Understanding Stages Of
Child Development

As a parent who has a basic understanding of the stages of child development you are better able to guide, direct and encourage your child's positive growth and development.

Knowledge of these child development stages allows you to become aware of potential behavioural delays and resolve issues in your child’s development as early as possible.

A parent who is aware of the stages of a child's development also sets realistic expectations for their child, and does not put undue pressure on their child to perform well beyond their years.

As your child grows and matures he passes through a sequence of fairly predictable developmental stages.

As he hits his milestones …saying his first word, taking his first step… his progress can be charted on a developmental scale to determine his progress.

It is much like the growth chart a doctor uses to determine at what percentile of height and weight your child is.

Although every child grows and develops at their own rate, and the age at which your child hits his developmental milestones varies …babies cutting their first tooth at four months or at one year all fall into the ‘normal development’ category.

Understanding the stages of your child's development gives you a guideline that allows you to monitor your child’s progress and pinpoint any potential problems.

The stages of child growth and development include physical changes, social-emotional changes, and intellectual changes.

The physical stage of child development involve how your baby moves and reacts to stimuli, which eventually evolves to a point where he makes voluntary movements.

As your baby become stronger he will eventually roll over. Typically your baby will creep before he crawls, and crawl before he walks.

But not all children follow the typical child development stages. Some babies ‘scoot’ without creeping, and skip crawling all together and go right into walking.

Again, this all falls into the ‘normal development’ range. But your baby at 11 months old who is not sitting up has not reached his developmental milestone and if you are aware of the stages of child development …typically he sits up by 6 months… you may seek medical advice.

If you are knowledgeable in the stages of child development you can create a more favourable environment for your child to grow and learn at a healthy rate.

In order for your infant to gain enough muscle control to crawl, he needs time to play on the floor.

This is how he develops strong muscles and coordination. A baby who spends most of his time in a car seat or a bouncy chair won’t have the opportunity to meet his developmental milestone of crawling.

See Also...

• Early Child Development
• Child Development Milestone -- What To Expect From Birth To 6 Years

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