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Developmental Milestones In Early Childhood

Children start rapidly growing and developing from the moment they are born. Their bodies are and minds are constantly maturing and absorbing new information from the world. Young children go through an array of transformations in different domains, including physical, cognitive, and social/emotional. There are developmental milestones in each domain that each parent should look out for, as there are specific ways children can be supported at each time in their life. To know when your child has reached their first milestone, or for more information on how to support your flourishing youngster, read about developmental milestones in early childhood below:

Physical Milestones In Childhood Development

One of the most noticeable domains, in terms of growth and development, is obviously physical. Referring to changes in physical growth and skill development, it is interesting to observe your child’s physical milestones, as they learn to use their muscles and senses. Early childhood encompasses children ages 3 to 8 years old, many of whom experience developmental milestones at similar times. Although due to the diverse environments and families children grow up in, giving them different diets, stress levels, cultures, family values, and more, it is normal for every child to grow at their own rate. It is also important to note that the brain is 25%  of its adult size at birth, and hits 90% at 5 years of age, meaning it is better to recognize developmental delays as early as  possible(Virtual Lab School, n.d.). Examples of physical milestones look out for in early childhood include are:

Age 3:

 

Age 4:

  • Can hop and stand on one foot for up to 2 seconds
  • Can catch a bounced ball most of the time
  • Can pour, cut with supervision, and mash own food

 

Age 5:

 

There are many ways parents can promote physical wellness and healthy habits in their children to make sure they maintain an active lifestyle, and continue to reach developmental milestones. Children need time to practice skills and make sense of the experiences they go through(Virtual Lab School, n.d.). This is why it is important for them to constantly have a caregiver to make sure that they stay out of trouble. Without a caregiver, children’s physical skills would not progress, as they would be continuously forced to focus on survival, instead of learning how to interact with the world(Virtual Lab School, n.d.). The most beneficial thing parents can do at this time is make sure that their child has a safe, yet captivating environment to flourish in. Young children need large, protected spaces for movement and exploration, and engaging objects  for both fine and gross motor development. After designing a sufficient indoor area for your child, remember that the outdoors holds an abundance of sensory experiences that children love for free. By providing children with both outdoor and indoor environments, caregivers can help children go through a variety of sensory experiences, necessary for physical development.

Social and Emotional Milestones in Early Childhood

The development of social-emotional skills is almost imperatively necessary for a child’s future success. Social-emotional skills help us in an array of situations, and are arguably our most needed skills in communication. Without social-emotional skills, no productive, healthy relationship would be possible. These skills help us to manage our feelings, whether it be anger or sadness, in times of intense emotional situations. Development in this domain allows children to interact with others, identify and regulate their own emotions, and to form healthy relationships and attachments outside of the family in the future. The people we admire the most, often have the best social and emotional regulation skills, making them easily likable due to their ability to be empathetic, highly socially aware, and self-motivated(Virtual Lab School, n.d.).  Social skills may come easier to these people than most, which is why it is important to note that social skills are not as automatic in all children. To make sure that your child is developing socially along the right track, here are a list of social and emotional milestones for each age group:

 

Age 3:

  • Is interested, yet cautious, about going new places and trying new things
  • Is starting to play together with other kids
  • Starts being able to comfort/show worry for an unhappy friend without being told to by an adult
  • Take turns while playing
  • Plays “real life”
  • Can identify boys from girls, but may not yet fully understand gender distinctions Show (but maybe not name) a variety of emotions

 

Age 4:

  • More noticeably independent
  • Alternates between being demanding and cooperative
  • Can dress and undress themselves
  • Begins to tell little lies to get out of trouble, even when they know it is wrong
  • Becomes a little sassier, starts tattling or acting a little bossy

 

Age 5:

  • Shows independence
  • Have distinct ways of playing according to gender
  • They want to be liked by their friends and to please people, although may be mean to others
  • Become jealous of other people spending time with “their” friends
  • Follow most rules
  • Enjoy showing off

 

Age 6:

  • Begin to understand the feeling of embarrassment
  • Are independent, but more insecure, wanting attention/approval from adults
  • Get their feelings hurt more quickly
  • Can recognize their peers emotions more easily
  • Are more aware of how others see them

 

Age 7 and 8:

