Age group Communication and literacy Physical Social, emotional, behaviour Moral
Birth – 2 years From birth to 2 years an infant will be capable of a vast amount of communication and intellectual skills
A baby can respond differently to changes in the tone of a voice and will show signs of being happy by laughing when being spoken to by a parent or carer but will become upset when being shouted at.
By 6 months old a child can focus on small objects e.g. things that make a sound or are bright close by and reach out to grasp them.
They will also be able to laugh or giggle
By the time they are 18 months old they can clearly say short words e.g. car, and dog
By the time a child has reached 1 year old they will know their name and can understand around 20 words e.g. cup, dog and dinner and some children will also be able to point to the word e.g. point to a dog and say dog
They can understand a short sentences and can recognise pictures in a book and when asked can tell you what it is e.g. a car or a ball.
Will enjoy playing simple games / and playing along some other children
At this age they can move their head and limbs, will start to grasp their fingers and their toes when lying down and if held in an upright position use their legs in a stepping movement.
From 6 months old a baby will be able to roll from their back onto their stomach and push their head, chest and neck off the floor. They can lift their hands up and maybe able to clap and be able to turn their head to the sound of their name
By 1 year they could be sitting alone without support thought they something my lose their balance , reach out for toys and could also be mobile through crawling or shuffling
At 18 months a child may be able to walk alone, will push and pull toys especially toys that have a string
They are able to kick, roll and throw a ball. Some children are capable of using a spoon, and a small cup, thought they might need some help, turn a handle of a door and pull off their shoes and socks.
Around this age they will become upset or unwell as they are teething. Can recognise a parent or carer’s voice. From a few months old they will smile and engage with their carer or people close to them e.g. a older brother or sister
Offers toys to adults, but only drops toy into a hand – cannot place.
Can watch things around them for a few minutes before they get bored.
Gazes at everything with great interest for ages when outdoors.
Will try out different object by tasting them with their mouth , if they don’t like something they will shake their head meaning no
They will know if they are a righty or a lefty when holding a pencil or a spoon.
From 0 -12 months there is no moral development to speak of as they are still too young.
The child will show joy by smiling, cooing and laughing when fed, comfortable or safe.
Show by crying when distressed or unhappy.
1 – 2 Years.
No understanding of right or wrong but starts to understand words ‘yes’ and ‘no’.
Sensitive to adult approval and disapproval, despite tantrums and possible bursts of anger.
From the time they are 9 months old they will recognise strangers and will become upset.
2 – 4 Yrs By 24 months a child can make simple sentences and will have used more than 200 words at the age of 2 .
At 3 years a child can paint using a large brush, will also be confident enough to draw a person with a head.
Verbally, at 3 years the child should be able to count to 10 and can hold a simple conversation.
Vocally, a 3~4 year old child is able to understand the concept of questions and can ask ‘why?’, ‘what?’ and ‘how?’ They will know different parts of the body and are able to name different animals and the sounds they make.
They will be able to recognise letters and will be learning to copy then down.
They can recognize different colours and shape and can sort thing into groups e.g. from the smallest to the biggest
Between the ages of 2 and 4 year a child will have improved both their gross and fine motor skills. Most young children can jump off the ground with both feet. They can walk up and down stairs with both feet on one step and run without falling. Some children may also be able to aim, throw and catch a large ball and walk on their tiptoes. Toddlers may also be able to follow a simple dancing rhythm. Fine motor skills of a young child between 2 and 4 years may include drawing circles and dots, drawing faces. They are capable of using a spoon to feed themselves, and undo buttons and doing up zips on their coat. By the time a child is 4 they are capable of drawing more detailed pictures of people and can cut around an object with scissors.
They will enjoy playing in a sand pit and will know how to make a sand castle and will enjoy ridding there bike
They will want to become more independent and will want to do things without their parents help thought they will still cry when they are tied Some will play in groups of 2 or 3 and will be able to share ideas. Most children in this age group may have close friends and will still play with both genders.
