Although the world may seem to be at a standstill during this pandemic, there is no pause button when it comes to child development. The first 5 years of life are a critical base for future results. If you have a child between the ages of 0 and 5, your focus should be on growing your child's brain and giving him a smart start to success. What can we do as parents to ensure the best results for our children? Here are 3 things you can do to support the development of your young child.

First, start by becoming familiar with the main areas of development:

1. Communication: a child's language skills, receptive language (what he understands) and expressive language (what he can say).

2. Gross motor: the use and coordination of a child's arms and legs when moving and playing

3. Fine motor: the movement and coordination of a child's hands and fingers.

4. Problem solving: a child's problem solving skills and how he plays with toys.

5. Socio-Individual: A child's self-help skills and interactions with others.

6. Social-Emotional: skills in self-management, self-awareness, decision-making, relationship skills and social awareness.

Second, keep a record of your child's progress. It is difficult to know what to expect and when, and even more difficult to keep track of each milestone in each area. The easiest way to monitor your child's developmental progress in each area is through standardized developmental assessments. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends using annual evaluations for all children to ensure that your child is progressing as expected in all areas. An evaluation can remove any questions you may have by making sure your child is meeting age expectations. You can also detect potential risks and address them.

Third, make sure you are providing quality activities to stimulate each area. To make sure that you are building each area of ​​the brain in the most efficient way possible, it is important to have a stimulation plan for your child that provides activities covering each area of ​​development.

Remember - YOU are your child's first and most important teacher.