In the first five years, the child's brain develops at a faster pace and has the capacity to learn new things quickly. The early experiences, relationships with family and the people around them, the reception of the sensory organs - the touch, the smell, the things children can see, hear and taste all stimulate their brain cells. As the brain makes connections, all these factors play a role in the personality development of a child.

The early five years of a child are divided into the five different stages in which a child reaches different milestones if provided with the needed support. These milestones are mainly covered in the physical, social, emotional, language, and cognitive domain. All these domains are interconnected with each other and to reach the milestones, a child has to pass through all these stages without ignoring even one.

The milestones a child has to reach at the end of each stage have been determined after extensive research in order to help parents and those involved in child development. This is also important as parents and the related professionals can identify if there is something unusual at an early stage and then use strategies and needed support accordingly. 

Although, all the milestones and the stages have been designed in an effective manner , every child has a different time span for development of different habits. It is normal if there is a little bit of difference in the development of different children and that is the reason this milestones and stage development chart is called a general layout. It also falls on the parents to be mindful of their child's development stages and if you are concerned, schedule a doctor’s appointment to discuss it. Keeping notes of the time periods and the milestones achieved is very helpful for the parents.

Stages of Development and Milestones:

Newborn (0 - 3 months):

At this stage, the baby coos, makes eye contact, cries for different needs and listens to the voice in the communication and speech domain. Physically, till this stage the baby has control over the movement of his legs, arms, hands, head, etc. They turn their head towards the direction of the sound and also follow objects with their eyes. The baby smiles between 2 to 3 months and shows interest in different objects and human faces. 

Infants (3 - 12 months):

During this stage, the baby starts to develop and react to different sounds, understand the gestures and commands. From 3 months, the babies have a strong grip over their movements. They can roll and also try to reach out and catch different objects. From 5 months, they are able to sit and they try to understand different objects by putting them in their mouth and banging. Onwards from 7 to 9 months, they start to crawl. Then, from 9 to 12 months, they are able to stand and walk with support and even some can stand for a moment without support. They are also starting to use and understand protowords and what thing is being called out to.

Toddler ( 1 - 3 years):

At this stage, the communication of the child develops very effectively. Starting from year 1, children are able to call different objects by name, use different sounds to make you understand and by the end of the 3rd year, they are able to communicate and also respond to questions. A child starts to learn to walk and make marks on the paper and develops the skills slowly and gradually. At the end of third year, a child is able to run and walk properly, play different games and even run a tricycle. At this stage, a child starts to recognize himself and people around him. He or she may show tantrums and want to do things their own way at this stage. A child is able to do things in a better way, understands and differentiates in things easily and is able to use logic.

Preschool Age (3-4 years):

The children's communication improves a lot during this stage and are able to pronounce different words easily but they can make tense errors. Physically, the child is able to perform different activities by themselves like using the toilet, brushing teeth, eating, etc. Also, children have an improved skill set to play different games and to write and draw. At this stage, children start to have social interaction, know and understand different behaviours and show imagination. Cognitively, they have a stronger memory at this stage, can concentrate upto 3 minutes and knows numbers and alphabets.

School Age (4-5 years):

At this stage, the children are able to use complex sentences, come up with different stories and recite nursery rhymes and songs. From 4 years onwards, the children are able to perform most of their tasks independently. Also, they like to initiate conversations, make new friends, are proud of their achievements, show anger and jealousy and enjoy independence. Understanding improves, knowing what is right and wrong, asking deep questions and having a grasp on basic numbers, alphabets, colours and time.

Conclusion

The above discussed milestones to be achieved at different stages of development are very important and parents have a huge role to play. During all these stages, a child needs compassion, love, understanding, support and parents have to provide these to their little ones. Also, involving in different activities during these stages has prime importance for the development of children. All this should be provided for children so that their personality is developed in the best possible way and if something lacks, it should be consulted with the professionals timely.

Every new parent in NSW is given the Blue Book - A Child Personal Health Record.  In the Blue Book you will find valuable information about a child's health and development. This way you can keep on track of your child’s progress. You can find a copy of this book below.

https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/kidsfamilies/MCFhealth/Publications/blue-book.pdf