Kids are pretty fascinating. As they grow up, you begin to see the blank canvas they started with fill in with all of the details that make them who they are. Every day, children learn something new or develop a new facet of their personality. Childhood development is an incredible process that we’re going to be taking a look at today. One of the best things you can do for your child’s development is to instill a drive for fitness at an early age. The easiest way to do that? Bring them into Rebounderz Trampoline Park in Edison! We make fitness fun!

-They Understand You

A baby learns how to speak from hearing others speak around them, and before they can speak on their own, they can understand the words you say to them. As you say the ABCs or tell them about what happened that day, kids are listening and attaching meaning to the words they hear. It’s estimated that by the time a child turns one, they understand around 70 words. That means even if they can only say a few words, they still understand many more, and they’ll keep learning the more you talk to them.

-Individuality

Having a sense of self is one of the things that set humans apart from many animals. This sense individuality develops around preschool for many children. This can be shown in both good and bad ways. They may have trouble with sharing, displayed with a healthy shout of “Mine!” This is a clear example of the development of personal identity and property that will continue to evolve as they grow and learn more. Help them delineate between what belongs to them and what doesn’t. As this individuality develops, children will understand that they are separate from you and their friends. This will also help them understand the consequences of their own actions, how it affects them and others around them.

-Growth Spurt

Kids hear it all the time. Family members tousle their hair and exclaim “Gosh, you’re growing so fast!” It’s true, children are constantly and consistently growing. So much so that a typical baby triples its birth weight in its first year. Keep that in mind when you’re up in the middle of the night feeding your hungry little one. They need those nutrients to grow up healthy, smart, and strong!

-Breathing Underwater

While a baby is still developing in the womb, they can actually breathe underwater! Starting at 28 weeks, the baby begins to breathe. However, because their lungs are not developed yet, they aren’t taking in oxygen. This is all practice, getting the muscles ready to do their job. Then, once the baby is born, they are ready to take a breath of fresh air.

-Left or Right? Both!

Most children are ambidextrous at one year of age. As they are growing, learning, and developing, they use each hand equally. Usually, by the time they turn two or three, they will have developed a dominant hand. Around 90 percent of children are right-hand dominant, so if your child is a lefty, they make up less than 10 percent of the population. Though left-hand dominant people are rare, many of the most successful people in history have been lefties. Count yourself lucky that your child is in the same camp as Shigeru Miyamoto, Stan Lee, Oprah Winfrey, and David Bowie!

-The Tutored Twos?

Two-year-olds have a reputation that precedes them. The moniker of the “terrible twos” has been around for decades and it makes sense why. During this time, temper tantrums become more common and stubbornness takes hold. There might actually be a good reason for this change in demeanor though. At two years old, your child has more than 100 trillion synapses or brain connections. That’s more than anyone will have the rest of their lifetime! With that many synapses firing, a child has a lot of sources of stimulation coming into their brain. It’s no wonder they get cranky! Everything around them is brand new and they aren’t sure how to understand it properly, so much of their behavior can be attributed to frustration. Take advantage of this time to teach your baby as much as you can, as an adult has around half the amount of neural pathways that a two-year-old does.

There are many more fascinating facts about childhood development that we’ll be exploring in the near future. Kids are constantly changing, growing, and evolving. That’s why you want to instill good habits in them early on. Showing kids the fun that is in exercise and fitness while they’re young and learning can have a huge effect on them as they grow up. Call us at Rebounderz Trampoline Park in Edison to learn about the exercise classes we offer for children and adults to teach healthy habits and proper exercise technique. Because many of our classes take place on trampolines, it’s almost impossible to not enjoy working out at Rebounderz. We hope to see you soon!