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SayPro Identify the stages of child development and describe the associated milestones;
Child development stages are the theoretical milestones of child development, some of which are asserted in nativist theories. This article discusses the most widely accepted developmental stages in children. There exists a wide variation in terms of what is considered "normal," caused by variation in genetic, cognitive, physical, family, cultural, nutritional, educational, and environmental factors. Many children reach some or most of these milestones at different times from the normWhy Developmental Milestones Are ImportantYou can think of the developmental milestones as a checklist. They represent what an average child can do around a particular age, although this obviously varies from child to child. For instance, some kids may begin walking as early as 9 or 10 months, while others don’t begin to walk until around 14 to 15 months or even later. By looking at the different developmental milestones, parents, doctors, and teachers are able to better understand how children typically develop and keep an eye out for any potential developmental problems.For example, between the ages of 9 to 12 months, children begin to achieve physical milestones such as standing up or even walking. While the exact age at which a child achieves a particular milestone can vary, you may become concerned if your child hasn’t achieved a skill that most of his or her same-age peers can perform. This could prompt a visit to your child’s doctor, who can then reassure you if there’s not a problem and give you resources for help if there is.Types of MilestonesThere are four basic categories for developmental milestones, including:
- Physical milestones: These milestones involve both large motor skills and fine motor skills. The large motor skills are usually the first to develop and include sitting up, standing, crawling, and walking. Fine motor skills involve precise movements such as grasping a spoon, holding a crayon, drawing shapes, and picking up small objects.
- Cognitive milestones: These milestones are centered on a child’s ability to think, learn, and solve problems. An infant learning how to respond to facial expressions and a preschooler learning the alphabet are both examples of cognitive milestones.
- Social and emotional milestones: Centered on children gaining a better understanding of their own emotions and the emotions of others, social and emotional milestones also involve learning how to interact and play with other people.
- Communication milestones: These milestones involve both language and nonverbal communication. A one-year-old learning how to say his first words and a five-year-old learning some of the basic rules of grammar are examples of important communication milestones.
Table of milestones
| Age | Motor | Speech | Vision and hearing | Social |
| 1–1.5 months | When held upright, holds head erect and steady. | Cooes and babbles at parents and people they know | Focuses on parents. | · Loves looking at new faces· Starts to smile at parents· Startled by sudden noises |
| 1.6–2 months | When prone, lifts self by arms; rolls from side to back. | · Vocalizes· Cooes (makes vowel-like noises) or babbles. | Focuses on objects as well as adults | · Loves looking at new faces· Smiles at parent· Starting to smile |
| 2.1–2.5 months | · Rolls from tummy to side· Rests on elbows, lifts head 90 degrees· Sits propped up with hands, head steady for short time | · Changes sounds while verbalizing, "eee-ahhh"· Verbalizes to engage someone in interaction· Blows bubbles, plays with tongue· Deep belly laughs | · Hand regard: following the hand with the eyes· Colour vision adult-like. | Serves to practice emerging visual skills. Also observed in blind children. |
| 3 months | · Prone: head held up for prolonged periods· No grasp reflex | Makes vowel noises | · Follows dangling toy from side to side· Turns head around to sound. Follows adults’ gaze (joint attention)· Sensitivity to binocular cues emerges. | · Squeals with delight appropriately· Discriminates smile. Smiles often· Laughs at simple things.· Reaches out for objects. |
| 5 months | · Holds head steady· Goes for objects and gets them· Objects taken to mouth | Enjoys vocal play | · Noticing colours· Adjusts hand shape to shape of toy before picking up | |
| 6 months | · Transfers objects from one hand to the other· Pulls self-up to sit and sits erect with supports· Rolls over from tummy to back· Palmar grasp of cube hand to hand eye coordination | · Double syllable sounds such as ‘mumum’ and ‘dada’· Babbles (consonant-vowel combinations) | · Localises sound 45 cm (18 in) lateral to either ear· Visual acuity adult-like (20/20)· Sensitivity to pictorial depth cues (those used by artists to indicate depth) emerges | May show stranger anxiety |
| 9–10 months | · Wiggles and crawls· Sits unsupported· Picks up objects with pincer grasp | Babbles tunefully | Looks for toys dropped | Apprehensive about strangers |
