When you become a parent for the first time, something very strange happens. You become surrounded by advice, yet you somehow still don’t have any of the answers you need.
There’s a chance that any free time you get is spent asking questions of Google, and that you’ll visit the same pages again and again in the hope that, this time, they’ll give you the answers you’re really hoping to see.
Spoiler alert – they won’t.
We’re not suggesting for a second that you change any of these habits. Do what you need to do to get through the day. But, what we are suggesting is that when it comes to things like tracking your child’s milestones and development, you consider seeking out expert, standardised and professional sources. Otherwise, you’ll just become trapped in a loop of comparisons with other parents.
Our app here at Onoco lets you track your child’s development and progress up to the age of 5, directly in line with the EYFS – the Early Years Foundation Stage framework.
Need a reason to use the EYFS milestones tracker to track your child’s development in this way?
We’ve got 6.
⭐1. The EYFS is the same standardised framework used in all schools and childcare settings for the under 5s across the UK, so you know you’ll be working on professional guidance as opposed to popular opinion, outdated practices or modern fads.
⭐2. The framework is hugely holistic and covers multiple areas of your child’s development. In fact, there are seven! Communication and language, Physical development, Personal, social and emotional development, Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the world, and Expressive arts and design. Even if your child isn’t ‘on track’ in one area, they will be flourishing in another. Trust us on that one.
⭐3. As well as helping you identify the stage that your child is at right now, the EYFS allows you to look at where and what your child’s next steps are likely to be – and what you can do to support your child in taking them
⭐4. The guidance in the EYFS is regularly reviewed and updated by professional educationalists and childcare specialists, meaning that the information you’re accessing will be up to date, accurate, and free of personal opinion or judgement.
⭐5. Access to the EYFS guidance and trackers can really help you with not just the knowledge of where your child is ‘at’, but also an understanding of any barriers that might be getting in their way, and any steps that can be taken to address these – or to advance your child further, if you feel that there are areas in which your child is already very secure.
⭐6. Having this information from the EYFS and being in a position to understand it in relation to your own child can not only help you choose the most appropriate childcare provider for your needs, but can also make the subsequent relationships with them a lot stronger, whereby conversations can be more fluent, in depth, and progressive with regards to how your child is getting along.
With Onoco app being easy to use, work within, and to share with anyone else who might care for or look after your child, it doesn’t just offer practical understanding and guidance, but also much-needed peace of mind. You WILL have phases when you stress over your child’s development, you WILL worry when they’re not doing or achieving something that ‘everyone else’s child’ has done (they haven’t, by the way), and you WILL worry when they show signs of being ahead of the curve (yes, of course you’re giving them enough stimulation).
Give yourself a break, download the Onoco app, and offload at least some of the stresses that come with raising a child – whatever milestones they’ve already reached, and whatever steps they’re still yet to take.
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