There’s so much for your child to see and experience during their first years. And while the eye's greatest physical development occurs during the first year, children continue to hone their vision skills throughout childhood. Eye muscles strengthen. Nerve connections multiply. And your child’s eyes become stronger and work together more effectively.
Between the ages of one and three, co-ordination between eyes, hands, and body allow children to pick up objects, walk or run from place to place, and throw and catch a ball. You will even see the refinement as their hand/eye co-ordination improves.
Pre-schoolers - ages two to five - are eager to draw and look at pictures. By connecting stories with illustrations, you can help coordinate your child's hearing and vision.
Helping Your Child's Eye Development
There are lots of activities and games you can do with your child to help them develop the connection between eyesight and interaction with their world:
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“I Spy with my little eye” game
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Piling up building blocks
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Snapping together LEGOs or other creative toys
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Colouring with crayons or markers
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Assembling puzzles
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Throwing and catching a ball or bean bag
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Looking at and identifying pictures on a page while someone reads to them
When you help your child’s vision grow stronger, you’re aiding your child’s overall physical and cognitive development. Motor co-ordination, reading comprehension, and associations between words and objects are all important functions for every child – and vision affects them all.
Nutrition and Exercise
A balanced diet can make the difference in everyone's overall health and wellness.
Give Your Child’s Eyes a Healthy Start
The best way to help keep your child's eyes healthy is through regular professional eye examinations. So have your child's eyes examined by your optometrist.