As a parent, you may wonder if your child is developing as he should. Though each child is different and may develop skills at different rates than other children, average time frames for skill development exist to tell you if your child is more or less on target. If you have concerns about a developmental delay in your child, you should seek the advice of a medical professional.
First Two Years
According to the Child Development Institute, as a young baby, your child can make only basic distinctions between sensory perceptions such as vision, hearing, smell, taste, touch and pain perception. As she progresses toward the preschool years, she goes from crying to babbling to saying a few words at 1 to having a vocabulary of nearly 200 words by the age of 2. Motor development continues to improve, as well, as your child first learns to control her eye muscles, then roll over, sit upright, crawl, stand and then run and even kick a ball.
Your newborn baby's emotional and social development is limited. However, soon she shows distress, happiness, affection, curiosity and anger. She will develop a strong bond with you, while possibly fearing strangers. Your child will smile, protest separation from familiar people, enjoy games such as peek-a-boo and pat-a-cake and respond to her name. According to the Child Development Institute, between the age of 1 and 2, your child will learn to feed herself, show interest in her reflection and possibly do the opposite of what she is told to do. Temper tantrums also become common around the age of 2.
Preschool Years
Your child's motor skills and language development continue to improve. He goes from riding a tricycle and kicking a ball at the age of 3 to hopping on one leg and throwing a ball at 4, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. By 5, your child can stand on one foot for up to 10 seconds, somersault, swing and even skip. He will go from using short sentence at the age of 3 to speaking clearly and telling stories at 5.
His emotional development undergoes many changes, as well. According to the CDC, he imitates adults and playmates, takes turns and expresses many emotions at 3. By the age of 4, imaginative play is common, he plays more cooperatively and may imagine unfamiliar things such as monsters. At 5, your child wants to please his friends, is more aware of gender and begins to distinguish between fantasy and reality.
School Age
Physically, your child's growth is slowing down. According to the North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension, growth spurts and sexual body changes occur in middle and late childhood, and your child begins to recognize the differences between boys and girls. By the end of middle childhood, your child is nearly as coordinated as an adult, and small muscles have developed.
Socially and emotionally your school-aged child becomes more independent, often testing her independence by talking back and rebelling. She probably has many friends and may even have an enemy that changes from day to day. She may show signs of self-consciousness and may resolve conflict by relying on peers either accepting or rejecting actions.
