Why Parents Need to Consider Growth and Development Show and tell a child each time how to do a task. Children learn a task by seeing how it is done. Children cannot easily remember task skills from time to time. Set and enforce consistent rules, and provide close supervision to ensure safety. As children become more independent and peers become more important, their confidence and desire for independence does not necessarily reflect an ability to complete a task.
Children lack a sense of awareness of their surroundings requiring close supervision.
Give children tasks of short duration. Attention span is about 20 minutes. Limit tasks that put excessive strain on joints, such as heavy, repetitive lifting. This is especially important for girls as they begin puberty and experience their growth spurt. During a child's growth spurt, rapid growth decreases a child's flexibility putting a child at greater risk for sprains and strains.