Areas of Development in Early Childhood Development

In the first few years of growth, a child is developing rapidly in many areas. This includes both biological development, as well as development that occurs as a child interacts with her environment. Most children develop skills in these areas within a similar time frame. These developmental milestones are important. Children who do not meet such milestones within a relatively normal time period may be at risk for developmental disabilities or other physical or mental impairments.

  1. Cognitive

    • Cognitive development includes a child's ability to solve problems and learn about the world around him. For infants, cognitive skills are explored through sensory exploration, as they learn to respond to different colors, tastes, sounds and facial expressions. As an infant grows into a toddler, he begins to understand more complicated rules about the world around him. For instance, by 6 months a child can recognize and respond to familiar sounds and imitate facial expressions, and by 9 months can distinguish between animate and inanimate objects.

    Social

    • Small children develop in relationship to others. Close relationships include parents; teachers and peers help to provide positive social interactions to aid development. Secure relationships are key to helping small children build self-confidence and learn to function in groups. Even small babies need positive social interactions. For instance, caregivers who talk and coo to small infants, cuddle and provide physical comfort---particularly when the child is upset---are helping to develop a sense of security and positive social development for the child, according to How Kids Develop.com.

    Physical

    • As babies begin exploring the world around them, they work to master the physical skills required for these interactions. Infants do this by using their eyes, mouths and bodies to interact with the people and objects. A 6-month-old child is beginning to tackle skills such as crawling and handling objects in his hands. By 9 months, this same child is likely trying to roll a ball and sit up without support and by 2 years, the now toddler is able to walk and work on physical coordination through activities such as running and jumping and other gross motor skills.

      As a toddler, a young child develops fine motor skills as well, through activities such as drawing and playing with small toys.

    Language

    • The first few years of a child's life are marked by rapid language development. By 6 months children are able to babble and use vocalizations to express themselves and by a year most children are able to verbalize words. Developing language helps children interact with the world and aids in both cognitive as well as social development. The rapidity of a child's development of language skills is impressive: children develop between 300 and 1,000 words in the first three years of life alone, says StateUniversity.com.

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