Emotional and Social development timeline

  • Month 1

    Social: fixes eyes on your face in response to your smile, moves body in response to voice, quiets down when looking at familiar faces, engages in eye contact
    Emotional: Makes eye contact, cries for help
  • Month 2

    Social: fixes on face in response to smile, studies face more, more aware of surroundings, loves playing with others
    Emotional: develop a social smile, cries when playing stops, gurgles or coos in response to sounds around, first begins to express anger
  • Month 3

    Social: smiles immediately and spontaneously, enjoys socializing with other people, stops sucking to hear noises around them, moves head to follow objects or sounds
    Emotional: starts conversation by gurgling and cooing at you, smiles back when you smile at them, can imitate some movements and facial expressions
  • Month 4

    Social: gaze into eyes during feeding or changing diaper, uses mouth to make sounds like coughing or clicking, makes gestures like kicking or waving, enjoys social games
    Emotional: will giggle when being tickled, will turn towards children voices, cries if playing stops
  • Month 5

    social: makes sounds when wanting attention, smiles at mirror image, can notice the difference between familiar and unfamiliar adults, plays happily
    Emotional: increasingly assertive, plays during meals, Laughs at mirror image
  • Month 6

    Social: prefers to play with people, tries to copy facial expressions,
    Emotional: temperament becomes apparent, recognizes own name, coos for pleasure, cries for displeasure, grunts and squeals
  • Month 7

    Social: blowing raspberries, start saying "momma" or "dadda", they try to understand what you are saying
    Emotional: understands the meaning of "no", expresses anger more strongly, mimic adult sounds
  • Month 8

    Social: Makes more complex sounds, will mimic whatever someone else does
    Emotional: knows the difference from familiar and unfamiliar, becomes shy or anxious with strangers, cries in frustration when they cant do something or reach something
  • Month 9

    Social: no longer as attached to parent, Start to explore, they can pronounce for words or make more sounds
    Emotional: copy gestures others make, looks at correct picture when image is named, smiles and kisses own image, more sensitive to presents of other children
  • Month 10

    Social: Their motor skills are a lot better, they can now explore around
    Emotional: separation anxiety begins, self-esteem begins to develop, shows moods
  • Month 11

    Social: saying first words, they get attention from others
    Emotional: tries to gain approval and avoid disapproval, be more uncooperative
  • Month 12

    Social: increase shows of infection, getting into things, say sentences
    Emotional: temper tantrums, develop sense of humor, may cling to parents