Child Development 6 Months:
Stages Of Development Of Your 6 Month Old Child

Child development 6 months highlights the developmental "stages" of your 6 month old child.

Remember that the stages we're talking about here are only a rough guide as every child will develop in their own unique way.

• His Physical Development
• His Emotional And Social Development
• His Sensory Development
• His Intellectual And Language Development
• Best Way To Encourage His Development

His Physical Development... Gross and Fine motor skills

Your child wants to explore the world around him. He constantly practices skills that let him move closer to desired objects and as he grows his determination to master movement, balance, and fine-motor skills remains intense.

At 6 months, your child...

• Can roll from front to back
• Can roll over if lying on his back
• Gets himself in a sitting position using his shoulder to pull himself
• Lifts up his legs into a vertical position
• Moves his arms purposefully and hold them up, indicating a wish to be lifted
• Change the angle of his body to reach for an object
• Can grab things with both hands and mostly put in his mouth to bite and suck
• Reach and grab when a small toy is offered
• Explore objects by putting them in his mouth.

His Emotional and Social Development

The way in which your child develops emotionally and socially is linked to how he develops physically and intellectually. Your child has feelings and emotions from the moment he is born and becomes aware of himself as he grows.

You need to know the stages of your child's emotional and social development in order to promote his development.

At 6 months, your child...

• Manages to feed himself using his fingers
• Offer toys to others
• Is more wary of strangers
• Shows distress when you leave
• Is more aware of other people’s feelings, cries if a sibling cries etc.

His Sensory Development

Your child learns to use information from all his senses for learning. These include hearing, taste, touch and smell. His senses weave together to develop a sense of himself and the world around him.

At 6 months, your child...

• Adjusts his position to see objects
• Is visually very alert, and follow another child’s activities with increased alertness
• Turns towards the source when he hears sounds at ear level
• Has a favourite sensory stimulus, such as certain music, finger games, flavours, etc.
• Plays with the two hands in the middle
• Transfers toys hand-to-hand
• Is comfortable when being moved.

His Intelectual and Language Development

At 6 months, your child...

• Understands the meaning of words such as 'mama', 'dada' and 'bye-bye'
• Understands objects and know what to expect of them
• Turns immediately when he hears your voice at a distance
• Understands 'up' and 'down' and makes appropriate gestures…raising his arms to be picked up
• Talks to himself in a tuneful...sing-song voice.

Best Way To Encourage His Development

• Encourage confidence and balance by placing toys around him when he’s sitting down
• Provide rattles and toys which can be hung over his cot…encouraging him to reach and grab
• Place toys out of his reach to encourage mobility
• Provide safe toys that he can transfer to his mouth
• Imitate sounds of animals and encourage him to copy you
• Use a safety mirror to develop the recognition of himself
• Look at picture books with him together…encouraging him to point at objects with you.

See Also...

• Child Development 12 Months
• Child Development 18 Months
• Child Development 2 Years
• Child Development 3 Years
• Child Development 5 Years
• Child Development 6 Years
• Developmental Milestones

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