Weekly Topics: Child Development

Family Place™ Libraries acknowledge the role of parents and other caregivers as a child’s first true teacher, providing them with the information they need to be the best teacher they can be. By providing a dedicated Parenting Collection and an extensive collection of children’s materials that families can explore, our libraries help your child get an early start gaining important literacy skills.

Child Development

Child development is the process of how a child grows emotionally, socially, linguistically, cognitively and physically. The ultimate goal of a child’s development is to foster independence. In addition to genetic traits, the events and experiences that a young child has greatly influence the child’s rate of development. As parents and caregivers, you spend a great deal of time with your child and interact with him or her frequently. The way you talk and play with your child is important. Family Place™ Libraries help adults enhance their child’s development by providing programs that encourage play, creativity and social interactions and equipping caregivers with educational resources for additional learning.

Click here for some common questions and answers about child development.

Because parents and other caregivers often have questions or concerns about their child’s rate of development or specific aspects of development, we are providing a list of developmental milestones that you can expect your child to achieve as he or she grows. These milestones signal adequate child developmental responses in how your child plays, learns, speaks, acts and moves.

For more information, check out this resource.

Infants: Birth to One Year

Your baby will grow and develop rapidly during his or her first year. Because of this, many child development milestones are grouped by months rather than years.

By Two Months

Social and Emotional Development	Language Development	Cognitive Development	Physical Development
May smile	Coos or makes verbal sounds	Begins to follow moving objects with eyes	Arm and leg movements are more controlled and smoother
Tries to see people	Turns head toward voices or sounds	Interested in faces	Can lift head when placed on stomach
May put hand in mouth		May show signs of boredom by fussing

By Four Months

Social and Emotional Development	Language Development	Cognitive Development	Physical Development
Smiles at people	Babbles	Expresses sadness or happiness	Holds head up
Likes to play with people and may fuss when playtime ends	May copy sounds	Reaches for a toy or object	May roll from stomach to back
Copies facial expressions	Has different cries for hunger, pain and sleepiness	Eyes follow a moving object	Brings hand up to mouth
		Recognizes some people	May grab a toy or swat at a hanging toy

By Six Months

Social and Emotional Development	Language Development	Cognitive Development	Physical Development
Shows happiness	Reacts to his or her name	Puts things in mouth	Can roll from stomach to back and back to stomach
Responds to other people’s feelings	Makes sounds of happiness or irritation	Look at and studies things in close proximity	Starts to sit up unsupported
Likes to look at the baby in the mirror	May make sounds in response to other sounds	May pass objects from one hand to the other hand	May bounce on legs when in a standing position
Likes to play	May babble with repetitive sounds beginning with consonants

By Nine Months

Social and Emotional Development	Language Development	Cognitive Development	Physical Development
Knows and prefers familiar people and may hold on to them	Understands what “no” means	Places things in mouth frequently	Can sit upright and remain sitting without support
May be wary of strangers	Can point to objects with one finger	Can pick up small items using index finger and thumb	Can crawl
Has favorite toys or objects	Can babble	Can play peek-a-boo	Can pull self up into a standing position
	Will imitate sounds and motions others make	Eyes follow an item when it falls	Can stand while holding on to something

Toddlers: One to Three Years

By One Year

Social and Emotional Development	Language Development	Cognitive Development	Physical Development
May still be wary of strangers	Can wave goodbye and shake head to say “no”	Studies objects by shaking, banging, poking or throwing them	Pulls up to a standing position alone
Favors familiar people and may cry when they leave	Can say simple words like “mama” and “dada”	Understands peek-a-boo and can find a hidden object	Can walk while holding on to something
Makes certain sounds or motions to get your attention	Tries to repeat words	Starts to use common items like a cup, spoon, hairbrush and more	May stand without holding on to something
Can make intentions known by handing you an object	Tone changes when babbling	Copies certain simple gestures like clapping, waving and nodding	May take first steps independently
May assist with dressing by putting out an arm or leg		May like to put things into a container and take them out repeatedly
		Can follow simple directions

By Two Years

Social and Emotional Development	Language Development	Cognitive Development	Physical Development
Is becoming more independent	Points to things, including those in a book	Can build with blocks	Can walk up and down steps while holding on to something
May show excitement when around other children	Can follow simple instructions	Can follow directions containing two steps	Starts to run
Makes certain sounds or motions	Repeats words or phrases	May favor the use of one hand	Can climb on and off furniture independently
Mostly plays next to another child but may begin to play with him or her	Knows some body parts by name	May begin to sort objects by colors or shapes	Can kick a ball
Imitates others	Can speak in sentences containing a few words	Can name pictured items in a book	Can throw overhand
May show defiance

Preschoolers: Three to Five Years

By Three Years

Social and Emotional Development	Language Development	Cognitive Development	Physical Development
Imitates affection	Can say many familiar words	Manipulates toys and items with buttons, levers, switches and such	Runs very well
Displays emotions	Knows first name, age and sex	Uses imagination and pretends	Walks up and down steps using just one foot on each step
Shows concern for sad people	Can carry on a simple conversation	Makes simple puzzles	Can pedal a tricycle or riding toy
Can dress and undress	Sentences are understood by most people	Tries to draw or write	Is good at climbing
Knows how to take turns	Can understand directional words like in, on, under and near	Can turn the pages in a book one at a time
Copies or imitates others

By Four Years

Social and Emotional Development	Language Development	Cognitive Development	Physical Development
Uses imagination to pretend or make-believe	Speaks in sentences that will gradually become more complex	Can name some colors, shapes, numbers and letters	Can stand and hop on one foot for a short period of time
May have an imaginary friend	Can recite some songs or poems by memory	Remembers parts of stories and can make predictions	Can sometimes catch a bouncing ball
Enjoys new experiences	Strangers can understand almost every word spoken	Can write some letters and numbers	Can pour a drink and cut food with supervision
Shares likes and dislikes	Can tell a story	Has a basic understanding of time
Prefers playing with others		Can play board games
Cooperates		Knows what same and different mean

By Five Years

Social and Emotional Development	Language Development	Cognitive Development	Physical Development
Likes to please others, especially friends	Speaks in complete, complex sentences and is easily understood	Can draw people	Can throw, catch and kick a ball
Knows the difference between real and imagined	Can recite full name and address	Can write some letters, numbers and possibly words	Has a better sense of balance and can stand on one foot for ten or more seconds
Generally accepts rules and cooperates	Understands how to use the future tense	Counts to ten or more	May swing, jump, skip and do a somersault
Is even more independent, but requires supervision	Can make up a story using complete sentences	May begin to read	Uses fine motor skills to write, draw and cut with scissors