Nikhil2011: How a child develops

Watching a child develop

One of the real joys of the past few months has been watching my grandson develop from a cuddly little thing into an assertive personality of his own. According to child literature the next year is going to be even more interesting as

A. Walking and self-initiated movement become easier. Most children can:

· Walk alone

· Walk backwards

· Pick up toys from a standing position

· Push and pull objects

· Seat self in a child's chair

· Walk up and down stairs with aid

· Move to music

· Paint with whole arm movement

B. Balance improves and eye-hand coordination becomes more precise. Most children can:

· Put rings on a peg

· Turn two or three pages at a time

· Scribble

· Turn knobs

· Grasp and hold a small ball; can use in combination with large motor skills to throw the ball

· Shift marker or any drawing or painting tool from hand to hand and draw strokes

C. Children become more aware of themselves and their ability to make things happen. They express a wider range of emotions and are more likely to initiate interaction with other people. At this stage, most children:

· Recognize themselves in pictures or the mirror and smile or make faces at themselves

· Show intense feelings for parents and show affection for other familiar people

· Play by themselves and initiate their own play

· Express negative feelings

· Show pride and pleasure at new accomplishments

· Imitate adult behaviors in play

· Show a strong sense of self through assertiveness, directing others

· Begin to be helpful, such as by helping to put things away

D. Children begin to learn many new words and begin to use simple phrases. Many children can:

· Understand many words, as well as simple phrases and directions ("Drink your juice")

· Follow a series of two simple but related directions

· Respond correctly when asked "where?"

E. Say a few words clearly, and a few dozen additional words so that family members can understand. The words denote important people and common objects, and a few prepositions such as "on," "in," or "under." Many can say "more" and "all gone."

· Say successive single words to describe an event

· From about 18 months, begin learning about 9 new words a day

· Use "my" or "mine" to indicate possession; begin to use "me," "I," and "you"

Children at this age spend much of their time intently observing and imitating the actions of adults. Most can:

· Imitate adults' actions and language

· Understand words and commands and respond appropriately

· Begin to match similar objects

· Recognize and identify familiar objects in storybooks with adult assistance

· Distinguish between "you" and "me"

Nikhil – the early years

Month 0 October 2011