Skills That Develop During This Age

Brain development in early childhood includes the development of various skills, such as

• The ability to count to higher numbers and answer “how many” questions.
• The ability to sort and group objects according to shape, size, and colour.
• Problem-solving and critical thinking skills.
• The ability to understand directional words, such as forward, backward, up, down, behind, in front, etc.
• The ability to understand how we use senses to understand the nature of an object or a living thing in our environment, such as the sound of an animal or the sound of the wind.
• The ability to create something using art materials.

Brain Development Activities That Help

As a parent, you can use simple child brain development activities to help your preschooler develop the skills above. Here are a few things you can do

• Help them get used to counting objects by asking questions, such as ‘how many stairs did you climb to go to your room?’
• Ask them to help you with sorting laundry according to the colour. Household chores or simple everyday activities greatly encourage brain development in children.
• Lay out different-sized containers and their lids and ask your child to find the right lids to go with the right container.
• Play instruction-based games with them, such as treasure hunt.
• Fill plastic containers with natural things, such as sand, water, feathers, etc. and ask them to identify sounds when you shake the container.
• Involve them in creative projects, such as painting, collage-making, clay pottery, etc.

Things to Keep in Mind

Here are a few things to remember when encouraging brain development in children between the ages 4 and 5

• Don’t let your child be on their own. Do activities together and make use of the learning opportunities.
• Help them wherever they are stuck and ask them to try again.
• This is the best age to get children used to eating healthy foods, such as fruits and vegetables.

Skills That Develop During This Age

8-10 years is the age bracket during which children learn skills, such as

• Independent critical thinking and decision making.
• The ability to combine, separate, and transform objects.
• Complex reading, writing, and language skills.
• The ability to create new games with their own rules.
• Creative skills, such as acting, designing, and creative writing.
• The ability to tell right from wrong.
• The ability to understand riddles and puns.
• Curiosity

Brain Development Activities That Help

While children try to learn on their own through observation and curiosity during this age, parents must encourage them to

• Play mind-stimulating games, such as Escape Room.
• Write poetry or stories.
• Choose their own books from the library.
• Give presentations on interesting topics, such as ‘my vacation experience’, with photos and descriptions during family time.
• Use drag and drop applications to create their own games and characters.
• Participate in plays or other creative events in school.
• Watch educational and informative shows on TV channels, such as Discovery Channel, National Geographic, etc.

Things to Keep in Mind

Here are a few things parents must keep in mind

• Physical play is important for brain development in children. So, limit their time for television and video games to two hours a day and encourage active play as well.
• During the age of 8-10, children can tell what a book is all about. So, encourage them to write summaries.
• In this age group, children can solve multiplication and division problems. So, ask them to help in cross-checking grocery bills and other similar tasks.

Skills That Develop During This Age

Between the ages 11 and 13, children no more rely on just facts; they start grasping abstract concepts. Here are more skills that you can expect your child to develop

• Active listening skills in formal and informal settings
• Non-verbal communication skills
• The ability to understand and deal with peer pressure
• Reading and writing skills for independent activities that do not concern school
• The ability to understand and use numbers in a real-world context
• The ability to develop healthy relationships
• Imagination skills

Brain Development Activities That Help

Though kids in the 11-13 age group are responsible enough to take their learning and interests seriously, parents can still help them by

• Encouraging them to pursue their hobbies and passion seriously, for example, taking music lessons.
• Encouraging them to start their own blog or podcast.
• Asking them to calculate tips in restaurants and help with creating budgets.
• Answering complex questions they may have about relationships and the interaction of living beings.

Parents must keep in mind that children in the 11-13 age group are almost teenagers and maybe going through internal conflicts. So, help your child in understanding themselves and making the right decisions instead of telling them what to do.