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Ages & Stages of a Typical Child's Development
The following information describes characteristics of a child's typical development. Keep in mind each child is unique and develops at his/her own pace. If you have questions or concerns about your child's developmental progress, please contact our Family and Community Services Consultant at (205) 252-1991 ext. 317 or contact your child's primary care physician.
Characteristics of an Infant
- Demonstrates Palmer (finger/thumb) grasp
- Lifts head and chest 45 degrees
- Attempts to roll from side to stomach
- Picks up objects while sitting
- Follows a slowly moving object
- Responds to brightly colored pictures and objects
- Plays peek-a-boo
- Searches for partially hidden objects
- Puts toys in mouth
- Explores the environment through all five senses
- Babbles and begins to name one-word objects
- Expresses needs by crying
- Needs to form strong bonds with parents and caregivers
- Begins to be aware of self as a person apart from other people
Characteristics of a 1 Year-Old Child
- Identifies own image in mirror
- Sorts objects by either color or size
- Knows sequence of daily routine
- Turns pages of picture books
- Begins to help undressing and dressing
- Walks up and down stairs while alternating feet
- Indicates wants non-verbally
- Begins to use utensils
- Drinks from cup using two hands
- Begins to develop his/her self-esteem
- Demonstrates interest in cause and effect with behavior
Characteristics of a 2 Year-Old Child
- Understands concept of under, over, in, on
- Pretends
- Has a short attention span
- Rolls and catches a ball
- Pedals a tricycle
- Verbalizes wants
- Forms simple sentences (2-3 word sentences)
- Strings large beads
- Works 5- to 6-piece puzzles
- Begins using potty and can dry hands after washing
- Pours from a pitcher
- Shows pride in accomplishments
- Plays alongside other children
- Shows independence from adults
Characteristics of a 3 Year-Old Child
- Understands the concept of same and different objects
- Demonstrates hand preference
- Can put liquid from a small pitcher into a cup
- Can brush own teeth with some help
- Can throw a ball overhead
- Can kick a ball forward
- Rides a tricycle
- Uses 85% speech intelligibility
- Tells a simple story
- Recites nursery rhymes and sings songs
- Takes turns and shares with encouragement
- Finds humor in events, sights and sounds
- Likes to “help” in small ways
Characteristics of a 4 Year-Old Child
- Classifies objects into categories (food, toys, etc.)
- Predicts the outcome of a story/event
- Can put a small peg in a pegboard
- Has 100% speech intelligibility
- Will play with words to make rhymes, poems, etc.
- Can catch a ball that has been thrown
- Can pump legs while swinging
- Plays cooperatively with peers for extended periods of time
- Represents more realistic situations in pretend play
- Begins playing group games with simple rules
- Has an extended attention span
- Begins cooperative play
Characteristics of a 5 Year-Old Child
- Seeks answers to questions through active investigation
- Expresses wonder and seeks information about the natural world
- Forms explanations based on observations and explorations
- Can skip, gallop, jump, walk and run in rhythm to simple tunes and music patterns
- Follows classroom rules and routines
- Knows how and where to place toys during clean-up time
- Creates imaginary characters
- Manages transitions and adapt to changes in daily routines
- Asks questions in sentence form rather than with a few words
- Makes up new words and tells jokes
- Predicts what will happen to characters in a story
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