Babies become toddlers during their second year of life. First steps give way to confident walking. Motor development also changes rapidly. A child's abilities for physical movement will change all during childhood through the unlearned or reflexive movements of babies that lead to the highly skilled voluntary actions of later childhood and adolescence. Hand/eye coordination and manual dexterity also improve - kids learn to investigate toys and their home environment. This activity leads to early types of playing with toys such as shaking, banging or throwing them.
It's only with play that much of a child's early learning happens. Physical, emotional and intellectual development is dependent upon activity. Opportunities for play should be a big part of a kindergartners program - touching, manipulating, exploring and testing Children imitate adults through play and experiment with what it means to be a grown up. It is important for parents to search out toys that will encourage toddlers to play with objects like toy phones and blocks. This is the age when the concept of 'pretend' begins to emerge. Naturally lots of learning is through imitation of what they see around them, activities their parents take part in every day such as getting in the car or cooking the food.
A large part of what your children should see you do is be physically active and eat a healthy diet. One of the most important issues facing American health today is the growing obesity epidemic. All that you need to do is take a look around at any public gathering and you will see the truth that NO ONE is getting enough exercise! Every child - including one and two year olds - needs to have 60 minutes of active play every day. When we start toddlers and young children off in the right direction encouraging them and demonstrating to them how to form the lifelong habit of physical activity you are giving them the gift of health and fitness.
Once children begin to regularly add fitness activities to their daily lives, they can reduce the risks of obesity and diabetes. It's tougher to raise kids today than it was even 10 years ago. Parents now are concerned about diet and exercise as well as kids' safety and development. As adults, we are becoming more aware of the need to be sure that the first of those new abilities is developing the lifelong habit of being more fit; an active child is a fit and healthy child. At the same time as they are playing whatever the activity -climbing on a playset and hanging by their knees to see what the world looks like upside down - your children are also exercising. It can be as simple as bike rides around the block or running to play tag in the yard - we all need to change our lifestyles by making time to get moving!
Hello - I'm Christine Bender and I am the owner of the website http://www.safetyswimandplay.com/ where we see a terrific selection of children's climbing playsets and jungle gyms. Our sets are easy to assemble, flexible and easy to change. We specialize in playsets for toddlers and young children up to about age 5 or 60 pounds in weight. All playsets are made of soft thermoplastics and are completely safe and sturdy. ADA approved for all abilities.
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