1. Learn About Your Child's Stage4 steps
Understand what's developmentally normal for your child's age.
1. Research Developmental Milestones — Learn about cognitive, emotional, and social milestones for your child's age. What's typical? What's still developing?
2. Observe Your Child — Spend time noticing your child without directing. What are they interested in? What challenges them? What comes easily?
3. Check Your Expectations — Are your expectations aligned with what's developmentally appropriate? Adjust expectations that may be too high or too low.
4. Identify Strengths and Growth Areas — Note where your child is thriving and where they need more support. Celebrate strengths; scaffold challenges.
2. Support Emotional Development4 steps
Help your child develop emotional skills appropriate for their age.
1. Name Emotions Together — Help your child identify and label their feelings. Build emotional vocabulary through daily conversations.
2. Validate Before Fixing — When your child is upset, acknowledge their feelings first: 'That's really frustrating.' Solutions come after validation.
3. Teach Coping Strategies — Introduce age-appropriate ways to manage big feelings: deep breaths, counting, taking space, using words.
4. Model Emotional Regulation — Let your child see you manage your own emotions: 'I'm feeling stressed, so I'm going to take some deep breaths.'
3. Foster Independence4 steps
Support your child's growing need for autonomy while keeping them safe.
1. Give Age-Appropriate Choices — Offer limited choices that give your child some control: 'Do you want the red cup or the blue cup?'
2. Allow Safe Struggle — Resist the urge to rescue your child from every frustration. Supported struggle builds resilience and skills.
3. Increase Responsibilities Gradually — Add new responsibilities as your child shows readiness. Build confidence through successful experiences.
4. Celebrate Effort and Growth — Praise effort and improvement, not just results: 'You worked really hard on that' or 'You're getting better at...'
