young adult they will become. Here’s why a formalised programme of skills development from a young age can have a positive impact on their future. 

The experiences your child has when they are young will shape the foundation of their mental, physical and emotional development. By exposing them to skills development tools, programmes or educational facilities early on in life, you can help them reach their full potential. 

What is early childhood development?

Early childhood is a phase in your child’s life, made up of a number of “life stages” and developmental milestones. This period is generally defined from birth to eight years of age and forms the basis of a child’s intelligence, social behaviours, learning capacity and personality.

What are development milestones?

Simply put, developmental milestones are behaviours or skills seen in children as they begin to mature from infant to toddler to child. For example, crawling will mark a milestone, as will walking. These developmental benchmarks are different for each age range and life stage. 

How to set your child up for success.

“As a society, we cannot afford to postpone investing in children until they become adults, nor can we wait until they reach school age – a time when it may be too late to intervene. The best evidence supports the policy prescription: invest in the very young and improve basic learning and socialisation skills.” - James J Heckman

Toddler development is generally marked with more tactile skills such as drinking from a cup and sharing toys. This is why Trinityhouse Pre-Primary’s learn through play approach suits this age group ideally. From the pre-school (6 years and up) phase, milestones become more education based and focused on the development of essential literacy and numeracy skills which forms the building block for their entire learning journey.

Should you choose to send your child to a reputable pre-primary school, your child can enjoy the added advantages associated with these developmental institutions. These benefits include:

● Improved behaviour. Children who attend crèche or preschool become socialised at an earlier age. As a result, they’re more aware of social behaviours and etiquettes. They also learn vital concepts such as discipline and responsibility.

● Earlier development of critical social skills. By interacting with their peers from a young age, children are better able to cope in social environments later in life. Group work skills are also enriched. 

● Enhancement of education and life skills. Children are better able to develop their numeracy, literacy skills and other early life proficiencies from a younger age. Reading and writing skills are also enriched, setting your child up for pre-primary school and beyond. 

● Openness for education. The earlier in life your child is able to get used to an educational environment, the more open they are to the school experience for years to come. Their capacity and passion for learning is ignited from a young age. 

By enrolling your child for out-of-home childcare or schooling from a young age, you’re able to give them a head start in life. 

Let’s set your child up for a bright future. Enquire now