As parents, it's natural that you want to give your child the best start in life, and this is something to be applauded. Children have many different needs, and what each child needs individually will vary.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to parenting. Your involvement and understanding of your child's needs are crucial. By paying attention to their struggles and offering help where needed, you are actively shaping their future.
With that rather vague idea, let's look at some ways to give your child or children the best start in life to help them thrive.
Health, Wellness and Emotional Intelligence
Good health is about more than a good diet. Although most parents of toddlers will attest that their toddler is wholeheartedly against a good diet, providing a nutritious diet as much as possible is an excellent foundation from which to build.
But in addition to a good diet, you need to support them by ensuring they get the recommended levels of exercise every day and are physically active and nourished. A good diet and regular exercise can help support good health and their developing bodies. For example, a balanced diet can provide the necessary nutrients for growth and development, while regular exercise can improve their physical fitness and mental well-being. Even a run around the playground for an hour after school is plenty for most kids. But anyway, being active is a bonus a few times per week, and it is something good to aim for.
Emotional intelligence might seem lofty for kids, seeing as many adults struggle with this, but putting the foundations in place from a young age can help them to become emotionally intelligent as they get older. For instance, you can talk to them about feelings during storytime, encourage them to share their feelings during family discussions, discuss your own feelings in an age-appropriate way during dinner, and allow them appropriate outlets for all emotions to help them learn how to cope with them and what it means when they come to the surface. There is no bad emotion, even anger, just bad ways to deal with, so getting a good foundation for healthy coping mechanisms in place from a young age can serve them well as they progress through childhood.
Educational Needs
Educational needs are essential for local children, but sadly, not all kids get what they need from mainstream schooling, and this is where your additional support comes into play.
You can work with them to help them boost their learning where they're struggling, homeschool them so you can teach them at their own pace in a way that works for them and for you, or use resources like Tutoring to help them get that extra one-on-one attention in different subjects where required.
Relationships
Forging healthy relationships is a skill that will serve your kids well throughout their lives. As a parent, you can play a crucial role in this. You can help them set healthy personal boundaries for how they want their own relationships to be with friends, family members, and even romantic partners when they reach that age. You can guide them in forming new friendships and relationships with teachers, peers, other adults, and so on. This is a huge aspect of everyone's life, so if your children appreciate how to form good relationships with people, spot warning signs, or be comfortable enough to set boundaries that can build on these skills, they can go through life feeling confident and competent in their abilities.