Child development: Everything you need to know about the child’s development
Are there clear guidelines for development?
No, the development from baby to child is very different and is highly individual.
How can development problems be identified?
Through close observation of child development, deficits, such as a physical or mental disability, or even special abilities, such as giftedness, can be recognized at an early stage and promoted accordingly.
How can child development be promoted?
Provide as many different stimuli as possible to give your child the opportunity to discover and expand their abilities.
Child development goes through many different phases.
Each of these development steps is a milestone for your baby.
But when does something actually happen? Can the development of a toddler be specifically promoted?
In our guide, we inform you about the different development phases of your child. You will learn which periods are normal and to what extent you can contribute to supporting motor and cognitive development yourself.
Child development is very different
The development phases can vary greatly from child to child.
In our article, we deal with the various areas in which your child is gradually improving.
However, with all these times, make sure that the level of development can change very quickly and that it is not yet a problem if a child briefly lags behind the development of other children.
This does not mean that these skills will no longer develop. However, if you suspect that your baby’s development is not going as usual, you as a parent should not hesitate to get support.
Through intensive early support, deficits in language development as well as in terms of motor skills can be corrected very well.
It is therefore important that you as a parent always keep an eye on your child, but do not panic immediately as soon as something does not work as you wish right away.
TipHow children develop: Individual child development is sometimes a little faster or slower than average, without affecting later life.
2. Motor development at high speed
From the first shooting attempts on the stomach or back to crawling to walking and running, it takes a while and you should be patient.
Always remember that the values set out in the following development table do not necessarily apply to every child.
Age of the child |
Skills at this time |
|---|---|
| two months | the child raises his head independently for a short time |
| three months | in the prone position, the child can rest on the forearms and raise his head |
| four to five months | the fists are opened and hands are used to play |
| six months | Children look after objects and follow them with a head movement |
| ten months | Children roll on their stomachs, turn back on their back independently and start crawling |
| twelve months | the child gets up and can keep the balance by holding on to a chair |
| 15 months | Children start to go |
| 18 months | Children can walk safely and independently |
| two years | Running is no longer a problem; the balance is getting better and better; access with thumb and index finger succeeds |
| three years | Jumping, riding a tricycle and putting on your own shoes with Velcro – all this is now possible |
| four years | the balance is enough to cope with a wheel; holding a pen is no difficult |
| five years | Climbing stairs without holding the railing is possible; the ball feeling is so pronounced that children can catch a softball |
| six years | the training of gross motor skills and fine motor skills has been completed in the most important points, so that, for example, cycling is possible |
Cognitive development at a glance
At about a year, children should be able to form the first sounds.
A baby explores the development in his very own way. The development of the child is not always visible during this period, so many parents are unsure to what extent their child is making progress.
However, each child analyzes and processes a new situation in detail in order to draw conclusions from it.
Your baby’s vision develops within the first year of life. While the other senses are already much more pronounced, the sense of sight is a little long in coming. It is therefore quite logical that children initially pursue objects less with their eyes than with their mouth or hands. How children develop
In the first few months, babies are able to recognize colors, but to distinguish less similar shades from each other.
With one year, children should be able to:
- to react to noise with head movements, as the direction from which they come can be determined
- to examine new objects primarily with the eyes
- to imitate the first sounds and to speak a few words
- to respond to concrete requests
How children develop .A two-year-old child is already developing his own personality, so that there can be a defiant phase at this time.
If child development is normal, children at the age of two master the following skills:
-
- the vocabulary consists of between 50 and 100 words
- they understand the difference between “I” and “you”
- try different behaviors to solve a problem
- show joy, grief and seek protection
In the following years, skills develop gradually. While children at the age of three should be able to form short sentences, the understanding of numbers begins about a year later.
The ability to concentrate increases significantly. At the same time, behavior towards other children is intensified and they increasingly recognize them as their own friends.
Actively support child development
The first year of life:
If you have any questions about the first year of your baby’s life, the Federal Centre for Health Education offers assistance as well as contact addresses of various associations in an extensive document.
Your child develops many skills more or less automatically without your intervention.However, it helps enormously if you give your child the opportunity to test and develop their own skills.
Children are naturally curious and inquisitive. Use this aspect to leaf through a picture book together, read a story or explore nature.
Roll the ball to your child when you notice that he is reacting to it. Play role-playing or board games together and teach your children as gently as possible that losing is also part of life.
Try to always bring new stimuli into your everyday life from which the children can benefit. You don’t have to be sporty yourself to play ball with your child in the garden. Cook together and give your child the opportunity to try new things. By the way, this develops an understanding of nutrition and health.
Let your child participate in your life as much as possible.
