Development Timeline

  • Birth

    Our baby is born!
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    Cognitive Development: Sensorimotor

    The infant explores their world through the senses. Object permanence and separation anxiety develop in this stage
  • Development at 2 Months

    Social: The infant begins to smile at others, turn their head towards parents, and is able to calm herself. Language: The infant turns her head towards sounds, and is able to make gurgling/cooing noises Cognitive: The infant follows faces and recognizes people at a distance Physical Development: Movements are smoother, and the infant begins to push upwards when lying on their stomach
  • Development at 4 Months

    Social: The baby likes to play with people, and begins to mimic movements and facial expressions Language: Begins to babble with expression, and cries in different ways to show meaning Cognitive: Develops hand eye coordination, and the ability to recognize others, express emotions, and follow moving objects Physical: Can hold their head steady, roll onto their back, and hold/shake a toy
  • Development at 6 Months

    Social: The baby likes to play with others, is able to recognize the emotions of others, and enjoys looking at themselves in the mirror Language: The baby responds to sounds with sound, strings vowel noises together, and responds to their name Cognitive: Is curious about things out of reach (develops wants), explores nearby things, and brings objects to their mouth Physical: Can sit without support, and may bounce if supported on their legs
  • Development at 9 Months

    Social: The baby begins to show fear towards strangers, be clingy towards certain adults, and has favorite toys Language:The baby understands "no", makes lots of noises, copies noises made by others, and asks for words by pointing Cognitive: The baby develops dexterity in their hands/fingers, watches the path of falling objects, and looks for hidden things Physical: The baby pulls themselves up to a standing position, and crawls a lot
  • Development at 1 Year

    Social: The child knows how to get attention from others, shows fear in some situations, and may hand you a book when they want to hear a story Language: The child changes tone when speaking, uses simple gestures, and may make exclamations like "uh-oh" and "mama" Cognitive: The child is able to find hidden objects easily, can follow simple directions, and starts to use things with their intended purposes Physical: May take a few steps without assistance, or walk proficiently
  • Development at 18 Months

    Social: Plays "pretend", may have temper tantrums, and clings to caregivers Language: Says several single words, and uses no while shaking their head Cognitive: Scribbles on her own, knows what objects are for, and can point to a singe body part Physical: Walks alone, eats with a cup and spoon, and may help to undress herself
  • Development at 2 Years

    Social: Gets excited around other children, shows defiant behavior, and shows more independence Language: Can say sentences of 2-4 words, point to named objects, and repeat words overheard in conversation Cognitive: Can complete sentences and rhymes, develops a preference for handedness, and can follow two-sequence commands Physical: Can stand on tiptoe, kick and throw a ball, walk up and down stairs, and draw lines or circles
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    Cognitive Development: Pre-Operational

    The child uses symbols for objects, but does not reason logically, and plays "pretend". Also, the child tends to be egocentric.
  • Development at 3 Years

    Social: Shows affection to friends, understands ownership, shows a wide range of emotion, separates easily from caregivers, and shows concern for crying friends Language: Can name most familiar things, says "I", "We", and "you", carries on 2-3 sentences in a conversation, and can be understood by strangers Cognitive: Understands what "two" means, builds tall towers, screws jars, and can do puzzles with 3-4 pieces Physical: Climbs and runs well, and can learn to ride a tricycle
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    Moral Reasoning: Preconventional

    Makes moral decisions based on the opportunity for reward and the avoidance of punishment.
  • Development at 4 Years

    Social: Enjoys new experiences, can cooperate with others, and can state their interests in conversation Language: Knows basic grammar rules, tells stories, and can say her first and last name Cognitive: Understands counting and time, can remember and predict events, and can name various colors or numbers Physical: Hops or stands on one foot, catches a bounced ball, and can pour liquid and cut/mash food
  • Development at 5 years

    Social: Wants to be friendly, agrees with rules, is aware of gender, and is progressively independent Language: Can speak clearly and use the future tense Cognitive: Can count 10 things, print letters, numbers and geometric shapes, and knows about things used everyday: money, food, etc Physical: Can use the toilet, eats with a fork and spoon, can climb and swing, and may be able to skip
  • Social Development: Competence

    The child begins to apply themselves to tasks in order to become proficient
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    Cognitive Development: Concrete Operational

    The child can think logically about concrete objects, and is able to add/subtract. They can also understand conversation.
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    Moral Reasoning: Conventional

    Makes moral decisions based on their feeling of belonging/acceptance and the rules of their society
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    Puberty Begins!

    The child will begin to develop adult characteristics, such as body hair for males, or breasts for females
  • Social Development: Identity

    The child begins to refine their sense of self by testing roles, and integrating these experiences into a concrete image of themselves
  • Cognitive Development: Formal Operational

    The adolescent begins to reason abstractly and in hypothetical terms