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Parents Place
Temperament and Development Tips
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- Familiarize yourself with the kinds of behavior to expect at each developmental stage. Preparing yourself for what's to come by staying a step or two ahead of your child can be a real help.
- Adjust your parenting style to your child's temperament. Have smaller birthday parties for a child who is unusually sensitive. Find a friend to take your active child to the park. Give your slow-to-warm-up child time to fit into new situations.
- Help your children learn who they are and offer them techniques and strategies for becoming comfortable in difficult situations. Temperament doesn't have to be destiny.
- Use your understanding of your child's temperament to help you pick the most appropriate preschool and elementary school for your child.
- Don't expect your children to be clones of either of you; they are their own, unique individuals.
- Remember that children learn more and grow faster during their first five years than at any other time of life.
- Be aware that some children adjust easily to the demands made on them by adults, while others need more direction from parents and teachers.
- Learn to work with, rather than against your child's temperament.
- Honor and acknowledge your children's traits. Responding with love and acceptance can't help but increase their confidence at any stage of development.
- Avoid nicknames that reflect specific traits. Even nicknames that seem loving at first - the lawyer, the math maven - can backfire as children feel bound by those traits.
- Consult your pediatrician or a child development specialist if you are concerned about your child's reactions at various stages of development.
- Encourage both the children and adults in your household to keep growing and changing as they reach new developmental milestones.
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