They will be begging’s to learn manners and learning to share and take turn with toys
They will understand different people and their feelings and will be aiming to please their parents. They do understand the word “no” but may choose not to accept it.
Children are aware of the roles different adults play e.g. a teacher or a cook
They might start coppering what older children do (right or wrong).
4 – 7 Yrs Between 4~5 a child’s speech should be fluent and they should be able to tell you their full name, age and birthday. Some may even be able to give you their address. A few children can copy accents they have heard. Intellectually, a child between 4~7 years old can copy a square shape and write a range of letters clearly They should understand the difference between heavy and light.
They should be able to spell and recognise longer words and sentences and will be able to explain what it means.
They will be asking a lot of questions as they are begin to understand the world around them.
Some children might start writing their own stories
They might want to read to themselves at bedtime , and will be able to record the day’s events and what they enjoyed / learned in the day
From the ages of 4~7 a child should be able to put together a 12 piece jigsaw and be able to button and unbutton their own clothes. By 5 years they are learning to form letters and some are capable of writing their own name with no support. Gross motor skills for a 4~7 year old can include jumping and riding a bicycle. They should be able to run quickly, be skilled enough to hit a ball accurately with a bat and balance on a wall or beam.
They will become more independent and will want to explore things more and will be able to concentrate on things for longer By 4~7 a child should have started school and will be able to enjoy their independence although still needing comfort and reassurance. By now a good sense of self awareness (both positive and negative) should have been developed. Children around this age are able to form firm friendships and have begun to play in separate groups. They should be fairly confident and know the difference between right and wrong.
Children do think of others but mainly for adult approval.
They start to understand and use rules.
Is interested in being good, but may tell lies or blame others for wrongdoings because of their desire to please and do right.
7 – 11 Yrs By the age of 7, speech should be fluent. By now a child should be reading with considerable ease and writing simple sentences.
They can describe and explain thing in grater detail e.g. a holiday they went on , or a activity that they are going to or is coming up
They can answer more difficult questions e.g. explain what went on, on this day in this year
This might start teaching their younger brother or sister shapes or colours
They might enjoy acting out a story or play they have written.
Their fine motor skills should have improved and concentration can be held for longer which enables them to perform more complex tasks. Some children may have developed talents such as music, dancing and playing a musical instrument e.g. piano, or violin. A child’s writing will have improved and should now be learning how to write using ‘joined up writing’.
They can use a computer with ease, and know how to access the internet.
7~11 year olds are by now starting to understand more about the world and where they belong. Their friendships become very important Children of this age become concerned with what people think of them and can often become unsure about changes in settings.
They will enjoy playing games in teams and will not get upset when it is not their turn.
Some children might like to play by themselves
Children start to tell others the rules and inform adults when a rule is being broken.
They are more aware of consequences of their behaviour.
They can follow rules and boundaries.
May experience guilt and shame.
Has difficulty admitting mistakes but is becoming more capable of accepting failures and mistakes and taking responsibility for them.
11 – 16 Yrs Around this age they might want to do more activities with their friends rather then there family as they will want more independence.
At this age they will want to fit into groups so they might copy looks or styles from someone around them e.g. there favour singer Boys normally begin changing around 14 years e.g. there voice will brake and they will lose their puppy fat and will develop muscles
Girls. There body will change as they will develop breasts and will start there periods
From the age of 11~16 there will be going through lots of changes so it will affect their moods, they will need help to understand what they are going through They will have a greater understanding of what is right and wrong
16 – 19 Yrs Between these ages they will begin to think about their life choices. For some adults they might want to study further education or go travelling for a year or some might want to go straight into work.
They can express their views clearer.
Around this age they might just have a best friend rather them a large group of friends At this age they will develop their social and physical skills through the different activities they enjoy. Between the ages of 16~19 they will have leant more about life and the world they live in and can explain their choices calmly
Will have a far deeper upstanding of wrong choices e.g. breaking the law and how it might affect them in later life.