| 1 year | · Stands holding furniture· Stands alone for a second or two, then collapses with a bump | Babbles 2 or 3 words repeatedly | Drops toys, and watches where they go | · Cooperates with dressing· Waves goodbye· Understands simple commands |
| 18 months | · Can walk alone· Picks up toy without falling over· Gets up/down stairs holding onto rail· Begins to jump with both feet· Can build a tower of 3 or 4 cubes and throw a ball· Supinate grasping position usually seen as first grasping position utilized. | ‘Jargon’: Many intelligible words | Be able to recognise their favourite songs, and will try to join in. | · Demands constant mothering· Drinks from a cup with both hands· Feeds self with a spoon |
| 2 years | · Able to run· Walks up and down stairs 2 feet (61 cm) per step· Builds tower of 6 cubes | Joins 2–3 words in sentences | · Parallel play· Dry by day | |
| 3 years | · Goes up stairs 1-foot (30 cm) per step and downstairs 2 feet (61 cm) per step· Copies circle, imitates hand motions and draws man on request· Builds tower of 9 cubes· Pronate method of grasping develops | · Constantly asks questions· Speaks in sentences | · Cooperative play· Undresses with assistance· Imaginary companions | |
| 4 years | · Goes down stairs one foot per step· Postural capacity needed to control balance in walking not attained yet· Skips on one foot· Imitates gate with cubes· Copies a cross· Between 4 and 6 years, the classic tripod grip develops and is made more efficient. | · Questioning at its height· Many infantile substitutions in speech | · Dresses and undresses with assistance· Attends to own toilet needs | |
| 5 years | · Skips on both feet and hops.· Begins to be able to control balance not attained at 3–4 years of age· Begins to be able to control gravitational forces in walking· Draws a figure and copies a hexagonal based pyramid using graphing paper· Gives age | Fluent speech with few infantile substitutions in speech | Dresses and undresses alone | |
| 6 years | · At this age, until age 7, adult muscle activation pattern in walking is complete.· Leads to head control and trunk coordination while walking, by at least age 8.· Mechanical energy transfer exists· Copies a diamond· Knows left and number of fingers | Fluent speech | 6 years | · At this age, until age 7, adult muscle activation pattern in walking is complete.· Leads to head control and trunk coordination while walking, by at least age 8.· Mechanical energy transfer exists· Copies a diamond· Knows left and number of fingers |
Child development stages are the theoretical milestones of child development, some of which are asserted in nativist theories. This article discusses the most widely accepted developmental stages in children. There exists a wide variation in terms of what is considered "normal," caused by variation in genetic, cognitive, physical, family, cultural, nutritional, educational, and environmental factors. Many children reach some or most of these milestones at different times from the normWhy Developmental Milestones Are ImportantYou can think of the developmental milestones as a checklist. They represent what an average child can do around a particular age, although this obviously varies from child to child. For instance, some kids may begin walking as early as 9 or 10 months, while others don’t begin to walk until around 14 to 15 months or even later. By looking at the different developmental milestones, parents, doctors, and teachers are able to better understand how children typically develop and keep an eye out for any potential developmental problems.For example, between the ages of 9 to 12 months, children begin to achieve physical milestones such as standing up or even walking. While the exact age at which a child achieves a particular milestone can vary, you may become concerned if your child hasn’t achieved a skill that most of his or her same-age peers can perform. This could prompt a visit to your child’s doctor, who can then reassure you if there’s not a problem and give you resources for help if there is.Types of MilestonesThere are four basic categories for developmental milestones, including:
- Physical milestones: These milestones involve both large motor skills and fine motor skills. The large motor skills are usually the first to develop and include sitting up, standing, crawling, and walking. Fine motor skills involve precise movements such as grasping a spoon, holding a crayon, drawing shapes, and picking up small objects.
- Cognitive milestones: These milestones are centered on a child’s ability to think, learn, and solve problems. An infant learning how to respond to facial expressions and a preschooler learning the alphabet are both examples of cognitive milestones.
- Social and emotional milestones: Centered on children gaining a better understanding of their own emotions and the emotions of others, social and emotional milestones also involve learning how to interact and play with other people.
- Communication milestones: These milestones involve both language and nonverbal communication. A one-year-old learning how to say his first words and a five-year-old learning some of the basic rules of grammar are examples of important communication milestones.
