The Differences Between Social, Biological & Psychological Development

Physical Development

• Parents typically feel most comfortable considering the physical growth of children since biological development is easy to see and evaluate. Pediatricians track baby's weight and height from birth and can quickly compare your child with a scale of average development. Other types of physical growth, however, pose some evaluation problems, particularly for new parents who have trouble recognizing typical advances. Movement development definitions group large actions as gross-motor skills and smaller movements such as the ability to control the fingers into fine-motor abilities. Biological development also includes muscle growth and skills mastery, including the ability to walk, balance, use dining utensils, and toys such as crayons and balls.

Social Skills

• Social skills focus on your child's ability to interact and to control personal urges when interacting with others. Socialization allows your child to follow directions, learn appropriate behavior for home and school and the understand and respond appropriately to the behavior of others, according to the University of Illinois at Chicago. Children must learn ways to cope with separation anxiety when away from parents and also develop a set of emotions to respond to the world. The University of Illinois' list of milestones includes the ability to participate in simple group activities by age 2. An important social milestone for children by age 3 includes developing at least one friendship with a peer. By age 4, milestones include playing with other children, developing a sense of self and improving the ability to take turns and cooperate with others.

Mental Health

• Psychological development looks at the way your child handles emotions and the view of the world he creates for himself and those around him. The University of Illinois at Chicago lists important milestones for this type of development as early as the second month after birth when newborns show emotions when happy or distressed. Later emotional and psychological developmental milestones include the ability to manage joy, distress, surprise and interest. From 4 months through the first year of age, your child develops the ability to recognize and handle anger and fear, as well as develop a sense of curiosity, according to the university.

Balanced Individualism

• Babies develop using an individualized time line, but the amount of time spent by parents and other caregivers in enhancing the progress makes an important difference in the speed and type of development. Time spent daily in talking with your children and reading books about life situations helps your child deal with social and psychological issues. Daily play enhances biological growth. Balanced development creates a well-rounded and healthy adolescent and gives adults the foundation skills necessary for success, according to KidsHealth.org.