Making Sense of the First Five Years

He spent a decade teaching other people's children. Then he had one of his own.

When Saurav Singh became a father, the knowledge he had developed as an early childhood educator met the uncertainty and intimacy of raising a child of his own.

His son turned one just months before the country shut down. He learnt to walk in a hallway, did not speak until three, and watched the sandpit for eleven days before joining other children.

These were not simply milestones to tick off. They were moments that challenged assumptions about how childhood was supposed to unfold.

Making Sense of the First Five Years explores the science behind early childhood development through the lived experience of fatherhood. It invites parents and educators to look beyond the surface of children's behaviour and consider what young children may be learning, feeling, practising and communicating.

From play and language to relationships, behaviour and social and emotional development, the book connects developmental science with the everyday moments families and educators recognise.

This is not a parenting formula. It is not a promise of perfect children. It is an invitation to look more closely, ask better questions and develop a deeper understanding of the child in front of you.

Written for parents, caregivers and early childhood educators, this thoughtful exploration of child development offers a different way of seeing the first five years, and the children growing through them.