Tina Scott
CYP 3.1 Criteria 1.1 Explain the sequence and rate of each aspect of development from birth – 19 years
The key to understanding child development is to look at them as a ‘whole’. The whole child may be looked at under six aspects which are:
Physical development
Intellectual development
Language development
Emotional development
Social development
Spiritual development
Each aspect is intricately linked and if one aspect is hampered or neglected in some way this may hinder children in reaching their full potential.

PHYSICAL
INTELLECTUAL
LANGUAGE
EMOTIONAL & SOCIAL
First Month

Gross Motor Skills: lies on his or her back, can lift head by the end of month 1.

Fine Motor Skills: turns his or her head towards the light, hands are usually tightly closed, reacts to loud sounds

Babies explore through their senses and through their own activity and movement.
Touch: can feel pain, the baby gives a ‘startle’ response if they are moved suddenly.
Sound: will turn to sound and may become still and listen to a low sound or quicken their movements when they hear a high sound
Taste: likes sweet tastes e.g. breast milk
Sight: is sensitive to light, can track the movements of objects and people, likes to look at human faces
Smell: turns to the smell of the breast.

-Responds to sounds, especially familiar voices
-Makes eye contact
-Can cry to indicate a need e.g. hunger, dirty nappy etc.
-Moves eyes towards the direction of sound
-Quietens when picked up
-Needs other babies and people around them to share language experiences

-Often imitates certain facial expressions.
-Enjoys feeding and cuddling
-First smile in definite response to carer is around 5-6 weeks.
-Uses total body movements to express pleasure at bath time or when being fed

PHYSICAL
INTELLECTUAL
LANGUAGE
EMOTIONAL & SOCIAL
4-6 Months

Gross Motor Skills:
-Beginning to use a palmar grasp and can transfer objects from hand to hand
-Interested in all activity
-Everything is taken to the mouth
-Moves head around to follow people and objects
Fine Motor Skills:
-Has good head control and beginning to sit without support
-Rolls over from back to side and reaches for objects
-Holds head up when pulled to a sitting position

-Reaches for an object which suggests they recognise and judge distance in relation to the size of the object.
-prefers complicated things to look at and enjoys bright colours
-Knows that only has one mother and is disturbed if shown several images of mother at the same time.
-Realises people are permanent before they realise that objects are.
-Can co-ordinate more, tracking, reaching, grasping, sucking etc.

-Communicates more and more as they become more aware of others
-Listens to and imitates sounds
-Reacts to the tone of someone’s voice
-Begins to use vowels, consonants and syllable sounds
-Begins to laugh and squeal with pleasure

-Shows trust and security
-Has recognisable sleep patterns

PHYSICAL
INTELLECTUAL
LANGUAGE
EMOTIONAL & SOCIAL
6-9 Months

Gross Motor Skills:
-Can roll from front to back
-May attempt to crawl but will often slide backwards
-Grasps feet and places them in mouth
-Can sit without support for longer periods of time
-May ‘cruise’ around furniture and even stand or walk alone
Fine Motor Skills:
-Very alert to people and objects
-Beginning to use a pincer grasp with thumb and index finger
-Everything is explored by putting in mouth
-Transfers toys from hand to hand and looks for fallen objects

-Understands signs e.g. a bib means food is coming
-Fascinated by the way objects move and knows objects exist even when they have gone out of sight.

-Babble becomes tuneful
-Begins to understand words like ‘up’, ‘down’, raising their arms to be lifted up and using appropriate gestures

-Can feed him/herself using fingers
-Now more wary of strangers
-May offer toys to others
-Shows distress when mother leaves
-Typically begins to crawl, explore and reach more
-Now more aware of other