Child Development Process

Child development is the progression of the changes that happen to the child from birth to adulthood. It includes the development of their cognitive and thinking skills, speech and language, physical, emotional regulation, social interaction, and sensory awareness.

Through observation, we can make sure that children meet their “developmental milestones”, which is a vague list of developmental skills that an average child might learn. Most people use these milestones as a guide to check the average expectancy for a specific age range. It is, however, important to know that all children are unique in their development, and they might not meet all of the milestones at the exact times. 

A Child's Developmental Stages

• Newborn: birth to 3 months
• Newborns are capable of moving their heads from side to side and seeing objects from up close, and they can also react to sounds, and express their needs through crying. By the end of this stage, most babies begin smiling at people.
• Infancy: 3 months to 12 months
• 3 to 6 months: they begin to babble and recognize familiar faces, and are able to control the movement of their heads and bring their hands together.
• 6 to 9 months: they may start to sit without assistance and bounce when held up on their feet, and they begin to respond to their name and communicate through gestures.
• 9to 12 months: they begin to point at things and pick up objects and may crawl or stand, and they start imitating sounds and gestures.
• Toddler: 1 year to 3 years
• Children are able to stand and walk without help and may begin to run and climb. They are also capable of holding pencils or crayons, and can say several words and can even string them together in short sentences, and can follow simple one or two-step instructions.
• Preschool: 3 years to 5 years
• At this stage, most children have refined most of their motor skills and can throw and catch a ball, skip, jump, dress themselves, draw pictures with proper structures. Their speech is developed enough that they can easily speak long, complete sentences and hold a conversation with someone. Most of them are also able to take care of their hygiene and other personal tasks by themselves.

Infancy Development

This is a stage where children grow and change at a rapid pace. Speaking to the baby during this period will help them develop their communication skills. Supervised tummy time is helpful in strengthening their back and neck muscles. It is recommended that the caregivers respond quickly when their baby cries, as it will help build a strong bond.

The following table summarizes some of the major developmental milestones of an infant:

	1-3 months	4-6 months	5-9 months	9-12 months
Cognitive	Shows interest in human faces and objects May get bored with repeated activities	Recognizes familiar faces Responds to signs of love and affection	Brings hands up to their mouth Passes things from one hand to the other	Watches things fall  Looks for hidden things
Social and Emotional	Tries to look at people Starts to smile at people	Responds to facial expressions Enjoys playing with people Responds differently to different tones of voice	Enjoys looking into mirrors Knows when they see an unfamiliar person	They may be clingy or prefer to be with familiar people
Language	Begins to coo and make vowel sounds Becomes calm when spoken to Cries differently for different needs	Begins to babble or imitate sounds Begins to laugh	Responds to their name May add a secondary consonant sound to their vowel sounds May communicate through gestures	Points at object Understands the meaning of “no” Imitates and mimics sounds and gestures
Movement and Physical	Turns towards sounds Follows objects with their eyes Grasps objects reflexively Gradually holds their head up longer	Sees things more clearly and starts to reach for things Pushes up onto their arms during tummy time May learn to roll over	Sits up without assistance May bounce when held upright on their feet Rolls in both direction	Pulls up to stand  Crawls May be able to walk with support