An interactive talk on ‘Navigating the Exciting World of Developmental Milestones- A Guide for Parents’ was held on 23 March 2024, during the Orientation Program to welcome parents whose children had enrolled in Raghubir Singh Junior Modern School, Humayun Road, New Delhi for the academic year 2024-25 and focused on pre-school children between the ages of 3 and 5 years.
Dr Monika Kundu Srivastava, Lead OT- NRF, began the hour-long dialogue, with a brief overview on the differences between growth and development. The key milestones that mark typical motor, general understanding, speech and language, social emotional and self-care development were briefly discussed. Parents were guided on the ways by which they could be actively engaged during the day with their pre schooler. Regular visits to a well-baby clinic to ensure good health by a qualified professional as against Google Parenting was recommended. Parents were encouraged to introduce age-appropriate books to their pre-schooler at an early stage, explained about what being a ‘good’ role model involves and advised on setting a routine for themselves and their children to ensure that all activities involving the children are completed comfortably, rather than being rushed. Independence in age-appropriate self-care activities was stressed upon. Good eating habits and toilet training were also emphasized upon. Dr Monika advised parents to stay connected with school teachers, to ensure overall development of the child in all aspects.
The talk was well received by over 200 parents and 20 teachers. The school Principal, Mrs Nalini Singh, was highly appreciative of Dr Monika’s extempore presentation and expressed interest in exploring the possibility of further such awareness programs going forward.
