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Caregiver
Explore explanations, everyday questions and next steps connected with caregiver.
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Signs & concerns
What to do if a child isn't yet showing cooperative play
Cooperative play develops in stages and usually emerges around 3 to 4 years, after solitary, parallel and onlooker play. Caregivers help most by modelling, narrating and inviting simple turn-taking games rather than pushing. Seek a developmental check if a child shows little interest in other children after age 3, can't share a simple goal even with support, or this sits alongside delays in talking or connecting. This is reason to observe early, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't yet showing coordination
Coordination develops gradually and at each child's own pace. If a child in your care isn't yet showing expected coordination, keep offering play and movement and arrange a gentle developmental check rather than waiting. Seek a prompt look if the child is well behind same-age peers, has lost a skill, or shows unusually stiff or floppy muscles. This is not a diagnosis — it is an early, sensible step so support can begin while it works best.
Read the answer AnswerWhen a child in your care isn't yet counting
Counting develops in layers — chanting numbers, touching objects one by one, then understanding "how many" — and the age it appears varies widely. For a caregiver, the wise step is to keep weaving numbers into everyday play and arrange a calm developmental check if counting lags clearly behind other language and thinking skills. This is early opportunity, not alarm, and counting rarely travels alone.
Read the answer AnswerIf a child in your care is not yet counting
Counting develops in stages — reciting numbers, then pointing to objects, then understanding "how many". If a child is not yet counting, this is usually a matter of timing and practice. Keep playing with numbers daily and watch how the child engages. Seek a developmental check if number play comes alongside delays in talking, understanding or attention, because early support works best — but this is monitoring, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't yet joining craft activities
A child not yet joining craft activities is usually nothing to fear — craft grows from hand strength, attention, imitation and sensory comfort. Offer gentle, short, low-pressure invitations and watch over a few weeks. Seek a developmental check if avoidance is strong, sensory distress is marked, or it travels with delays in play, talking or fine-motor skills. This is reason to observe early, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerAs a caregiver, what should I do if a child isn't yet showing daily living skills?
Daily living skills — feeding, dressing, washing, toileting — develop at different ages. If a child in your care isn't yet showing the self-care skills you'd expect, the best step is a calm developmental check rather than worry. Watch for a clear gap from peers, no progress over many months, loss of a learnt skill, or delays alongside talking, attention or coordination. These are reasons to assess early, not a diagnosis — early occupational-therapy support, routines and step-by-step practice help these skills grow beautifully.
Read the answer AnswerIf a child isn't yet making choices: a caregiver's guide
Decision-making (ICF b152) grows gradually through early childhood, built on understanding, attention and confidence. The best support a caregiver can give is many small, low-stakes choices daily — "red cup or blue cup?" — honouring each choice so the child sees it matters. This is a skill to nurture, not a worry in itself. Seek a gentle developmental check if a child cannot choose between two simple options well past the age peers can, freezes or is overwhelmed by choices, shows no growth over time, or this comes alongside delays in language, play or understanding. Early, playful support works beautifully.
Read the answer AnswerWhen a child isn't yet using descriptive language
Descriptive language — words for colour, size, shape and action — usually grows between two and four years, after a child has a base of naming words. As a caregiver, narrate and expand on what the child says, and arrange a developmental check if you also see few words overall, no two-word phrases by around 30 months, or little back-and-forth. This is an early opportunity, not a diagnosis — language responds beautifully to rich, playful talk.
Read the answer AnswerWhen a child isn't showing distractibility
Distractibility — how easily attention shifts — is a normal part of how attention develops and looks different at every age. A child who stays absorbed and isn't easily pulled away is often showing healthy focus, not a problem. What matters is whether your child can engage, sustain and gently shift attention in an age-appropriate way, and whether they connect and respond during play. This is not a diagnosis — a calm developmental check is wise if you have questions, because early support works best.
Read the answer AnswerWhen a child isn't showing dressing skills yet
Dressing is a complex self-care skill that builds gradually over the preschool years, drawing on balance, hand strength, sequencing and patience — so children mastering it later than peers is common. Caregivers can help by breaking dressing into small steps, offering unhurried practice in a calm routine, and using backward chaining. Seek a gentle developmental check if difficulty spans many fine-motor and self-care tasks, or travels with delays in talking, understanding or social connection. This is reason to observe early, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't yet showing early math skills
Early maths grows on a wide, normal range, and many children develop number sense later than peers — usually typical. The best response is playful everyday practice: counting, sorting and naming shapes and sizes. Seek a calm developmental check if a child is well past the usual window and also struggles with attention, language or following instructions. This is not a diagnosis — just an early, helpful look, because gentle support works best.
