Welcome to the incredible journey of parenthood! From those precious first smiles to those wobbly first steps, every moment just feels so incredible. The first year of a baby’s life is filled with remarkable milestones, each one marking a new achievement and a step forward in their development. In this blog post, we’ll walk you through the developmental milestones you can expect during your child’s first year. But don’t worry too much if your child isn’t meeting every milestone at a precise stage. Every child is unique—some babies will reach certain milestones sooner and others later. We will provide insights into a child’s physical, cognitive and social-emotional growth.
Cognitive milestones
Beneath that beautiful chubby exterior, your baby’s brain is working continuously to absorb and process information around them. In the first few months, they’ll begin to recognise familiar faces and respond to sounds and voices. As they start to approach 6 months, you might notice them reaching for objects or exploring them with their mouths. This is a sign of their growing curiosity and them beginning to understand the world around them. Around 8 to 10 months, they may start to imitate sounds and gestures, starting the process for language development. Keep engaging with your baby through talking, reading, and playing to support their cognitive growth. We have some great books and learning resources that can help to develop you child’s brain. View our books and learning resources here.
Physical milestones
During the first year, your baby will undergo amazing physical transformations. In the early weeks, they will master basic movements like lifting their head and turning it from side to side. By around 6 months, they may start sitting up unassisted and at this stage they may even begin to crawl. As their muscles strengthen, they’ll start pulling themselves up to stand and eventually taking those precious first steps, usually around 9 to 12 months. Please remember, every baby develops at their own pace, so don’t be concerned if your little one takes a bit longer to reach these milestones.
Social-emotional milestones
Your baby’s social and emotional development is just as important as their physical and cognitive growth. From birth, they’ll seek comfort and security from you, forming a strong attachment bond. As they approach 3 to 6 months, they’ll begin to smile in response to your smiles and maybe even engage in games like peek-a-boo. By 9 months, they might show some signs of stranger anxiety, becoming wary of unfamiliar faces. This is a normal part of their emotional development. Try and encourage their social interactions by arranging playdates and exposing them to different environments.
The first year of your child’s life is an absolute whirlwind of growth and discovery. It goes by so fast! Your baby’s first year will be filled with endless moments of joy and wonder. By understanding the developmental milestones they’ll reach during this time, you can better support and nurture their progress. Remember, every child is unique, so celebrate their individual journey and cherish each milestone they achieve. As you embark on this incredible adventure together, may you find endless delight in watching your little one grow and thrive!
Author
Natalie is the co-founder and illustrator at Little Scholars Playground. She is passionate about literacy, learning, illustrating, women in STEM and the Montessori practice.
It’s that time of the year again – the magical and marvellous World Book Day! A day that’s lots of fun for young bookworms as they get ready to embark on a journey through the enchanting world of stories, where every page is a portal to an exciting adventure.
Below are some ideas to celebrate World Book Day 2024
What will your little bookworm dress up as this year
From super heroes, heroines, wizards to magical creatures! World Book Day is the perfect time for children to transform into their favourite characters. Whether they’re donning a cape like Superman, waving a wand like Harry Potter, or fluttering around like a magical fairy, let their imagination run wild. This is the chance for them to become the star of their own story!
A yummy bookish picnic
What’s a celebration without some delicious treats? Pack a magical picnic basket filled with snacks that match your little one’s favourite book. How about some honey cakes inspired by Winnie the Pooh or a potion punch straight from the world of wizardry? Let their taste buds join in on the fun as they indulge in book-themed delights.
Storytelling
Gather ’round, young readers! It’s time for some storytelling. Grab a cosy blanket, it’s time to snuggle up with their favourite plush friends. Whether it’s a classic book, a modern adventure, or a bedtime story that takes your little one to dreamland, let the words take your little loved one on a magical adventure.
Why not create a book
Making up a story together with your child is a great activity that helps to get them using their imagination. Grab some paper, pen and crayons, and let their creativity flow. Draw characters, imagine fantastical worlds, and write down your very own story.
