–  Children aren’t just growing physically during early childhood, they are also developing new cognitive abilities as they mature. Early childhood is not only a period of amazing physical growth; it is also a time of remarkable mental development. Cognitive abilities associated with memory, reasoning, problem-solving and thinking continue to emerge throughout childhood.

• Stages of Cognitive Development

Stage-1 : The Sensorimotor Stage (0-2 Years):

A period of time between birth and age two during which an infant’s knowledge of the world is limited to his or her sensory perceptions and motor activities. Behaviours are limited to simple motor responses caused by sensory stimuli.

Stage-2 : The Preoperational Stage (2-6 Years):

A period between ages two and six during which a child learns to use language. During this stage, children do not yet understand concrete logic, cannot mentally manipulate information and are unable to take the point of view of other people.

Stage-3 : The Concrete Operational Stage (7-11 Years):

A period between ages seven and eleven during which children gain a better understanding of mental operations. Children begin thinking logically about concrete events, but have difficulty understanding abstract or hypothetical concepts.

Stage-4 : The Formal Operational Stage (12-18 Years):

A period between ages twelve to adulthood when people develop the ability to think about abstract concepts. Skills such as logical thought, deductive reasoning and systematic planning also emerge during this stage.

– Social-Emotional development is the growth of a child’s ability to feel and express an increasing range of emotions appropriately. Social development is the growth of a child’s ability to relate to others and become independent.

At Birth

Babies begin to learn as soon as they are born, but at this stage their behaviour and communication with adults are limited. Babies cry to make their needs known and are peaceful when those needs are met. At this stage babies:

Depend on parents/carers

Sleep a lot

Likes to be undisturbed

Have rooting, sucking and swallowing reflexes

Cry when hungry, unattended to or in pain

Startle to noise, and turn to light, providing it is not too bright.

1 Month

At this stage babies smile spontaneously, but they begin to smile in happenings outside themselves from 4-8 weeks. They learn to smile to your voice and face and are also attracted to the movement of your face. At this stage babies:

Cry for their needs to be attended to

Will turn to mother’s breast

Briefly looks at a face

Sleeps most of the time when not being handled or fed

Grasp a finger if the hand is opened and the palm is touched

Will quieten or smile in response to your voice.

2 Months

From 2 months babies have less primitive reactions and gradually learn a range of responses and behaviour. These are the results of both physical maturation and the beginning to explore the environment. At this stage the baby is capable of having ‘conversations’ with the carer. These are a mixture of gestures and noises, but follow the pattern of a conversation in that one person is quiet while the other speaks. At this stage babies:

Explore using their five senses

Sleep less during the day and more during the night

Stop crying when they are picked up

Differentiate between objects, and begin to tell one face from another

Follow your face when it moves

Smile and become more responsive to others.

3 Months

At this stage babies take a lot of interest in their environment. Physical maturation continues rapidly. When they hear different sound babies turn their heads in response to see what people are doing. They are rapidly beginning to learn new social skills from the people around them. Around this stage babies:

Use sounds to interact socially and reach out to human face

Respond to friendly handling and smile at most people

Become more oriented to their mother and other carers

Looks at mother’s or carer’s face when feeding

Are able to show an increasingly wide range of feelings and responses including pleasure, fear, excitement, unhappiness and contentment

Have some awareness of the feelings and emotions of others

Begin to connect what they hear with what they see.

6 Months

Development at this stage is very rapid. Babies are awake for much longer periods by 6 months. Babies laugh, show excitement and delight and will also show likes and dislikes. Around this age infants:

Reach out for familiar people and show a desire to be picked up and held

Begin to be more reserved with, or afraid of, strangers

Show a marked preference for their main carer(s)

Like to play peek-a-boo

Smile at their own image in a mirror

Become more aware of themselves in relation to other people and things

Look at their hands and feet with interest

Stop crying when communicated with.

9 Months

By this age, infants will have formed strong attachments with their main carer(s). They will also usually have begun to move around independently. They take pleasure in playing with their careers and learn a great deal from this interaction. Around this age infants:

Show fear of strangers and need reassurance when in their company, often clinging to the known adult and hiding their face in them

Play peek-a-boo, copy hand clapping and pat a mirror image

Clearly distinguish familiar people and show a marked preference for them

Cry for attention to their needs, but also they use their voice to attract people to themselves

Put hands around a cup or bottle when feeding

Show pleasure and interest at familiar words

Understand ‘No’

Begin to respond to their own name.

12 Months

By this stage, most children have started to stand independently and possibly have begun to walk. They can pick up small objects and to explore their environment around them. By this age infants:

Can distinguish between different members of the family and act socially with them

Will wave goodbye

Like to be within sight and hearing of a familiar adult

Show rage when thwarted

Know their own name

Will obey simple instructions

May be shy with strangers

Copy actions and sounds of adults or children.

