If you are a mother, you may find yourself checking on your kid’s growth and development now and then. However, the developmental stages of children may vary, and not all kids may develop a particular skill around the same time. If your child is a little late in learning to walk or cooing, do not panic, as some children achieve their milestones slightly later than others. Altogether, being aware of the various phases of development in a child could help you ensure that your little one is growing in the right way. The development could be divided into fine motor, gross motor, speech, cognitive and social interaction. Delve into this post as we bring you a list of the child’s developmental stages.
12 Major Developmental Stages Of Children
We have listed the major developmental stages of children. Want to know more about them? Read on!
1. One To Two Months:
Between the time a baby is born until they are two months old, they may develop the following skills (1) (2): Motor Skills: Your infant may hold their head erect and steady when you hold them upright. This is basically known as neck holding. Language Skills: They may coo, make gurgling sounds, and turn their heads towards the directions of the sound. This is a good indicator of the child’s hearing. Social Skills: Now is the time for ‘stranger’ love! Your infant will love looking at new faces. She may even start giving hints of a smile at this stage!
2. Three Months:
By the time your infant is three months old, they may (3): Motor Skills: Lift their head and chest when lying flat on their tummy. They can basically support their body with two hands. They may also roll from side to back and bring their hand to their mouth. Language Skills: It is time when your munchkin will start practicing their language skills and begin to babble and imitate some sounds. Social Skills: Your three-month-old may already be on their way to becoming a social person. They love looking at new faces and smiles too. They may also imitate some movements and facial expressions like crowning and frowning.
3. Three To Five Months:
The period between three months and five months is pretty intense for development! Motor Skills: Be ready for some rock and roll! At this age, your baby is likely to roll from her tummy to her side! She may also learn to prop herself on her elbows, lift and even hold her head for some time. The child can sit with support. Language Skills: She may make sounds like ‘eee-ahhh’, blow bubbles, and have an adorable belly laugh! Social Skills: Your baby may be at their most social behavior at this stage. They may play with people and might start crying when playing stops. She will recognise strangers.
4. Six Months:
The first half of your baby’s first year passed smoothly! You can heave a sigh of relief and watch out for the following activities your baby may do now: Motor Skills: The baby can now roll over from front to back and back to front. They may transfer objects from one hand to another and pull themselves into a sitting position and sit without support. Language Skills: Get ready for some noise! Your baby can now string vowels together when babbling. In addition, they begin saying consonant sounds like “ah,” “eh,” “oh,” and respond to their names. Social Skills: An indicator of things to come! Your baby may show the first signs of stranger anxiety now. They can now identify familiar faces and know if someone is a stranger. They may or may not be comfortable with strangers. They like looking in the mirror and begin responding to other people’s emotions.
5. Nine To Ten Months:
Now is the time to babyproof the house (4)! Motor Skills: Most babies will start crawling between eight to ten months. So, between nine and ten months, your baby can begin crawling, can pull to stand, and stay standing by holding on to support. Your baby may also learn to pick up objects with their thumb and index finger (pincer grasp). They may move things from one hand to another. Language Skills: By now, you would likely master the art of babbling and start understanding the meaning of “no.” They will also begin making different sounds like “mamamama” and “bababababa.” Social Skills: With stranger anxiety in full swing, your baby may become super clingy at this stage.
6. One Year:
Your toddler’s first birthday is here! Your kid must have crossed the following developmental milestones: Motor Skills: They can creep on the belly and assume hand and knee position. They may be pulling themselves to stand and walk, holding on to furniture. Some toddlers can even take a step or two without the support and may stand alone. They can bang two cubes. Language Skills: Your toddler is developing language skills rapidly! They may be babbling two or three words all the time (and no, the words need not make sense!). They may try to repeat the word you say and make sounds with changing tone. They may say dada and mama. Social Skills: Dressing should be fun at this age! Your toddler will finally begin to cooperate while you dress them. They may also wave goodbye and understand simple commands. They may also have favorite toys and people and play games such as “peek-a-boo” and “pat-a-cake.”
7. Eighteen Months:
Motor Skills: By 18 months, most toddlers learn to walk without support. They may also pick up toys without sitting down, walk up and down the stairs, and can even run! They can also throw a ball and stack three or four cubes to build a tower! In addition, they can eat with a spoon and drink with a cup. Language Skills: Your toddler may be speaking many single words by now. Some of them may even be intelligible. They can follow simple instructions such as “Give me the toy.” They can point at the object and tell someone what they want and say and shake their head in “no.” Social Skills: Your toddler needs you all the time! They can now show temper tantrums and behave clingy in a new situation. They can show affection to familiar people and explore alone with parents or a caregiver nearby. They may move away from you but make sure you are closeby. They may point out interesting things to you.
8. Two Years:
The terrible two are here! What to expect? Check out! Motor Skills: Your toddler is running now! They run alone. Can stand on tiptoe. They are proficient with leg control and can now stand on tiptoes and kick a ball. They can pull toys. Also, they can climb onto and down the furniture without help. In addition, they can make or copy circles and straight lines. They can build blocks. Language Skills: You can finally have a conversation with your child! They may be able to join two-three words together to form a sentence and repeat words they overheard in conversation. They may also know the names of familiar people, objects, and even body parts. Social Skills: Time to save up on diapers! Many toddlers learn to be dry by day during this age. Besides, they may exhibit signs of growing independence, such as defiant behavior. They can also now begin to play games with other children. Social interactions increase with other kids.
9. Three Years:
Three is a fun age and also a time of rapid growth! Motor Skills: By three, your toddler should be able to imitate hand motions and draw a man! They may be able to stack nine cubes to make a tower too. Also, they can climb up and downstairs with one foot on each step and pedal a tricycle. Language Skills: Tired of your three-year-old’s questions? It is just the beginning! Your preschooler may speak in complete sentences now. They can name the most familiar things and understand the literal meaning of the words like “in,” “on,” and “under.” Social Skills: Your toddler may still need your help, but they are getting there when it comes to dressing and undressing without help. They can take turns in games, show concern for a crying friend, and understand the idea of “mine” and “his” or “hers.”
10. Four Years:
Your child is four! What should she be doing now? Motor Skills: Most four-year-olds can skip on one foot and catch a bounced ball most of the time. They can pour and mash their food and cut the food under supervision. Language Skills: Your cute kid is now a question bank! They are inquisitive about everything at this age. They can tell stories and knows some basic rules of grammar, such as correctly using “he” and “she.” Social Skills: They may be able to dress by this age. But most kids can dress and undress with assistance and are mostly potty trained by four years. Besides, they talk about what they like and are more and more creative with the make-believe game.
11. Five Years:
Early childhood is almost over. Most of your child’s mental and physical developments are at their peak now. Motor Skills: At five, your kid may learn to skip on both feet and hop too. They can do a somersault and can swing and climb. They may also be able to draw something intelligible! Several children at this age can also use the toilet on their own. Language Skills: Your child is learning new words every day now! Their speech is fluent by age five, and they are equipped enough to use past tense while talking. Social Skills: At this age, They may be able to dress and undress without help. They like to play with friends and are likely to agree with the rules. They act very independently and can act demanding sometimes and cooperative other times.
12. Six Years:
Six years! Where did time fly? Motor Skills: Your child can now control major muscles, balance, and enjoy activities like jumping and running (5). Language Skills: They can now talk fluently and speak correct grammar most of the time. They can spell their first name and write some letters and numbers. Social Skills: Your child is mostly independent at this stage and is on their way to becoming a mini adult! They are developing a sense of humor and may begin to understand the feelings of the other.
