All children go through changes as they grow from birth to adolescence, becoming more independent and less dependent as they grow.
These changes are influenced by genetic factors as well as prenatal events, environmental factors and learning.
While this development occurs at different rates, certain milestones are reached by most children around the same time.
The main areas of development that children go through can be divided into the following areas for assessment and monitoring purposes:
- Physical development (fine and gross motor skills)
- Social and emotional development (interacting with others and self-control)
- Speech and Language development (understanding and using language, reading and communicating)
- Cognitive Development (ability to learn and problem solve) which include the following 4 areas:
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Understanding their world
- Expressive arts
It is important to keep an eye on these developments, monitoring them as a child grows to ensure children reach their expected milestones and stay on track to reach their full potential. If children do not reach certain milestones at the times expected, early intervention can be sought to resolve development issues early and get children back on track.
Child Development Charts can give you an indication of what children should be able to do at certain ages – although this is only a guide.
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