AGES AND STAGES

NEW BORN BABIES• COGNITIVE• New born babies are born already recognising familiar sounds, particularly their mothers and they quickly learn to recognise familiar faces. • They enjoy focussing on high contrasting, solid shapes. This is because their sight is somewhat fuzzy due to their eye muscles not being fully developed, as well

as the underdevelopment of the sight areas in their brain. • They begin to respond to sounds by looking towards the source of the noise. During this time of sensory learning, infants also show interest in light and

movement, such as a mobile suspended above their cot. • Infants respond to voices and seek to be picked up by reaching out. • Infants make a very important learning discovery - that through their actions of reaching, making sounds, or crying, they cause others to respond to them in

certain ways. • PHYSICAL• A newborn baby is an amazing creature. At birth, they have very little physical control over their body yet they are born with over 70 reflexes which are

controlled by the central nervous system. These reflexes are present at birth and enable babies to survive. Sucking reflex , Rooting reflex, Startle reflex, Palmar reflex.

• LANGUAGE• A newborn will begin to communicate through their cry soon after they are born. Within a short period of time parents or caregivers will be able to identify • different types of cries which each have their own meaning, e.g. hungry cry, • sleepy cry, over stimulated cry. When an adult responds to these needs they • are acknowledging and reinforcing the communication made by their baby. • SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT• Babies learn about empathy by the way parents treat them when they are cranky, fussy or frightened. The foundation for empathetic behaviour begins here

through the trust and attachment that is established when a caregiver consistently, promptly and lovingly responds to their babys‟ needs. Important social skills are learnt in the baby's first year. Babies learn some of the skills of socialisation. They learn that making eye contact, smiling and laughing can keep their carer's attention.

• This first year is also critical in terms of emotional development. Babies need to develop a strong bond - or attachment - with their carers. In some ways, developing the bond may be instinctive as, at birth, babies are able to recognise the smell of their mother and are quickly soothed when they hear her voice. Babies who have a strong bond or attachment with their primary caregiver at the end of their first year will be more comfortable when they socialise with others.

• CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT• As far as cultural goes at this stage of development new born babies have nothing, only the colour of your skin can define your cultural because at this stage

you cant learn anything and that’s what culture is all about! Getting to know your family background and beliefs.

INFANTS (0-18 Months)• COGNITIVE• Between three and four months, as infants gain more physical control over their bodies, they begin to learn about

themselves. Their hands and toes become fascinating as 3D vision has developed. They begin to reach for, hit at and grasp objects that are within their reach. They also enjoy toys that rattle and squeak and will put everything into their mouths. These are all examples of sensory learning.

• six months babies are just beginning to understand how the world around them works. They imitate sounds, enjoy hearing their own voice, recognise their parents, fear strangers and begin to have an understanding of spatial awareness.

• As infants develop the ability to move (crawling) they learn that they have more control over their world. They are no longer totally reliant on an adult to meet some of their needs.

• Between five and nine months infants develop the concept of object permanence. This is the understanding that an object still exists even if it is out of their sight. Their understanding of object permanence means that the infant is developing memory and goal oriented thinking - searching for an object means that the infant remembers it was there.

• They also begin to understand that people exist all the time. Infants realise that they can cry not just to get needs met but as a means of calling parents or other caregivers. This is also a sign that the infant is learning to communicate.

• Between 12 and 18 months infants can follow fast moving objects, associate names with objects, understand 10 - 50 words, identify body parts and develop attachments to an object, e.g. a favourite toy, blanket, etc.

• PHYSICAL• Babies gain physical control over their bodies from head to toe and the centre outwards. In other words, the first

area of physical development is usually gaining strength and control over their extremely heavy heads! They then begin to gain control over the muscles from the head down - shoulders, stomach, legs etc. . By six months baby will begin to reach out for toys and objects, hold them firmly and look closely at them. Many babies will still put everything into their mouth at this stage, so with the development of the pincer grip it is very important that you ensure there are no choking hazards within their reach. The next stage in physical development, once baby has found their preferred way of moving around the room, is moving upright in readiness for walking. Most babies begin this stage by pulling themselves up on the furniture and ‟cruising‟ from one piece to the next - others learn how to stand unassisted. Once they have mastered the skill of balance they are ready to take their first steps. Babies differ in their sleep pattern and the amount of sleep they need during the day and night. It is important that a baby gets plenty of sleep as this is the time that they do much of their growing.

INFANTS (0-18 Months)• LANGUAGE• Develop different crying sounds to express needs. • Smile and laughs to communicate feelings. • Turn to find source of sounds. • Copy sounds for example ba ba, ma ma. • Use gestures such as pointing to communicate.• MORAL • Infants fall into the preconvention level of moral development according to the theories of Lawrence Kohlberg.

This involves two orientations: punishment and pleasure seeking. Infants respond to their environment primarily to seek pleasure and meet their needs. They show joy by smiling, cooing and laughing when they are fed, comfortable and feeling safe. As they grow, they learn to make choices in response to punishment, such as being told no or having an object taken from them. Meeting an infant's basic needs through consistent care and positive social interactions simultaneously nurtures their moral development and trust in their caregivers.

• Spiritual• During this stage children have no concept of right or wrong, no beliefs, and no convictions to guide their

behavior .However, the beginning of a faith is established with the development of basic trust through their relationships with the primary caregiver .This is to paralinguistic and preconception stage that embodies the trust between parents and infants. The primary care giver provides the infants and young child with a variety of experience that encourages the development of mutuality, trust, love and dependence, progressing to autonomy.

