Month 39

New insights into brain development affirm that loving attachments between young children and adults, and stimulation that is positive and appropriate, really do make a difference in children’s development.

Researchers have found that parents of children with high IQ's seem to do the following:

1. They provide the child with an interesting and complex physical environment that includes toys appropriate for the child's developmental level
2. They are emotionally responsive to the child and involved in their daily lives. This can be seen in their warm, contingent reactions to the child. They smile when the child smiles, talk when the child talks and answer the child's questions
3. They talk to their child, using language that is accurate and richly descriptive
4. They are not excessively restrictive or punitive. Instead they give the child room to explore and even to make mistakes
5. They have high expectations for their child's learning and emphasize achievement, especially educational achievement

How I think @ 39 months

I no longer need to concentrate in the same way when running, jumping or walking. Things come more naturally now. But my judgment and coordination are still developing, so you can expect bruises and grazes to keep happening for a while yet. Taking the occasional knock actually helps my development. What’s more, I find sticking plasters one of the coolest inventions ever!

Motor Development: Gross Motor Skills
• I am able to completely clothe self, only requiring assistance with laces, buttons, and other fasteners in awkward places
• I can feed myself without difficulty
• I am also capable of preparing uncomplicated meals! I am ready to be a helper ☺

Motor Development: Fine Motor Skills
• I love all kinds of stimulation that lets me get messy (sand, play-doh, water, paint)
• I can paint with some wrist action. I can make dots, lines, and circular strokes
• I love to roll, pound, squeeze, and pull clay

Language and Thinking Development
• My attention span is four to eight minutes
• I can name and match simple colors
• I have difficulty combining two activities such as eating and talking
• I am progressing in the reading readiness at this stage
• I am able to use actions and labels of things to describe pictures I see
• I use pronouns like he and she and prepositions like on, over, in

Social and Emotional Development
• I am spontaneous, lively, and talkative
• I am more socially active and use language to interact with people
• I go after what I want and fight for it
• I may be jealous
• I often get frustrated

Activities