Here at Little Scholars Playground, we have a range of books to help spark your little loved one’s imagination. Shop our books here.
Author
Natalie is the co-founder and illustrator at Little Scholars Playground. She is passionate about literacy, learning, illustrating, women in STEM and the Montessori practice.
Black History Month is only a few weeks away (where is the time going? It will be Christmas soon, eek!) Our STEM Leaders: Black inventors and innovators who changed the world book would be a great resource. We all know schools will not be teaching children about these amazing people. So it’s for us all to do this at home.
STEM Leaders will introduce children to important Black inventors and innovators who changed the world. This vibrantly illustrated book is a stimulating reference source; it is educational and includes; Q&A’s, useful links, fun facts and activities to get children started with STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Maths) experiments. You can buy the book here.
We’re so excited about this book. We both work in the STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Maths) industry and we don’t see many people that look like us. So we want to inspire the next generation to embrace STEM subjects. An industry which creates the inventors, innovators and leaders of tomorrow. You can buy the book here.
Natalie is the co-founder and illustrator at Little Scholars Playground. She is passionate about literacy, learning, illustrating, black women in STEM and Montessori.
Learning music helps with a child’s brain development. But did you know it also helps to improve maths skills? To play a musical instrument well, you need to develop your critical thinking and problem solving skills. These are key skills when learning maths. If you think back to early childhood, young children often learn counting through rhythm. They first start clapping their hands and bopping their head to a number’s nursery rhyme. We know kids learn through repetition which is why nursery rhymes are great. Young children are particularly responsive to rate, which is a key player in helping them to form mathematical skills.
Below are 6 ways learning music is beneficial to developing a mathematical mind:
1) Performing music reinforces parts of the brain used when doing maths because It’s about time signatures, beats per minute and formulaic progressions
2) The frequency of sound is related to maths, different sounds can be made up with different weights and vibrations
3) Studies show that children who play instruments are able to complete complex mathematical problems better than their peers who do not play instruments
4) Patterns are used in both maths and music
5) Learning music teaches valuable skills such as patience, research also shows that children who learn an instrument retain information better
6) Music is full of fractions. Music includes whole notes, half notes and quarter notes, all of which follow the same rules as a maths equation
Getting children used to music early on will have fantastic positive outcomes. It adds a fun element to learning and sometimes can get them to learn things without even realising it. Who knew that learning music which is lots of fun can help with improving a child’s maths skills?
Natalie is the co-founder and illustrator at Little Scholars Playground. She is passionate about literacy, learning, illustrating, black women in STEM and Montessori.
June is Read Caribbean Month, an initiative created by BookOfCinz. A platform founded by Cindy, a Jamaican girl living in Trinidad & Tobago. Cindy started the BookOfCinz platform to encourage people to read more, read widely, and read Caribbean. As a result Read Caribbean month was created to raise awareness of the many amazing authors from the Caribbean. There are plenty of books from the Caribbean waiting to be read; including our very own lift-the-flap board book, Zara’s Caribbean Adventure. You can buy Zara’s Caribbean Adventure, a lift-the-flap board book here. This book will transport little ones on an authentic journey through the beautiful Caribbean. Zara’s Caribbean Adventure is a colourful rhyming lift-the-flap board book. Join Zara as she attends carnival, goes to the beach, eats a traditional Caribbean meal and more. Little ones will love lifting the flaps to reveal the sensory spectacular of the Caribbean.
Cindy feels there needs to be a space for Caribbean Writers and Literature because “our voice is so uniquely ours.”
The aim of the Read Caribbean month is to encourage people to:
Read books by Caribbean Nationals/ people of Caribbean heritage
Books about the Caribbean
Books set in the Caribbean
With 2022 being Read Caribbean Month’s fourth year, she wants it to make it an even bigger impact than previous years.
What’s your favourite Caribbean book by a Caribbean author? Please share in the comments below. So another person reading this can learn of books from/ based on the Caribbean.
Natalie is the co-founder and illustrator at Little Scholars Playground. She is passionate about literacy, learning, illustrating, Black women in STEM and Montessori.
