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What skills and lessons are you taking into 2025? What are you leaving behind? Here are some ideas for the parents and caretakers out there!
IN:
Practicing selfcare and asking for help. If you are happy and healthy you are better able to care for your children. No-one can do it on their own, asking for help when you need it is okay! Read more about self care and find some ideas in our blog posts here and here.
Encouraging messy play, risky play, and outdoor play. Playing in the mud or with paint supports the development of their motor skills as well as their intellect and creativity. Climbing trees or other “risky” activities supports their physical development, builds confidence, and helps them understand the limits of their bodies. We challenge you to spend more time outside in 2025, even if it is cold (within reason) or rainy!
Doing an Ages and Stages Questionnaire. Have you ever wondered about your child's development? Is your child achieving all developmental milestones? Complete the Ages and Stages Questionnaire with one of Norwood's staff. All children develop at their own pace. The questionnaire can be used to identify areas of strength as well as areas that need more focus! Ask a Norwood Centre staff member for more information.
Reading with your child. Reading with your child supports their language development, their imagination and much more! Don't have many books at home, library cards from the Edmonton Public Library are free!
OUT:
Mom (or dad) shaming. Parents are the experts of their children, and there is no single “best way” to raise a child. In 2025 we would like to see less judgement of other people’s parenting.
Baby food pouches. Most baby food pouches contain high quantities of sugar and either low or zero protein, which is needed for healthy development. For more information on choosing healthy food for your baby, see the tip sheet on our website https://www.norwoodcentre.com/tip-sheets
Excessive screentime. While appropriate and limited screentime can be a useful tool, the Canadian Pediatric Society recommends zero screentime for children under 2 years old, less than 1 hour of screentime for children 2-4 years old and less than 2 hours of screen time per day for older children. Find out more about balancing screen time on myhealth.alberta.ca
At Norwood Centre our team of qualified Early Childhood Development Subject Matter Experts work to provide tools that caregivers can use to support early childhood development. We hear you! If you have a question or concern, please ask us. We have a variety of Child Development Activities available on our website, find them at norwoodcentre.com/child-development-activities. For short-term one-on-one coaching, please call us at 780-471-3737.
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