Early childhood is the period when your child is between the ages of two- and six-years old. During this period of time, there will be very many changes and milestones that your child reaches. There are three main domains that each of these milestones fall into: physical, cognitive, and social and emotional. In this blog post, I am going to touch on some of the milestones from each of these domains and what you can do to support your children as they work towards them. I will also be discussing how you will be able to know when your child has reached the milestone.
Physical Domain
When your child is two-years old, they should be starting to kick balls and run. Also, they should be able to draw straight lines and circles or copy them. Then, when they get to be around six-years old, they should be able to hop, swing and climb. They should also be able to write their name and copy simple words. One way that you can support your child’s physical development is through creating daily routines. By creating routines that involve them doing things such as brushing their teeth or getting dressed, they are able to have consistent practice with fine-motor skills
Cognitive Domain
In the beginning of early childhood, your child should start to count. By the end of the early childhood period, they should be able to count to at least ten. They should also be able to correctly name at least four colors. If your child is having trouble counting, there are a few ways in which you can help them. One way would be to provide more opportunities for your child to count. They can practice counting things around the house and incorporate counting into games. You can also help your child find a way to count that works for them whether that be counting their fingers or moving objects away as they’re counted. You will know that they have reached this milestone when they are able to count to ten unassisted with little or no errors.
Social and Emotional Domain
During the beginning of the period, your child’s gendered stereotypes will increase. They will also begin to copy others and get excited to be around other children. As they progress through this period, they will begin to show more independence and differentiate between what’s real and what pretend. Children will also start to display empathy during this time. Parents can support their child’s development by teaching your children the importance of sympathy and being kind.