Developmental Overview: Ages 0-2

5 areas of developmental stages for 0-2yrs

Intellectual Development

    * Children at this age learn by exploring with their hands & mouth
- they bang, throw, drop, shake & put items in their mouths

    * Hiding things will get more difficult when your child starts to look for hidden objects
By 24 mths, he can find things hidden under 2-3 other items

    * Learning how to use everyday objects is an important development at this age. They learn how to
- use a spoon
- drink from a cup
- comb their hair

    * By age 2, a child typically will have a vocabulary of 50 words
- as she learns to speak, she’ll use two- and three-word sentences, like “More juice,” “Me want cookie,” and “Up, up.”

Physical Development

    * Children will first learn to hold their head up
- little by little, they begin to roll and to sit (usually 3-6 mths)

    * Kids learn to creep, then crawl, pull themselves up, walk while holding onto furniture, stand, and then walk 2-3 steps without assistance (usually by 12 mths)

    * At 24 mths, children can begin to run, kick a ball, and walk up and down stairs (while holding onto someone’s hand)

Social Development

    * You can expect your child to imitate facial expressions & even develop a social smile by 3 mths

    * Talking begins with babbling, which leads to gradually learning to say and respond to simple words & phrases

    * Toddlers will play in parallel—near another child, but not with that child

Emotional Development

    * Crying is the primary means of communication when infants’ and toddlers’ needs are not being met

    * they smile & giggle when they want more of something, and turn their head, shut their eyes, or cry when they want less of something

Spiritual Development

    * Even very young children discover a spiritual perspective of the world
- if parents and caregivers are warm and caring, they’ll find a wonderful world
  
    * A sense of spirit is developed through the 5 senses: seeing, hearing, smelling, touching, and tasting
- spiritual practices that engage the senses (such as having certain foods on a holiday or lighting a candle) are helpful

    * Making spiritual practices (e.g., music, worship, service, meditation, prayer) a part of family life encourages your children to embrace spirituality