Children’s experiences in their first five years have been shown to have a significant impact on their developmental outcomes later on. As a result, it is important for parents and those who work with children to understand exactly what happens during these early stages of development. This allows them to meet a child’s needs effectively, and ensure that they have the best start in life.
However, research has shown that only 25% of parents recognise the importance of the first five years; additionally, teacher training does not adequately cover the early years, despite the fact that children are still within this period when they begin school. This lack of awareness on both parts could cause failures to provide the best environments for children, and their progress could be limited.
In order to help you understand the early years, this article will provide guidance on the stages of child development, milestones that children reach within each stage, and how to encourage development. We will also provide further research to show you why this period of life is arguably the most important.
What are the 5 Stages of Child Development?
Development describes the way a child grows, changes, and develops skills – not only physically, but also socially, emotionally, cognitively and communicatively.
Child development can be broken down into five stages:
- Newborn (0-3 months)
- Infant (3-12 months)
- Toddler (1-3 years)
- Preschool age (3-4 years)
- School age (4-5 years).
At each of these stages, children reach different milestones (also known as ‘characteristics of a stage’. In the next section, we will describe what these milestones are, giving you a general idea of the rate at which children progress.
What are the Characteristics of Child Development Stages?
At each stage of development, children gain skills in four main domains. These domains are:
The communication and speech domain. Children have to learn to communicate with everyone around them. As well as learning the language, they learn about taking turns in conversation, and how to categorise the world around them. This can be extremely difficult, and leads to interesting errors; for example, when a child learns that a round object is a ‘ball’, they have to work out if that means everything round is also called a ball. Is the moon a ball, and why not? It takes time to understand what separates one word from another.
The physical domain. The body increases in skill and performance over time, going through gross motor development (learning to use large muscles, such as the arms and legs), and fine motor development (learning to use muscles to make precise movements, such as the hands and fingers).
The social and emotional domain. Children’s identities, self-images and perceptions of feelings evolve as they grow. They also develop relationships with others, and learn how to socialise and follow social etiquette.
The cognitive domain. ‘Cognitive processes’ are higher-level functions of the brain, including thinking, knowing, remembering, judging, and problem-solving. As they develop, children increase their understanding of the world, improve their memory, gain better concentration, and refine their problem-solving skills.
All of these areas of development interlink at every stage – children can’t progress in one area without progressing in another.
Progressing Through the Milestones
The milestones that are met across domains in each stage have been determined by a large amount of research. They are intended to help parents and those who work with children to understand what to expect, so that they can identify any delays or problems and provide adequate support accordingly.
However, it is important to note that the stages of development are best thought of as a general guide. Development does tend to happen in the same order for every child (for example, you need to learn to stand before you learn to walk), but the timeframe is flexible. Differences between children are usually nothing to worry about; like in other stages of life, everyone is different. Development depends on many factors, such as the child’s environment, health, genetics, and family background (including how supportive their family is).
If you are concerned about a child’s progress, keep notes about the time periods of milestones that they have reached, and speak to your GP or health visitor. Identifying delays early on can be extremely helpful.
Why is Early Child Development Important?
The reason that early child development is so critical is that it lays down the foundations for the rest of children’s lives. The brain is at its most receptive during the first five years, which leads to early experiences having a huge impact on the development of neurological connections. This influences children’s brain functioning throughout their lives.
More specifically, early child development has a direct impact on children’s behaviour, social skills, emotional boundaries, ability to form close relationships, school readiness and level of achievement, even into adulthood.
As a result, it is important for parents and those who work with children to support and encourage development in all domains. All children learn more if the adults around them make a purposeful effort to help them. Think of cognitive development, for example; children can only learn the names of different colours or animals if they have been told them. In terms of communication, they can only learn new words if they are talked to frequently – there is a direct link between the rate a child’s vocabulary develops at and the amount the mother talked to the child in the first year (Bee, 1984). Positive behaviour also needs to be promoted in the early years to ensure that they understand what is expected of them in society.
Consequences of Unmet Developmental Needs
If children’s developmental needs are not met, this can impact them in the form of future mental health problems and deep-rooted issues. Studies have shown that children who were not provided with enough mental stimulation are prone to behavioural issues, low self-esteem, poor attention and insecurities which can last well beyond childhood.
A common developmental issue that has become evident is that children are failing to acquire language and social skills in the way that they normally would. Technology, such as computers and handheld devices, has caused this.
Many parents believe that playing ‘educational’ games or watching ‘educational’ TV for hours every day helps to develop children’s communication and cognitive skills. However, this is not the case; research has shown that interaction with their parents and other humans in the first five years is far more educational, and is vital for children’s development. Time spent using electronic devices takes away from time spent having real interactions, causing a negative impact on children’s development.
In the next section, we will provide you with some facts and tips on how to aid children’s development at each stage within the first five years. This will help you to ensure that you are doing the best for the children you care for.
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