Child Development- 1st Period- Class #3
Everyone was back in the Danger Shop this week, where the nursery setup from last week was back. There were no crying babies, though. "Hi, guys, hope you're enjoying both the inauguration and the snow, whichever you like best," she greeted them, indicating that they could sit on the floor. "But hopefully I can keep your attention for at least a class period.
"Last week, we talked about the littler babies. This week, we're aging it up a bit," she said, passing out again a series of handouts. "Babies grow up fast, and there's a ton of development happening in that first year. They're stll all helpless between six months or so and a year, but they're getting more active. They're sitting up, they're starting to crawl, and stand, and by the end of the first year, they may be taking their first steps or even walking. And that's just the gross motor skills. Which, by the way, doesn't actually refer to anything gross, it's just the things you do with your larger muscles. Running, jumping, things like that. You also have fine motor skills, which are the smaller things you do. Writing, picking up objects, that sort of thing. By the end of the first year, your baby is trying to pick up objects, though they don't know how to do it right, so they use a grip like this." Lily demonstrated, holding her hand in a sort of pincer gesture. "They're banging things together, they have their hands on everything, and then it all ends up in their mouth. It's normal. They want to explore, and the easiest way for them to do that is to try to gnaw on it. Some people will tell you not to let them, but it's going to end up happening. Just keep things as clean as possible, wash things if they fall on the floor, and don't be too annoyed when they start trying to yank on and eat your hair and jewelry. Just, uh, watch any dangling earrings.
"The really cool part is that by that age, they're starting to develop real intelligence," Lily went on. "They're starting to recognize people and voices. They might start to dislike strangers. They're also learning something called object permanence. Before then, if they couldn't see an object, it just wasn't there. Poof, all gone. Now they're starting to learn that just because they can't see something, it might still exist. This is why peek-a-boo is such a big game for them. They're learning from it. They're becoming more able to express their needs and wants. They'll point at things, and they'll babble a lot. Sometimes it might sound like they're talking before they really are, but by a year or so they're at least making progress on saying their first word. Remember this before you start cursing in front of them. They'll even begin to recognize their parents by 'mama' and 'dada', and actually call the right parent by the right word. Don't be too insulted if they mess that up for a while. And they're learning the word 'no.' And in about another year, it'll be their favorite word ever.
"And of course, always remember that every child develops at a different rate. Some'll start walking and talking before others, some might just be late bloomers. It doesn't mean your kid'll be smarter or dumber than any others, it's just part of their own uniqueness. But if it's been a while and they're still not managing to hit the milestones, it's best to see your pediatrician and get things checked out."
She took a seat on the floor with the students for extra credit show and tell, then explained the assignment. "Today we're going to be doing something like last week. Except rather than dealing with screaming terrors, you're going to be feeding them. Now, remember these kids are between six months and a year. They're moving away from the bottle and on to baby food. I have ponchos, if you really want to protect your clothes, and take no responsibility for the state of your clothing if you decide to be too cool to wear plastic.
"And again, if you want extra credit, find me baby clothes. Go ahead and create your own seasonally appropriate outfit for a kid of a year old, either gender, and bring in the outfit or a picture to class next week."
"Last week, we talked about the littler babies. This week, we're aging it up a bit," she said, passing out again a series of handouts. "Babies grow up fast, and there's a ton of development happening in that first year. They're stll all helpless between six months or so and a year, but they're getting more active. They're sitting up, they're starting to crawl, and stand, and by the end of the first year, they may be taking their first steps or even walking. And that's just the gross motor skills. Which, by the way, doesn't actually refer to anything gross, it's just the things you do with your larger muscles. Running, jumping, things like that. You also have fine motor skills, which are the smaller things you do. Writing, picking up objects, that sort of thing. By the end of the first year, your baby is trying to pick up objects, though they don't know how to do it right, so they use a grip like this." Lily demonstrated, holding her hand in a sort of pincer gesture. "They're banging things together, they have their hands on everything, and then it all ends up in their mouth. It's normal. They want to explore, and the easiest way for them to do that is to try to gnaw on it. Some people will tell you not to let them, but it's going to end up happening. Just keep things as clean as possible, wash things if they fall on the floor, and don't be too annoyed when they start trying to yank on and eat your hair and jewelry. Just, uh, watch any dangling earrings.
"The really cool part is that by that age, they're starting to develop real intelligence," Lily went on. "They're starting to recognize people and voices. They might start to dislike strangers. They're also learning something called object permanence. Before then, if they couldn't see an object, it just wasn't there. Poof, all gone. Now they're starting to learn that just because they can't see something, it might still exist. This is why peek-a-boo is such a big game for them. They're learning from it. They're becoming more able to express their needs and wants. They'll point at things, and they'll babble a lot. Sometimes it might sound like they're talking before they really are, but by a year or so they're at least making progress on saying their first word. Remember this before you start cursing in front of them. They'll even begin to recognize their parents by 'mama' and 'dada', and actually call the right parent by the right word. Don't be too insulted if they mess that up for a while. And they're learning the word 'no.' And in about another year, it'll be their favorite word ever.
"And of course, always remember that every child develops at a different rate. Some'll start walking and talking before others, some might just be late bloomers. It doesn't mean your kid'll be smarter or dumber than any others, it's just part of their own uniqueness. But if it's been a while and they're still not managing to hit the milestones, it's best to see your pediatrician and get things checked out."
She took a seat on the floor with the students for extra credit show and tell, then explained the assignment. "Today we're going to be doing something like last week. Except rather than dealing with screaming terrors, you're going to be feeding them. Now, remember these kids are between six months and a year. They're moving away from the bottle and on to baby food. I have ponchos, if you really want to protect your clothes, and take no responsibility for the state of your clothing if you decide to be too cool to wear plastic.
"And again, if you want extra credit, find me baby clothes. Go ahead and create your own seasonally appropriate outfit for a kid of a year old, either gender, and bring in the outfit or a picture to class next week."