Pinterest produces an annual trends report,[1] telling businesses the things they expect to take off in the upcoming year. These are often things like colour trends for interiors or weddings, but this year’s report caught our attention because they expect to see parents celebrating ‘inchstones’ and we’re here for that!
If you’re new to the app you might be wondering how My First Five Years is different to all the other development and parenting apps you’ve seen or heard about.
The main difference is that rather than giving you skills based on your child’s age, the journey is based on which ones you have told us your child can do (the skills they’ve mastered).
The other thing is we don’t just focus on the big milestones everyone has heard of like, rolling, sitting, walking or writing their name.
We include the smaller steps, which might not always seem significant, but are important in providing strong foundations for future skills. Things like reaching their hand towards an object or holding a block with their thumb and fingers.
All this means that when you check your child’s skills (we suggest doing this at least once a week) you will see some new ones they've mastered.
It also means that every child’s journey is unique, it changes and develops as you tell us what they can do, so you always have activity ideas that are perfect for them.
Inchstones are smaller steps of development and have been used to track the development of children with special educational needs and disabilities.
But we think celebrating the moments as well as the milestones is important for all parents.
It helps to take the pressure off us and our children as we see the importance of new skills being built on strong foundations.
It stops us racing towards the next milestone and lets us support the smaller steps – that we know will support real mastery.
It reminds us that children are learning and developing all the time, and that parents are doing a great job of supporting that development.
The app has over 1000 skills your child will master during their first five years – so there will be lots to celebrate.
We want every parent to see the amazing things their child is learning, and you can help us by telling a friend about the app or leaving a review on the App or Play store.
We’d love to hear from you if using the app has helped you to ditch the worry and find the joy in parenting.
And if you decide to celebrate your little one's next skill on social media please tag us we love to see the difference the app is making to children and parents.
References
[1] Pinterest predicts 2024 – Inchstones - Inchstones | Pinterest Predicts 2024