MAKING THE GRADE
Parenting from a developmental perspective means that as a caregiver, we understand child development. More specifically, rather, we understand brain development. Children don’t reach full maturity until the age of 25, so approach parenting by matching our responses and expectations to what kids are actually capable of doing rather than what we think they should be doing.
“When we parent from a developmental perspective, we embrace the child where they are ‘at’ and gently nudge them in areas where they will succeed and support them in areas where they struggle,” says Dr. Shefali Gandhi, a licensed psychologist in Scottsdale, Arizona. “This type of ‘scaffolding’ helps our children feel the confidence of success and also feel the pain of struggle.”
Whether you have a pre-K, elementary, junior high, high school or college student, Dr. Gandhi offers an age-appropriate guide on how to recognize where your child stands cognitively and socially, and how to nurture them during these different stages of brain development.
Brain Development in Pre-K
CHILD READING LIST
• “Harold and the Purple Crayon” by Crockett Johnson
• “The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein
• “The Kissing Hand” by Audrey Penn
PARENT READING LIST
• “No Drama Discipline: The Whole-Brain Way to Calm the Chaos and Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind” by Daniel Siegal and Tina Payne Bryson
• “Child Development and the Brain” by Rob Abbott and Esther Burkitt
The preschool years are a time of significant brain growth and development resulting in tremendous changes in a child’s ability to relate to the world. Brain development during this age is characterized by “blossoming,” wherein some of the most dynamic and elaborate anatomical and physiological changes