15 Months

At this stage toddlers use their main carer as a safe base from which to explore the world. They are anxious and apprehensive about being physically separated from them, and tend to be very much ‘under the feet’ of their careers. They are very curious about their environment and their exploration of it can lead to conflicts with their careers. By this stage children:

Begin to distinguish between ‘you’ and ‘me’, but do not understand that others are individuals just like themselves

Can point to members of the family

Tend to show off

Have a sense of ‘me’ and ‘mine’ and begin to express themselves

Throw toys when angry

Show interest in other children

Show jealously of the attention given by adults to other children

Have an interest in strangers, but can be fearful or wary of them

Are emotionally changeable and unstable

Hold a cup and drink without assistance

Help with dressing and undressing.

18 Months

Children are very egocentric at this stage. They are often defiant and resistant at this stage. They have only recently discovered themselves as separate individuals. Their defiant behaviour can be seen as an attempt to protect themselves and their individuality. At this stage children:

Show intense curiosity

Tend to follow their carer around, be sociable and imitate them by helping with small household tasks

Are trying to establish themselves as members of a social group

Imitate and mimic others during their play

Show some social emotions, for example sympathy for someone who is hurt

Cannot tolerate frustration

Have intense mood swings, from dependence to independence, eagerness to irritation, co-operation to resistance

Are still dependent on familiar carer and also often return to a fear of strangers.

2 Years

Children at this stage are capable of a wide range of feelings and able to empathise with the feelings of those close to them. For example if their carer is upset, they are capable of trying to comfort them. They are able to use symbols in language and these newly acquired linguistic skills enable children to achieve new levels of social development. At this stage children

Will try to be independent

Will ask for food

Demand their carer’s attention and want their needs to be met immediately they make demands

Sometimes have tantrums if crossed or frustrated

Are capable of being loving and responsive

Can point to parts of the body and other features when asked

Are possessive of their own toys and objects, and have little idea of sharing

Tend to play parallel to other children, engage in role play, but are beginning to play interactive games

Join in when an adult sings or tells a simple story.

3 Years

Children are usually happier at this stage of their development and are more contented than during their previous years. They have gained a certain amount of physical and emotional control. This can lead to more settled feelings and more balance in the way they express them. They are generally friendly and helpful in their manner to others. At this stage children

Can wait for their needs to be met

Can feel secure when in a strange place away from their main carers

Are less rebellious and use language rather than physical outbursts to express themselves

Enjoy make-believe play both alone and with other children

Have an ability to share things and to take turns

Can show affection to younger siblings

Want the approval of loved adults

Project their own experiences onto dolls and toys

May have imaginary fears and anxieties.

4 Years

At this stage children are constantly trying to understand and make sense of their experiences and of the world around them. By this age children

May have one particular friend

Are capable of being very sociable

Play with groups of children

Can take turns but are not consistent about this

Are developing a strong sense of past and future

Are able to cope with delay in having their needs met

Can be confident and self-assured

May be afraid of the dark and have other fears

Turn to adults for comfort when overtired, ill or hurt.

5 Years

At this age children achieve a level of balance, self-containment and independence. They are usually friendly, willing to talk to anyone, and are able to be polite. By this age children

Want approval of adults

Prefer games of rivalry to team games

Enjoy brief separations from home and carers

Show good overall control of emotions

Show a desire to excel, and can be purposeful and persistent

Boast and show off

Enjoy co-operative group play, but often need an adult to arbitrate

Still respond to discipline based on bargaining

Are developing a sense of shame

Argue with parents when they request something.

6-7 Years

At this stage children grow steadily more independent and are sociable. They are generally self-confident and friendly; they are able to co-operate in quite sophisticated ways with adults and children. Their peer group becomes increasingly significant to them. At 6 years children

May have spells of being rebellious and aggressive

Are often irritable and possessive about their own things.

At 7 years children

Are more aware of gender characteristics

May be so enthusiastic for life that carers have to guard against them becoming overtired

Become very self-critical about their work

May be miserable and sulky, and give up trying for short periods

–  Children are born with unique behavioural styles that influence their development from the womb until death. Each child is unique, and has a different way of looking at and interacting with the world. Children have different talents that develop as they grow and practice them. The child is not mere a piece of clay to be moulded into an obedient citizen, but he should be seen as a force to be guided into a competent adult.

–  Children are born with their natural style of interacting with or reacting to people, places, and things—their temperament. Since the 1950s, many scientific studies of temperament have continued to show that children’s health and development are influenced by temperament. Children’s temperament traits do appear to be quite stable through infancy and into childhood. A child’s personality is determined by the interaction of temperament traits with the environment. Each person (including your child) comes with a factory installed wiring. How your child is wired can determine whether they will be easy or difficult to raise. How well their temperament fits with the environment and how well they are received by the people in the environment will determine how a child sees himself and others.