We recently took a look at some pretty fascinating information regarding childhood development that you may not know. There’s so much more that many people may not be aware of so we’re going to continue our look at childhood development today. Healthy habits and motivation to stay active are two very important pieces for successful development. At Rebounderz Trampoline Park in Edison, we have many classes that can help instill these values in your children at a young age, which they will be able to carry long into adulthood health and happiness.

-Can’t Remember

As a child’s brain is developing, certain pieces that become commonplace later in life aren’t operating at their full capacity. One of those pieces is memory. Most children are unable to remember anything that happens before they are three years old. However, that doesn’t mean that a toddler won’t retain what is taught to them at this age. Those lessons will absolutely have a positive impact, your child just won’t be able to remember the moment that they learned it.

-If I Can’t See You, You Can’t See Me

When a toddler is growing up, they are still developing what is called “object permanence”. Essentially, this is the understanding that despite an object no longer being in their view, it still exists in the world. This is why the game “peek-a-boo” is such a big hit. When they close their eyes, their mind thinks the world disappeared. When they open their eyes back up to see everything where it was, they’re excited because it means the world still there. Some kids will even try to move around while closing their eyes because they think when they can’t see you, you can’t see them either.

-Blurred Vision

When a baby is born, their eyesight is incredibly poor. For instance, if perfect eyesight is 20/20, a baby’s eyesight is around 20/2400. That means they can only see about a foot away from them. When you talk to your baby, be sure you get in close so they can see you. As you’re aiding in their visual development, provide easily understandable black and white objects for them to see up close. It’s important to provide new things for the baby to look at, but they need to be near for the details to actually translate. Most babies have 20/20 eyesight by the time they are six months old.

-No Salt Necessary

Within a baby’s first four months, they are unable to taste salt. That’s because their kidneys have not developed enough to be able to utilize sodium. Additionally, a baby’s taste buds that are able to sense salt develop at four months. So don’t bother putting the salt shaker on the table, your baby won’t need it.

-Organized Memory

Though we talked about a lack of memory for kids under three, you’ll find that changes quickly. As soon as age six, a child is able to start applying memorization strategies in their learning. By age seven, they can use patterns and other tricks to facilitate learning even more! This means they’ll have better retention of information, which means they’ll do better in school. Harness this opportunity to start teaching your child about different helpful acronyms, mnemonics, and other helpful learning and memorization strategies that they can use every day.

-Learn to Play, Play to Learn

Do you have a kid that throws a fit about going to school? Sadly, not every child loves education, but most of the time it’s the setting of traditional schools that put them off more than anything. Many children learn better when they’re playing. That’s because they are more likely to make social connections, use their imagination, think critically, and develop their budding language and motor skills while they are playing. Adding an element of play to learning makes it feel less like a chore to get through when sitting at a desk in class isn’t quite connecting the way it should be. Give children activities where they can be active participants in their education and you’ll see far more positive results in return.

-Are You Listening?

The phrase “selective hearing” has been said a lot, but for babies and toddlers, it’s not a selection they have much choice in. As they are developing their hearing ability, it is difficult for young children to be able to separate background noise from voices speaking. You might think your toddler is ignoring your calls, but in reality, most of the time they just are unable to understand and process the many sounds they’re hearing. Show patience with them through this time. Development of response skills is important and difficult work.

Childhood development is a subject that nobody is truly an expert in because it changes every day. Children don’t all fall into one pattern or another, so many times it is a bit of a guessing game. However, with this information, we hope it helps you to understand your child better so you can help them succeed as they grow up. If you’re looking for a great way to give your child fun learning opportunities, bring them to Rebounderz Trampoline Park here in Edison. We’ve got the safest trampolines, a super exciting Ninja Warrior obstacle course, incredibly fun exercise classes for the whole family, and a safe way for the daredevils in your family to get their kicks with our 14-foot tall JumpXTREME Towers. Call us today to learn more and to schedule your jump time!