Child Development

The development of your child is something that you play an integral role in. For centuries scientists have debated whether intelligence stems from nature or nurture, however regardless of the role nature plays, the role of nurture cannot be disputed as one of the most critical elements in molding who your child will grow up to be. Your child’s development of reading, writing and arithmetic skills will be best aided through ensuring that you give them the attention they deserve to ensure they get a head start in life.


Many parents worry about when they should start to teach their child how to read and write. Much of this worry stems from them being scared that their child will be slower at picking things up than other children their age, and on the flip-side other parents fear that they may be putting their child through unnecessary stress through trying to teach them before they are ready. The truth is that if your child is not yet at school then they have plenty of time to start learning, but there really is never too young an age to get them started. Most research suggests that children around the age of 4 should be ready to start learning; however it will usually be around the age of 6 that children can read and write somewhat coherently.


Many parents find the thought of teaching a child to read or write from scratch very daunting, however it does not have to be. You should firstly start by teaching them to pronounce the lower case alphabet and then from there you will be able to ask them to combine letters to form syllables and then words. When teaching your child how to read, it is vital that you manage to portray it as a fun experience. You should also take advantage of teaching your child as a way to bond with them and promote reading as something that you and your child do together. You should choose reading material that is fun and that can provoke some form of conversation or even emotion from the child – in later years discussing literature that you and your child have both read is a great way of showing moral values and creating a mutual interest.


In order to ensure that reading remains fun throughout your child’s development it is best that you refrain from pushing them too hard when they make a grammatical mistake or have problems pronouncing a word. If they ask or they stall for a certain length of time then you can offer your help if they do not mind, however being too condescending, or too blatant in your attempts to teach, will just lead to ruining the enjoyable experience that reading should be. 


Playing a role in your child’s development will allow you to ultimately have a stronger relationship with your child all the way through their life. Show them that you care for them and that you are able to help them whenever they need you.