Raising a child is complicated business. It’s not just a practical matter of changing diapers, feeding them, and making sure they go to school. It’s also about checking that they reach certain milestones at specific times in their lives.
For instance, children should be making attempts to communicate by age one, and they should be able to understand that other people have feelings by age two.
Unfortunately, most parents don’t know specifically when these skills kick in. And it can mean that a few kids miss them without their caregivers noticing.
In this post, we take a look at some critical child developmental milestones that every parent needs to know as their child grows up.
Here’s the rundown:
Child Development At Two Months
At two months, your child should be able to make cooing sounds and be able to smile. They should also be able to calm themselves briefly and start looking at the parent.
Children at this age have something called directionality. It means that they can turn their heads to face their caregivers and react to noises.
Parents need to ensure that they react to loud stimuli in the environment. If they don’t, it could indicate a blocked ear canal – something that can affect their ability to develop language later on.
Children should also be able to hold their heads up from about the age of two months – although you’ll still need to support them. And you may notice that they start acting “bored” or “fussy” – a good sign, despite the hassle.
Child Development At 1 Year
The first year of development is a whirlwind for children. At this point, they can respond to simple spoken sounds and use head gestures like shaking their head and waving bye-bye to other people. They’re often able to say things like “mama” and “dada” at this stage while also making exclamations, like “uh-oh.”
Cognitive development really starts to take off at this stage as well. For instance, children at one year of age can put things in containers and let go of objects in their hands without outside help. You may also notice that they start copying your gestures.
Child Developmental Milestones At 2 Years
Once children get to around two years of age, they’re really beginning to get the hang of speech. Often, they are able to complete sentences of nursery rhymes with only a small amount of prompting. They’re also able to construct sentences with a subject, object, and verb. Sometimes children need speech therapy at this stage to correct any problems and set them up for the future.
At two years, you should also notice your child starts to be able to do other things too. For instance, they may be able to point to things in a book or repeat things they overhear in conversations between parents. They can also build towers of more than four blocks and play simple make-believe games.
Child Development At 3 Years Old
At three years old, children should be able to carry on conversations, forming two or three consecutive sentences. It won’t be like having a full-blown conversation with an adult. But once they’re relaxed, they should be able to communicate their basic ideas and talk to strangers.
You may also notice that their ability to solve puzzles also improves. They should be able to fit jigsaws together and use their hands to turn the pages of books one page at a time.
Child Developmental Milestones At Four Years Of Age
Children should be able to use scissors at four years of age – something that requires a great deal of manual dexterity. They should also be able to remember parts of stories and how the concepts of “same” and “different” differ from one another.
You may also notice changes in their physical development. For instance, children at the age of four should be able to stand on one foot and hop. They should also be able to pour their own drinks and catch bounced balls.
On the social and emotional front, they should now be able to play the roles of mom and dad themselves in games of make-believe and cooperate with other children. Sometimes they can’t tell what’s real and what’s not still, but they should slowly gain this capacity.
Keeping tabs on your child’s development is essential. You need to be able to ensure that they develop in the proper manner. Catching problems early can help you ensure healthy development in the future.