  • Have increased moments of extreme insecurity where they need reassurance and encouragement from loved ones
  • Enjoy being part of a team, group, or club
  • Spend increased time with friends, and are more easily influenced by them
  • Have period of dramatic or extreme emotion, only to bounce back soon after
  • Are more likely to follow rules they helped to create
  • Are impatient and desire immediate gratification
  • Begin to become interested money

 

As social and emotional development is so necessary for children, it is important that parents and caregivers promote growth in this domain in healthy ways. They can do this by encouraging the formation of healthy friendships and relationships, and by teaching their child to stay in tune with how they are feeling. The most simple way to make sure that a child is developing socially/emotionally, is to enroll them in school or any form of education available for their age where they will be surrounded by other kids. Many daily routines at school or childcare centers can promote social-emotional development, such as children playing together in the classroom, required interaction during learning activities, monitored seating arrangements at meal times, recess, and many more. It is also important for a child’s parent or caregiver to help them understand and name different emotions, so that the child can begin to communicate how they are feeling on their own. This vocabulary and emotional intelligence will aid their child in developing empathy and helping others later on. Without the development of social and emotional regulation skills, an individual will develop many persisting problems in the future. Children who feel rejected and unaccepted by those around them, or who fail to get engaged at home, school, or in their community are more likely to have challenging behavior, end up a delinquent or in trouble with the law, and have trouble in school or finding a job when they are older. The social-emotional domain is fundamental, and clearly crucial for all children’s futures.

Cognitive Milestones in Early Childhood Development

Cognitive development is essential to a child’s growth, describing the evolving mind, its ever-changing perceptions of the world, and how each unique brain thinks and solves problems in its own individual way. Not only is cognitive development important for learning in general, but it can also affect other domains, such as language and social/emotional skill development(Virtual Lab School, n.d.). While cognitive development is reliant on both environmental factors and genes, and the brain is continuously taking in new information all ages, it is meaningful to remember that the brain is most malleable in a child’s youngest years. Because of this, it is specifically crucial that a child’s challenges in reaching cognitive milestones are identified early on. There are typical milestones reached in the cognitive domain by children of each age group, made up of achievements such as:

Age 3:

  • Know their own name, age, and gender
  • Can follow 2- to 3-step instructions
  • Grasps the concept of “two” (They understand when they have two candies rather than one, but usually don’t understand the concept of higher numbers yet)
  • Can complete a puzzle with 3-4 pieces
  • Can sort objects by shape and color
  • Has an active imagination, usually used to play male-believe with inanimate objects

Age 4:

  • Understands the concepts of “same” and “different”
  • Understands the concept of counting and may know numbers
  • Can draws a person with 2-4 body parts
  • Is beginning to understand time
  • Can play board games or card games
  • Can tell you what he thinks will happen next in a story

Age 5:

  • Can count 10 or more objects.
  • Can names at least four colors correctly
  • Understands items used every day (Ex. Money, food, or appliances)
  • Can draw a person with at least six body parts
  • Can copy a triangle and other geometric shapes
  • Understands the concept of time
  • Can print some letters and numbers
  • Can recognizes own printed name and may be able to write it

Ages 6-8:

  • Start to understand the perspectives and feelings of others, but may still be focused on themselves in the beginning
  •  A gradual shift begins, as children want to play with their peers rather than their parents
  • Usually play with children of the same gender
  • Can solve simple math problems
  • Has solid sense of time
  • Is learning to read and write, and is constantly expanding vocabulary

Frequent interaction and healthy relationships, where rich vocabulary is used and questions are asked can help children develop cognitively. The importance of relationships, both with adults and with peers of a similar age, in cognitive development is often overlooked. We forget that relationships are central to development, and that our learning would be severely stunted without the help and presence of others(Virtual Lab School, n.d.). We pick up new words, beliefs, and ideas from those around us when we are young, leaving infinite room for parents, whose young children are aching to play with them, to support their children in reaching cognitive milestones. To aid children in growing cognitively, parents and caregivers can model appropriate attitudes and outlooks that they would like their children to develop. To do this, they should:

  • Avoid use of biased language(including nicknames)
  • Avoid stereotypes (towards people of other cultures, genders, backgrounds, etc.)
  • Show their children that they are listening carefully to their questions in order to make them feel valued and allow their self-worth to grow(Child Time Learning Centers,2017)
  • Encourage their child to think originally and solve out their issues on their own to promote confidence (Child Time Learning Centers,2017)
  • Take their child to new and exciting places to stimulate their imagination and curiosity