Child Development
Child development is about how children gain skills and abilities. There are several areas of development that parents can focus on to see how their child is developing. View the table below outlining the areas of child development.Areas of development
| Areas of development | Description | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Physical | Fine motors skills (development of small musclesin hand and fingers) Gross motor skills (development of large muscles,body, neck, arms and legs) |
Threading beads Colouring with crayons |
| Intellectual | Thinking and problem solving skills | Counting Writing Puzzles Understands rules |
| Language / Communication |
Learning to speak Using symbols to communicate |
Learning new vocabulary. Asking questions |
| Emotional | Confidence Self-esteem Expression of feelings | Cries when toy is snatched |
| Social | Interacting with other children and adults | Making friends Taking turns Shares toys |
To understand how well your child is developing, parents need to consider their child's age and the stage of development that they are at. The stage of development is what a child can do at a certain age. To identify the stage of development, parents can refer to the developmental milestone.
Developmental milestones are a set of standards that measures the progress of child's development. For example, the average age at which a child learns to crawl, walk, talk and speak. Take note that developmental norms are not carved in stones and is based on average statistics.
Note that the developmental every child is unique, whilst the pattern of development is the same for all children, the pace and rate is different. There are a range of factors that can influence child's development, for example: diet, sleep, environment and stimulation.
Developmental norms can be used to determine whether child is developing normally. If you find that your child has not quite reached the expected stage of development, then you can focus in promoting that particular area of development. if there are significant delays in development, then parents can seek early intervention.If child is maturing fast, then parent can set challenging tasks to facilitate child into the next stage.
Click below to see:
Stages of child development
Film: How I can support my baby's early development