Read the answer AnswerCaregiver guide: a child not yet showing early words
First words usually appear between 10 and 15 months, with a wide normal range. If a child in your care is around 15–18 months and not yet using single words, keep talking and playing richly with them, check their hearing, and arrange a gentle developmental check rather than wait-and-see. Late words are common and often catch up — early support works wonderfully at this age.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't yet showing echolalia
Echolalia — repeating words or phrases — is often a healthy stepping-stone into language, so its absence alone is rarely a worry. As a caregiver, keep talking, singing and narrating richly, and watch the whole communication picture: connection, understanding, gestures and hearing. If several of these seem delayed together, arrange a gentle developmental check — this is an early opportunity, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerIf a child in your care isn't showing emotions yet
Emotional expression and self-regulation develop gradually within warm relationships, with wide healthy variation. Seek a developmental check if a child shows little shared joy or smiling, is very hard to comfort, seems consistently flat, or shows delays in talking, play or social connection. This is a reason to look early, not a diagnosis — early playful support, built on caring relationships, works best.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't yet showing emotional awareness
Emotional awareness grows slowly through warm everyday interactions, so a child not yet showing it is often simply still developing. Caregivers help most by naming feelings out loud, staying calm during big emotions, and modelling co-regulation. Seek a gentle developmental check if a child consistently struggles to notice, name or respond to feelings alongside delays in talking, play or social connection. This is observation, not diagnosis — early support works beautifully.
Read the answer AnswerHelping a child build emotional control
Emotional control develops slowly across early childhood — big meltdowns and quick frustration are common, especially under five. As a caregiver, co-regulate first: stay calm, name the feeling, and help the child settle. Seek a developmental check if the difficulty is frequent, intense, lasts well beyond a child's peers, or gets in the way of friendships, play or learning. This is not a diagnosis — early support works best.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't showing emotional expression
Emotional expression grows through warm, repeated face-to-face moments and develops on each child's own timeline. If a child in your care shows few facial responses, is hard to read emotionally, shares little joy, or this travels with limited eye contact, words or response to name, keep offering warm interaction and arrange a developmental check. This is a reason to observe early — not a diagnosis — because early, play-based support works best.
Read the answer AnswerIf a child isn't yet showing emotional inference
Emotional inference — guessing how others feel from face, voice or situation — develops gradually and at different paces. If a child isn't yet showing it, the best step is to build it playfully into daily life by naming feelings, sharing stories and asking gentle "how do they feel?" questions, while watching related social and language skills. Seek a developmental check if it travels with limited eye contact, few words, not responding to name, or difficulty with back-and-forth interaction. This is support and early opportunity, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerSupporting a child who isn't yet showing emotional regulation
Emotional regulation develops slowly, and young children need plenty of adult help before they can self-soothe. As a caregiver, co-regulate first: stay calm, name the feeling, offer comfort and predictable routines. Seek a developmental check if meltdowns are very frequent, extreme, hard to recover from, or travel with delays in language, play or social connection — a reason to look early, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerWhen a child isn't yet showing emotional responsiveness
Emotional responsiveness — sharing smiles, seeking comfort, mirroring mood — grows steadily and varies from child to child. If a child in your care isn't yet responding as expected, keep offering warm, predictable connection daily and arrange a gentle developmental check so a clinician can see the full picture. This is not a diagnosis — it means early, supportive observation is wise, because connection-building works best when started early.
Read the answer AnswerAs a caregiver, what should I do if a child isn't yet showing emotional understanding?
Emotional understanding — noticing, naming and recognising feelings — develops gradually and at different paces. As a caregiver, name feelings in everyday moments, use stories and play, and model calm. Seek a gentle developmental check if the gap is wide for the child's age or travels with delays in talking, play or social connection. This is a reason to observe and support early, never a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerWhat to do if a child isn't yet showing empathy
Empathy develops gradually over years, not weeks — toddlers are naturally self-focused and true perspective-taking keeps growing into the school years. If a child isn't yet showing empathy, the best response is to name feelings, model kindness and give warm everyday practice. A developmental check is wise mainly when limited empathy travels with differences in eye contact, shared smiles, language or play — a reason to look early, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerWhen a child isn't yet showing empathy: a caregiver's guide
Empathy grows in stages over the early years, at each child's own pace. If a child isn't yet showing it, gently model and name feelings daily, give it time, and watch how they connect overall. Seek a developmental check if a lack of empathy travels with delays in talking, eye contact, shared play or responding to others — not as a diagnosis, but because early support works best.
Read the answer AnswerIf a child isn't yet showing energy regulation
Energy regulation — gearing up, settling down and pacing effort — matures gradually and varies hugely between children. If a child isn't yet managing it smoothly, that is usually a developing skill, not a problem, and steady routines, rest and movement help. Seek a developmental check if the difficulty is persistent, disrupts play, eating or sleep, or comes with delays in talking, attention or motor skills. This is reason to observe early, not a diagnosis.
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