Promoting Early Childhood Development at Home

PROMAMA Intervention: Early Childhood Activities

This approach is based on transactional and ecological models, focusing on:

• A child's overall care
• Family dynamics
• The surrounding environment

Candel's Three Types of Activities

According to Candel, we can utilize three types of activities:

1. Routine Activities: Regularly occurring activities that offer skills providing immediate benefit to the child.

2. Child-Initiated Activities: Designed to capture and maintain the child's attention and interest.

3. Planned Activities: These allow the child to initiate engagement. Key considerations include:

   • Follow the child's lead, especially when their behavior is less receptive.
   • Introduce planned activities that are meaningful.
   • Observe and provide opportunities for skill improvement.
   • Tailor activities to children's individual characteristics.
   • Explain activities in understandable language.
   • Start with simple activities.
   • Consider the child's current developmental age.
   • Vary materials regularly.
   • Avoid overwhelming the child with too many options at once.
   • Do not force the child to participate.
   • Refrain from making comparisons with other children.

Key Features of the PROMAMA Program

• Environmental Design: The physical home environment should be designed to be rich in stimuli, promoting child development and a healthy family balance. The sensory environment must be adapted to foster mobility and exploration. Stimulation should be structured and rational.

• Theoretical Basis (Candel): There are three core arguments for Candel's theoretical foundation in developing intervention programs:

  1. Children with developmental needs benefit significantly from early experiences.
  2. Programs with specialized personnel are essential to provide these crucial experiences.
  3. Significant improvement in developmental progress is observed in children with challenges who participate in such programs.

Effective Use of Games, Toys, and Materials

1. Materials should be varied and adapted to the child's evolving characteristics and preferences.
2. Avoid making the home a secondary stimulation center by duplicating materials already available elsewhere.
3. Spontaneous parent-child play is an ideal setting to integrate stimulation objectives and activities from the program plan.

Parental Involvement and Support

According to Candel, key requirements for parents include:

1. Foster Appropriate Interaction Styles:

   • Parents should initiate leisure activities and games.
   • Develop observation skills to interpret their child's cues and signals.
   • Enhance communication between parent and child.

2. Understand Family Integration: Parents must understand that family integration and social development depend on the quality of their interactions and the social stimulation they offer.

3. Avoid Overstimulation: Parents should avoid constantly stimulating very young children, especially those with developmental challenges, as they have short attention spans and quiet periods. These moments should be respected and used to encourage other states, such as rest or independent play.

4. Home Visits: Conduct home visits to better understand the physical environment and assist in adapting it for optimal development.

5. Perception of Visits: Be aware that these visits are not always well understood and may sometimes be perceived as unnecessary intrusion.