Tips to stimulate your child's development

Read on for tips from Mama Nurse

As parents, we all want the best for our children and to see them develop on track for their age. Guess what? That doesn’t mean you need to go buy every new toy on the market. What is most important is to provide your child with age-appropriate developmental stimulation. Read on for tips to stimulate your child’s development that are simple, easy, and will stimulate your child’s development easily and naturally.

Lots of these activities can be done while you do household chores or run errands.

And, remember, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no more than 2 hours of screen time (TV, phone, ipad) for older kids, and kids 2 and younger really should not have more than 1 hour day.

Click through the pictures below for tips to stimulate your child's development:

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Give your child lots of love and attention. No matter what a child's age, holding, hugging, and listening are important ways to show your child that you are paying attention to them.

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Interact with your child by talking, singing, playing, eating, and reading. Just use your voice! Narrate everything you are doing. Ask they questions (even if they can't answer). And tell them stories.

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Don't put your children in front of screens while they eat. Let your child explore while they are eating. Talk to them about colors, textures slimy, sticky, gooey, crunchy). Count cheerios and count bites.

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Count the apples as you put them into the bag at the grocery store. Point out the red ones and the green ones. Show them the oranges and tell them the color and shape.

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Read, Read, Read! You should read to your child at least 20 minutes a day. You don't even need to read the words - point out pictures, animals, colors, or anything else that pops out on the page.

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Sing songs and point to body parts while your child takes a bath.

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Take a walk together and look at the flower. Count the number of flowers you see. Listen for the birds. Point out butterflies. Name colors of flowers you see. Point out the cars driving by. Use everyday things to make learning fun!

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Playing peek-a-book, hide-and-seek, pat-a-cake, and easy memory games are good choices.

Games and Toys

You don’t need to buy special toys to stimulate your child’s development, but if you want to, here are a few ideas of developmentally appropriate toys for your child of all ages.

Best of all, they are screen-free activities that will give you and your child special moments together.

This fun Roll & Play game d helps your child learn colors, numbers, emotions and letters. You can make up your own games, too. This one was used and loved by all my kids through after 5 or 6. #affiliate.

2. This memory match game is best for kids ages 2-4 and has chunky pieces that are good to grab with their little fingers. #affiliate

3. Puzzles! These fun little guys can help with shapes and identifying animals at the same time.#affiliate

4. These classic Fisher Price toys are simple, easy to use, and hours of fun! #affiliate

Talk to your Pediatrician

Talk to your doctor if you are concerned about your child’s development. And, remember, every child is different and may reach developmental milestones at different times.

It’s so fun to watch your kids grow and develop. It’s not always easy but it sure is fun!

You got this!