Understanding the Stages of Child Development & Mindset Growth

What is Child Development?

The biological, psychological, and emotional changes that occur in humans between birth and the end of puberty are referred to as child development. The development of children is an inevitable element of the human life cycle. It contains basic processes that represent a set of regular physiological occurrences aimed at the production of broad knowledge that will facilitate the child's future adaptation to society. 

Each stage of a child's development has its own qualities that assure a child's long-term growth and development of his mindset.  Parents read a lot of books before the baby arrives to get a rough idea of how to care for the newborn. Physical and mental growth are challenges for all children. Physical changes occur on their own; nonetheless, the parents are responsible for their mental growth.

Until adolescence, children go through many changes in terms of physical, verbal, intellectual, and cognitive development. At certain ages in life, distinct changes take place. These changes are referred to as developmental milestones, and they can help you determine whether your child is developing at the appropriate rate. 

Experts disagree on how to classify child growth phases or child development stages. Although the number of phases varies, the changes that occur at a certain age or age range are fundamentally the same.

What Are The Stages Of Child Development?

The acquisition of a new skill occurs at every stage of a child's development. As a result, parents should do everything possible to correctly mold their children's personalities.

There are two types of child growth in general:

Before birth (intrauterine, prenatal stage); after birth (postnatal stage)

Parents have no control over the mental development of their children during the prenatal stage. Many people believe that learning an extracurricular activity from a young age like learning a new language, singing, drawing can benefit a child's future talents.

What are the Seven Stages Of Child Development?

Here are the seven developmental stages that every child goes through before becoming an adult.

Newborn - First Stage of Child Development & Mindset Growth

From the day of the baby's birth until the 28th day of his or her life, the baby is in this stage. External stimuli cause newborns to react reflexively. Newborns can move their heads from side to side, observe close-up objects, turn toward sounds, and cry when they require something. Newborns begin to grin at people around the third month of their lives.

At the age of three weeks, many children begin to respond to communication with a grin and happy facial expressions, which can be regarded as the start of the kid's mental life and the time when the child begins to sense parents.

Read about the stages of play that helps in child’s mindset development>

Early Infancy- Second Stage of Child Development & Mindset Growth

This stage of child development spans the period from the 29th day to a year. The child's adaptability to his intrauterine existence, as well as his intense physical, nervous-mental, motor, and cerebral development, characterize this stage. The rate of physical development begins to decline after the fourth month.

As the toddler sits, stands, and moves from complete motor helplessness to independent walking and object handling, he learns motor abilities.

A child's speech is developing at this stage, and he pronounces his first word. It is at this point that parents begin to implement basic home education, mindset development technologies, and tools to aid their children's mental development. Children can point at things, pick up objects, crawl, and even stand with support when they are 9-12 months old.

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Infancy- Third Stage of Child Development & Mindset Growth

The third stage of child development lasts a year and a half until the baby reaches the age of three. At this age, motor abilities such as walking, running, climbing, and jumping are all quickly growing. During this time, parents can teach their children job skills through a variety of activities.

The ability of a child to grasp and remember information increases dramatically during infancy, going from 10 to 30 words. Small poems might assist a child remember them and build his or her attitude.

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Preschoolers- Fourth Stage of Child Development & Mindset Growth

It begins at the age of three and lasts until the age of five or six. During this time, memory improves significantly, and gaming activities become more challenging.

The development of speech must be given specific emphasis. Throwing and catching a ball, skipping and hopping, learning to dress oneself, and drawing proper structures such as a flower are all skills that children can learn. They can easily talk a complete, long sentence and even two or three sentences at a time. By the age of four, they should be able to go to the bathroom and use the toilet on their own.

Junior School-age- Fifth Stage of Child Development & Mindset Growth

This stage lasts between five and six years and eleven years. Children continue to expand their vocabulary, learn to write, cut objects, draw objects with crisp, even edges, and make numerous mistakes before mastering new skills.

This stage is also marked by the development of focus abilities and the ability to hold the programs for subsequent action, as well as foresight consequences, which is crucial for the training process.

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Secondary School-age- Sixth Stage of Child Development & Mindset Growth

This stage of mindset growth lasts between 11 and 14 years. At this age, the child's body and mind are fully formed, allowing him or her to gain muscle strength and perform complicated coordinated movements and logical operations.

Nervous system alterations define this stage, which frequently result in incorrect emotions, emotional instability, and obstinacy in children. As a result, support for parents dealing with stress and mental challenges is especially crucial at this time.

Senior School-age- Seventh Stage of Child Development & Mindset Growth

It lasts between 15 and 18 years. The richest potential for movement development, a growth in the mobility of nerve processes in the cerebral cortex, and enhanced emotionality are the most distinctive elements of this stage of a child's development.

The morphological maturation of the cerebral cortex reaches that of an adult by the age of 17–18 years. At this age, children are capable of conducting basic research, writing papers, and performing difficult mathematical operations.

The child is full of vitality, emotional experiences, and the desire to participate in everything throughout this era of growth. Because it involves the creation of volition, consciousness, and morality, this is also the most difficult stage of psychological development.

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What are developmental delays in toddlers?

When a child does not meet the developmental milestones anticipated of children his or her age, it is referred to as developmental delay. Delays in motor function, speech, hearing, and vision are all possible.

It's crucial to keep in mind that each child develops at his or her own rate. So, if your child misses a developmental milestone for his or her age, don't worry or become concerned. Allow some time to pass. Consult your pediatrician if you are still concerned about your child's development.

What are signs of developmental delays in toddlers?

3-5 months

• Does not put objects in their mouth
• Poor head and neck control
• Fails to reach for or grasp objects

7 months

• Cannot sit up without support
• Does not roll in both directions
• Muscle stiffness
• Floppiness
• Does not bear weight on their legs 
• Difficulty swallowing

1 year

• Does not crawl
• Limping or awkward body posture
• Cannot stand with support

2 years

• Cannot push a wheeled toy
• Cannot walk
• Walks only on their toes
• Speech delay

What are signs of cognitive development delays in kids?

1 year

• Doesn't look for hidden items
• Does not make actions like waving or pointing to objects or photograph

2 years

• Fails to comprehend the function of commonplace goods like a hairbrush, phone, or spoon
• Does not adhere to basic directions.
• Does not imitate other people's actions or words

Each stage is an important part of every child's development. Each person develops knowledge of themselves and their potential as a result of personality transformation.

 

FAQ’s on Child Development

 

What are the 5 main areas of child development?

• Crawling, jumping, and running are examples of gross motor skills.
• Writing and painting are examples of fine motor skills.
• Speech and language are two different things.
• Counting or recognising shapes are examples of cognitive and intellectual tasks.
• Playing with other children is an example of social and emotional skills.

 

What factors can affect a child's development?

• Heredity
• Environment
• Exercise and Health
• Hormones
• Nutrition
• Family Influence
  

Why is child development important?

Educational accomplishment, productive capacity, responsible citizenship, lifetime health, strong communities, and successful parenting of the next generation are all built on the foundation of the early years.