Development from birth to 5 years
Physical Development
- Birth to 1 year: Babies will initially have little control over their bodies. Motor skills develop and by 12 months, most can sit without assistance, crawl, or even begin to walk.
- 1-2 years: Children display greater mobility. They can now walk and gradually start running, climbing, and further mastering hand-eye coordination.
- 2-3 years: Development of gross motor skills are significant now. Ball games improve coordination, dancing helps balance, and can walk up and down stairs with two feet on each step.
- 3-4 years: At this stage, there is greater refinement of motor skills. Children can now manoeuvre around objects, walk on tiptoes, and handle objects with increased control.
- 4-5 years: Increased physical independence. They show proficiency in activities like dressing, feeding, drawing, and writing.
Cognitive Development
- Birth to 1 year: Babies will engage in simple exploration from birth, manipulating objects and responding to voices and faces.
- 1-2 years: This is the stage of the 'me do it' phase as they begin to understand object permanence and can remember where things belong.
- 2-3 years: The child's attention span increases, they can understand simple time concepts and start engaging in imaginative play.
- 3-4 years: They will start understanding cause and effect, can arrange objects by size and count items.
- 4-5 years: By this age, children will start to understand and recall parts of stories, and can engage in more complex imaginative play.
Emotional and Social Development
- Birth to 1 year: Babies will show a responsive smile by 2 months old, and often recognise mum and dad as primary caregivers.
- 1-2 years: Tantrums are common as children struggle with wanting independence but needing help. They enjoy the company of others but can also play alone.
- 2-3 years: Most are able to play in groups, they can express a wide range of emotions and can express their thoughts in speech.
- 3-4 years: They are more aware of feelings, will start playing cooperatively with peers, and start understanding turn-taking in conversations.
- 4-5 years: By this age, children show more empathy, can wait their turn in games, can share, and have a sense of right and wrong.
Language Development
- Birth to 1 year: Children coo and babble as a way of expressing themselves. They are attentive to speech around them, and by one year, most can say one or two words.
- 1-2 years: Vocabulary expands and children begin saying simple phrases. They understand simple commands and questions.
- 2-3 years: At this stage, children begin using three to four word sentences. They understand more complex instructions and can name most common things.
- 3-4 years: They can now converse in sentences, tell simple stories and are able to use pronouns correctly.
- 4-5 years: By this age, children have good command of language, can tell longer stories, understand and use complex sentences and ask many questions.