Table of milestones
| Age | Motor | Speech | Vision and hearing | Social |
| 1–1.5 months | When held upright, holds head erect and steady. | Cooes and babbles at parents and people they know | Focuses on parents. | · Loves looking at new faces· Starts to smile at parents· Startled by sudden noises |
| 1.6–2 months | When prone, lifts self by arms; rolls from side to back. | · Vocalizes· Cooes (makes vowel-like noises) or babbles. | Focuses on objects as well as adults | · Loves looking at new faces· Smiles at parent· Starting to smile |
| 2.1–2.5 months | · Rolls from tummy to side· Rests on elbows, lifts head 90 degrees· Sits propped up with hands, head steady for short time | · Changes sounds while verbalizing, "eee-ahhh"· Verbalizes to engage someone in interaction· Blows bubbles, plays with tongue· Deep belly laughs | · Hand regard: following the hand with the eyes· Colour vision adult-like. | Serves to practice emerging visual skills. Also observed in blind children. |
| 3 months | · Prone: head held up for prolonged periods· No grasp reflex | Makes vowel noises | · Follows dangling toy from side to side· Turns head around to sound. Follows adults’ gaze (joint attention)· Sensitivity to binocular cues emerges. | · Squeals with delight appropriately· Discriminates smile. Smiles often· Laughs at simple things.· Reaches out for objects. |
| 5 months | · Holds head steady· Goes for objects and gets them· Objects taken to mouth | Enjoys vocal play | · Noticing colours· Adjusts hand shape to shape of toy before picking up | |
| 6 months | · Transfers objects from one hand to the other· Pulls self-up to sit and sits erect with supports· Rolls over from tummy to back· Palmar grasp of cube hand to hand eye coordination | · Double syllable sounds such as ‘mumum’ and ‘dada’· Babbles (consonant-vowel combinations) | · Localises sound 45 cm (18 in) lateral to either ear· Visual acuity adult-like (20/20)· Sensitivity to pictorial depth cues (those used by artists to indicate depth) emerges | May show stranger anxiety |
| 9–10 months | · Wiggles and crawls· Sits unsupported· Picks up objects with pincer grasp | Babbles tunefully | Looks for toys dropped | Apprehensive about strangers |
| 1 year | · Stands holding furniture· Stands alone for a second or two, then collapses with a bump | Babbles 2 or 3 words repeatedly | Drops toys, and watches where they go | · Cooperates with dressing· Waves goodbye· Understands simple commands |
| 18 months | · Can walk alone· Picks up toy without falling over· Gets up/down stairs holding onto rail· Begins to jump with both feet· Can build a tower of 3 or 4 cubes and throw a ball· Supinate grasping position usually seen as first grasping position utilized. | ‘Jargon’: Many intelligible words | Be able to recognise their favourite songs, and will try to join in. | · Demands constant mothering· Drinks from a cup with both hands· Feeds self with a spoon |
| 2 years | · Able to run· Walks up and down stairs 2 feet (61 cm) per step· Builds tower of 6 cubes | Joins 2–3 words in sentences | · Parallel play· Dry by day | |
| 3 years | · Goes up stairs 1-foot (30 cm) per step and downstairs 2 feet (61 cm) per step· Copies circle, imitates hand motions and draws man on request· Builds tower of 9 cubes· Pronate method of grasping develops | · Constantly asks questions· Speaks in sentences | · Cooperative play· Undresses with assistance· Imaginary companions | |
| 4 years | · Goes down stairs one foot per step· Postural capacity needed to control balance in walking not attained yet· Skips on one foot· Imitates gate with cubes· Copies a cross· Between 4 and 6 years, the classic tripod grip develops and is made more efficient. | · Questioning at its height· Many infantile substitutions in speech | · Dresses and undresses with assistance· Attends to own toilet needs | |
| 5 years | · Skips on both feet and hops.· Begins to be able to control balance not attained at 3–4 years of age· Begins to be able to control gravitational forces in walking· Draws a figure and copies a hexagonal based pyramid using graphing paper· Gives age | Fluent speech with few infantile substitutions in speech | Dresses and undresses alone | |
| 6 years | · At this age, until age 7, adult muscle activation pattern in walking is complete.· Leads to head control and trunk coordination while walking, by at least age 8.· Mechanical energy transfer exists· Copies a diamond· Knows left and number of fingers | Fluent speech | 6 years | · At this age, until age 7, adult muscle activation pattern in walking is complete.· Leads to head control and trunk coordination while walking, by at least age 8.· Mechanical energy transfer exists· Copies a diamond· Knows left and number of fingers |
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