Encouraging the spirit of discovery

How your child develops is no coincidence. Hereditary predispositions play a role, but so do their biological maturation, their own experiences and the stimuli they receive from their environment. The pace of development is rapid in the first few years of life. Right now, you can support your child's individual development in a variety of ways: with targeted stimulation and opportunities for experience.

Even babies are encouraged to imitate their parents' faces and voices. Your child needs to interact with you in order to learn how to express themselves through body language, facial expressions and sounds and how to make a difference. You can support language development right from the start by talking to your child a lot, reading to them, singing with them and motivating them to speak by praising them and asking questions.

Lest there be any misunderstanding, this is not about speeding up your child's development. Some parents tend to compare their children and see whether their peers can walk more confidently or speak better. But each child sets their own pace. Only when your child has taken one developmental step can the next one follow. The driving force is always innate curiosity.

Babies already look for explanations for what is happening around them and test them by trying things out. Have you ever noticed how a toddler keeps throwing toys or his pacifier out of the baby carriage? Not only gravity, but also their own abilities are tirelessly tested through trials - for example, pulling themselves up on the bars of the crib using their own strength. If they succeed, the joy is immense. Praising your child wholeheartedly encourages them to take further steps in their development.

Sometimes you have to put the brakes on little explorers' thirst for action. For example, if your child climbs onto a wobbly chair or wants to taste what soil tastes like, you must of course intervene. However, you should not scold them! Distract your child and give them a different sense of achievement: instead of the chair, offer them a small, stable stool to climb on or show them how to put soil in a flower pot.

It is important that your child can choose for themselves what they want to do. What they are interested in depends on their interest, stage of development and the skills they have already acquired. Instead of putting a specific toy in front of your child, you should observe and wait to see which toy or everyday object they reach for on their own and what they do with it. If your child is concentrating on this object, then it corresponds to their current interest. Give them the freedom to try out the object, even if it may have a different purpose.