Regular exercise is essential to children’s physical development, but it’s also important to be mindful of their cognitive development. There are different developmental milestones children reach at different ages. These milestones are categorized into different types of development:
- Social/emotional
- Language/communication
- Cognitive (learning, thinking, problem-solving)
- Movement/physical
Games can be a great way to help your child reach these milestones. For example, preschoolers can benefit from games that help them learn their colors and understand their surroundings.
To improve your children’s health as well as cognitive development, go for a walk with your family and play the game “Do you see what I see?” Pick an object that everyone can see as you are walking. Without telling anyone what you are looking at, describe it and let everyone guess what it is. Take turns being the one to choose the object. Practicing observing and describing their surroundings through games like this can improve preschool-age children’s cognitive development. But no matter how old your child is, this is can be a fun game that also gets your family moving together.
A healthy diet is critical to all kinds of development, so make sure your children are eating nutritious fruits and vegetables, lean meats, beans, nuts and seeds, low-fat dairy, and whole grains to help them grow!
To learn more about child development, visit https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/facts.html.
Where will you go to play “Do You See What I See?”