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How does your child develop the miraculous abilities to love, think, communicate, and create, as well as to have self-control and feel compassion for others? Many child-development theories focus on only one part of this puzzle, such as a child’s genes, cognitive skills, or a new way to set limits. But in fact what gives meaning to all parts of this puzzle and defines your child as a humane and intelligent human being is his continuing relationship with you. There are six essential types of experiences that simultaneously promote your child’s intelligence and emotional growth:
Your Child’s Developmental Goal
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What You Can Do to Help
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Stage One
Being Calm and Interested in All the Sensations of the World |
Help your baby look, listen, begin to move, and calm down.
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Stage Two
Falling in Love |
Woo your baby into engaging with you with pleasure and delight
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Stage Three
Becoming an Intentional Two-Way Communicator |
Follow your baby’s lead and challenge him/her to exchange gestures and emotional signals with you about his/her interests
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Stage Four
Learning to Interact to Solve problems and Discover a Sense of Self |
Become an interactive partner with your toddler as he/she learns to use a continuous flow of gestures with you to pursue his/her interests and meet his/her needs
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Stage Five
Creating Ideas |
Enter your child’s make-believe world as a character in his/her dramas. Engage him/her in long conversations about his/her interests, desires, and even his/her complaints
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Stage Six
Building Bridges Between Ideas |
Challenge your child to connect his/her ideas together by seeking his/her opinion, enjoying his/her debates, and enlarging his/her pretend dramas.
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Source: Greenspan S.I. (2000). Building Healthy Minds: The Six Experiences that Create Intelligence and Emotional Growth in babies and Young Children. Da Capo Press, Perseus Books Group, MA, USA, 2000
Listen to Dr. Stanley Greenspan’s series of web radio shows discussing healthy development and how you can help your child to become a Great Kid. To access these audio recordings and transcripts, click here.
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