Although the development of each child is unique to the individual, there are certain ‘milestones’ that need to be achieved before a child moves on to the next stage of its development. These milestones, or averages, are used to assess the development of an individual child, all the time recognizing that different children will reach these milestones at different times.
There are five defined areas of development that can be observed during childhood and these are physical, intellectual, language, emotional and social development. I will look at these areas in turn, noting the average milestones that can be expected during the early years.
Physical
In the first two years of life we see probably the most accelerated physical development in a child’s life. They move from being unable to hold their own head up to being able to walk and run with confidence.
When a baby is born it will be very limited in its physical abilities, spending most of its time lying …show more content…
This adult will provide for the basic physiological needs of the child (appropriate healthy nutrition, human touch and shelter), the safety needs of the child (keeping him/her safe from dangers in the immediate environment, safe from abusive relationships and making sure the child has access to appropriate health care) and the social needs of the child (unconditional love, room to explore and play and interact with other children and adults and giving them a sense of a place to belong). These foundational building blocks, which the significant adult puts in place in a child’s life, pave the way for a child to be able to develop further in all five of the defined areas of