TODDLERS ( 1-3 years)• COGNITIVE• A toddler is learning through a combination of methods. • Each learning experience, as always, is built on other learning. • Toddlers, typically, begin to strive for more independence and understand which behaviours are appropriate and

inappropriate. • Primarily a toddler learns by: • Using their senses - e.g. Every time a toddler uses their senses to learn about smell, sound, texture, feel, sound

they are categorising their experiences in a way that help them make sense of their world. • Experimenting - e.g. A toddler might drop a spoon on the floor over and over again, not to aggravate their caregiver,

but to understand the cause and effect of things. • Manipulating objects - a toddler learns a great deal by accident. Accidental learning, a form of experimentation, is

the beginning of problem solving. • Between 18 months and three years of age most toddlers understand that objects and people continue to exist even

when they are no longer visible, can visually follow the displacement of objects and will begin to use instruments and tools.

• It is very common for a toddler to want to repeat the same activity over and over again as they try to master their new-found skill or understand a new concept, e.g. Building a block tower and knocking it down, reading a favourite book, playing a game. This is called mastery.

• Often toddlers are using schema to explore new learning. A schema is a repeated pattern of play that children sometimes have to compulsively explore. During this exploration they are learning many new concepts and thinking skills including size, area, volume, shape, colour, cause and effect, etc.

• PHYSICAL• By 18 months old most toddlers have mastered the skills of walking and are now building on this skill to become

proficient in the gross motor skills such as running, climbing, jumping, kicking, etc. • By 16 to 18 months of age most toddlers have the fine motor ability to scribble with a crayon and feed themselves

with a spoon. By two years of age, the toddler shows a preference for one hand however hand dominance can occur much later, at around four years of age.

• By the end of their second year, most can draw vertical and horizontal figures. By the time a child is two their vision is well developed. They can see very small items on the floor as well as objects clearly at a distance.

• A toddler‟s hearing is as developed as an adults and by this stage it can be expected that a child will listen when people talk, like music, use their voice in a variety of ways to make different sounds and follow simple directions.

TODDLERS ( 1-3 years)• LANGUAGE• Respond to simple instructions. • Look for familiar objects when named. • Use words like “Mummy” and “dog”. • Repeat words and may start to combine two words, e.g. “Me too!” • Point to parts of the body when asked .• NEXT STEP• Speak in 2 - 3 word sentences. • Ask simple questions. • Know their full name and gender. • Understands concepts such as on, under, big, etc. • Follow 2-step instructions. • MORAL• Guilt is an important motivator of moral action. • By the age of 3, guilt reactions are evident, with preschoolers comments revealing the internal moral voice of

their parents‟, “Didn‟t you hear my mummy? We‟d better not play with these toys.” • Around the age of 4, children can tell the difference between truthfulness and lying. They approve of telling

the truth and disapprove of lying, even when a lie remains undetected. By the time a child is 5, children can state many moral rules.

YOUNG CHILDREN ( 2 ½ - school age)• EMOTIONAL AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT• By the age of four to five, children correctly judge the cause of many basic emotions e.g. “He's happy

because he has a new toy” or “He's sad because he misses his mummy.” • Preschoolers tend to find external reasons for emotional responses - in the examples above it is a new toy

or the absence of mummy. From the age of four, children are beginning to appreciate that desires, feelings and beliefs can motivate behaviour. Once these understandings are mastered, children's grasp on how internal factors can trigger emotion increases, e.g. a person reminded of a previous sad experience is likely to feel sadness again

• These are more settled year for children. Most of them are happy to leave their primary carer and socialise with other adults and children. Their first real friendships start to develop, with children seeking out particular friends. Social skills, e.g. turn-taking, sharing and concern for others, are shown. Emotionally, children still need reassurance from their immediate carers, but are more independent and may play by themselves for longer periods. They still feel strong emotions, and quarrels and temper tantrums are still apparent at times.

• Will play co-operatively with other children. • May be very energetic and appear to be overly confident, displaying a sense of humour and adventure. • Often willing to try new things and to preserver even when things are difficult. • May try to get reactions from adults. • SPIRITUAL• Depending on the caregivers and what the y believe in themselves will reflect on the children's behaviour

and how they act on things, they may start to read religious book and attend church with carers. This stage primarily is a stage of imitating the behavior of others. Children imitate the religious gestures and behaviours of others without comprehending any meaning or significance to the activities. During the pre school years children assimilate some of the values and beliefs of their parents’. Parental attitudes towards moral codes and religious beliefs convey children what they consider to be good and bad. Children still imitate behavior at this age and follows parental beliefs as part of their daily lives, other than through understanding of their daily lives rather than through understanding of their basic concepts.

YOUNG CHILDREN ( 2 ½ - school age)• PHYSICAL• Young children are beginning to change their appearance -

their limbs are longer in proportion to their bodies, they are developing lean muscles and they are losing the chubbiness that was present as an infant and toddler.

• The young child period is all about mastering and refining the skills that have been developed in the previous stages of development.

• Motor development • By three a child has mastered many gross motor skills and

can usually run and jump, walk up and down stairs holding onto a hand or rail and throw, kick and sometimes catch a ball.

• By four you can expect a child to be able to climb proficiently, have good balance skills, have skills in ball games, ride a tricycle and put on and take off some clothes.

• By five a child can usually skip, hop and run easily and play a variety of ball games.

• Between four and six most children can master the skill of riding a bicycle without training wheels.

• LANGUAGE• Speech is usually understood by most people but sounds

such as „s‟ and „th‟ may still be developing. • Can answer lots of questions sensibly and can accurately

retell past events. • Can tell you about an upcoming event. • Can retell stories and describe pictures accurately. Knows

familiar songs and rhymes. • Can follow more complex instructions.