Stages of children's physical development -
How can I support my child?
Not so long ago your child was still a helpless newborn in your arms. The first years have flown by – your baby has grown into a self‑assured child. But physical development is far from complete: children not only grow taller, their motor skills and sensory development continue to advance.
How does my child develop?
Language development: Language development largely occurs naturally: toddlers imitate their environment and gradually build an understanding of language. By the age of two most toddlers have a vocabulary of up to 150 words. Many more words are added by the age of eight. In this way they 'absorb' language and vocabulary from their immediate surroundings. What starts with individual words or syllables later becomes clear in older children through sentence structure and grammar, without them being consciously aware of the rules.
Vision: A newborn's vision is initially limited to distinguishing between light and dark. During the first two years children learn to recognise contours, to perceive depth and to judge distances. Visual acuity increases over the following years. It is only when children start school, at about six years old, that the development of spatial vision is complete. The visual field, however, is not fully developed until around 10 to 12 years. Only then is your child's vision fully mature.
Social development: Through body language and sounds such as crying and screaming your child already makes contact with you as a baby. Later, at around six months, many children show a reluctance towards strangers — also an expression of social development. It is not until about three years that a genuine interest in other people begins: "Why is Dad laughing?" Children then start to interact with people outside the family — the first tentative friendships form. At four to five years children finally learn to put themselves in other people's shoes. They understand that other people feel or think differently from themselves.
Hearing: Although hearing begins to develop in the womb, it takes several years to become fully functional: during the first three years your baby learns to interpret auditory information sensibly. Hearing ability is developed by the time they start school, but children cannot always make full use of it straight away: some may find it difficult to localise a sound source until around eight years old.
Emotional development: Emotional development is probably a lifelong process. After all — adults continually learn to deal with their emotions too. In the first year your child learns to express feelings such as joy, anger or fear. At the start of the second year little ones also recognise the emotions of others, but it is only at about five years that they can empathise fully. Young children are often torn between the wish to do things independently and the caring protection of familiar people. This insecurity can show up as temper tantrums. Little by little, children find ways to manage their feelings.
Motor development: There is no fixed timetable for motor development in children. What is certain, however, is the remarkable progress they make during the first eight years of life. By the age of two almost all children can walk steadily. Fine motor skills also continue to evolve: while toddlers are often still a little clumsy with various objects, over time they learn precise movements and become better at judging how much force is needed.
Tips – How can I support it?
Talk with your child:
By talking a lot with your child, you can promote development. Make sure you give them enough time to answer or express themselves. Reading aloud and telling stories also trains language use: here your child learns new words and gains a sense of sentence structure and grammar. Don’t panic if your child takes longer to speak clearly: many children take their time learning words, others lisp or stutter. This is not uncommon and in most cases disappears on its own. However, you should have any speech disorders examined by a pediatrician or speech therapist to rule out a medical cause and, if necessary, initiate support measures.
Meeting other children:
In the early years, children are very self-centered. Give your child the opportunity to come into contact with peers. First in playgroups, then in daycare and finally at school, your child will learn to share and be considerate when interacting with others. Role-playing can also encourage your child to step into other roles and experience new perspectives. This way your child learns to have empathy for others.
Recognizing specific sounds
isn’t so easy — even adults often have trouble. Playful exercises and perception games help a child’s hearing to better process acoustic stimuli and evaluate the information. Older children, for example, love night walks. Because you can’t see well in the dark, you automatically focus on listening: What do we hear and from which direction is the sound coming?
Show understanding:
It is important that your child learns to deal with their feelings and to express them. Support them and show understanding for their feelings. This way your child learns that it is completely normal to have strong feelings and that they need to be expressed. Show them how they can express their emotions without hurting or insulting others. A good punch into a pillow can sometimes work wonders. Talk with your child about their feelings as well as your own. That way they learn to put their emotions into words.
Provide stimulation:
Children learn to see just like they learn to walk. You can support your child playfully: in ball games your child learns to track fast movements with their eyes and judge distances. Specific hand movements train hand-eye coordination, which becomes important for writing at school age. Try to minimize time in front of electronic devices. Watching TV strains toddlers’ eyes. Instead, a trip into nature is worthwhile — there is a lot to discover for small and big children — and it has a positive effect on eyesight. With great sensory games outdoors all the senses can be stimulated, your child can learn colors and enjoy the fresh air.
Gain experience:
Over the years children optimize coordination, strength and stamina — which can sometimes be quite exhausting for parents. But the same applies to motor skills: practice makes perfect. The more your child practices climbing and balancing, the more confident their movements become. The risk of accidents decreases. With puzzles and peg beads you can playfully promote fine motor skills. By the way, that’s fun for adults too.
Checklist for parents: Your child's development
Every child follows their own pace– and that can’t be influenced.
Don't compare:Don't compare your child's rate of development with peers or siblings — being a child and learning is not a competition!
Be there:Show your child that you are there and that they can come to you with problems and mistakes.
Provide structure:Regular daily routines give your child a sense of security.
Attend preventive check-ups:A professional assessment of your child's development is important to identify any need for support early.
Be outdoors:Most children love nature. Whether at two or eight years old — there is a lot to discover here and all the senses come into play.
Talkwith your child. This incidentally supports your child's language development.
Let them be a child:Just as important as learning motor skills or learning to write is to simply let the child be a child: children need to romp, laze about and be allowed to be wild.
