Developmental Stages

1. Developmental Stages Birth through age 5

2. Types of Development • Physical—describes changes in a child’s body and abilities involving control of their bodies • Emotional—changes in how they feel and how they express those feelings • Intellectual—changes in the child’s mental abilities • Social—describes how the child relates to and interacts with others

3. Infants—birth to age 1Physical Development • Many changes occur, beginning with the ability to hold up their head • Progressing to sitting up, crawling, pulling up on furniture, and finally walking

4. Food for infants • For the first few months, they will eat only breast milk or formula • Solid foods such as infant cereals and baby foods will be introduced during the last half of the first year • Teething is when the teeth grow through the gums • It can be very painful and babies who are teething will be cranky, drool a lot and may have digestive problems

5. Emotional Development & guidance • Distraction is a successful discipline method • Separation anxiety is when the child displays signs of stress when the caregiver leaves • Stranger anxiety is when the child is distressed by new people. It is a sign of memory development

6. Intellectual Development • Children will begin to understand cause and effect, such as what happens when they drop the same toy over and over • Cooing and babbling are the first signs of language development • Children will begin to speak their first words • A shorter attention span indicates a high level of intelligence

7. Social Development • Making eye contact with caregivers • Smiling and laughing

8. Toddlers, age 1 to 3Physical Development • Most children learn to walk well during this stage • Large motor skills include the use of big muscle groups, such as running or jumping • Small motor skills include the use of small muscle groups, such as for writing or drawing

9. More toddler physical development • Weaning, or teaching the child to drink from a cup instead of a bottle, typically happens early in this stage • Toilet training typically happens towards the end of this stage

10. Toddler emotional development and guidance • Time out is an effective form of discipline • Temper tantrums are frequent • Imaginary friends are common and will come and go • Children will say “NO” a lot. They want to be able to have some control over their lives. • Fears are common because their imagination is developing

11. Toddler Intellectual Development • Games are fun for this group, but they don’t want to follow the rules, they want to win • A shape sorter would be a good toy • They will ask “why” a lot because they are trying to understand new things • They recognize letters, numbers, and colors towards the end of this stage • Expect a child to speak simple sentences

12. Toddler Social Development • Parallel play involves two children playing in an area close to each other but without any actual interaction • Give them choices to provide them with more control over their lives • Sharing is difficult for this age group. They can’t see another point of view

13. Preschooler—age 3 to 5 yearsPhysical Development • Running is well mastered. They will also learn to ride bikes and many other large motor activities • Active play, such as outdoor running games, is popular with this age group • It is common for children to want to eat only one food. This usually passes

14. Preschooler Emotional Development & Guidance • Dramatic play, such as with dolls or dressing up, is popular and helps children practice emotions • They are eager to please the caregiver, so spoken restrictions work well

15. Preschooler Intellectual Development • Expect these children to write some letters and recognize their own name • They will enjoy finger plays, or songs that have motions • They begin to count and sort items by colors

16. Preschooler Social Development • Cooperative play occurs when two children interact during playtime • Expect tattling since they are very conscious of rules and expect them to be followed