Child Development Stages will greatly influence mental, physical, and spiritual condition of your children. Like your children, we learn through the things we see, hear, and experience. Children expect something and behave differently according to their development stages. Knowing what to expect as your children develops and understanding why your child is behaving a certain way can make your task as a parent a little easier. This will lead you more time to enjoy and support your child so they can reach their full potential.

Child Development Stages

Child physical changes are easily to be understood, however, the emotional, social, and intellectual sides of development are less well understood. Below is a brief overview of common behaviors of children from birth to adolescence.

Child development stage - www.nhlbi.nih.gov

0-6 months

From birth to six months of age, babies communicate by crying. They learn to cry in different ways to express different things, such as being hungry, tired, scared, or need changing.

Babies watch things and use touch to try and make sense of their new world, such as shaking noisy toys, watching objects, and faces or putting things in their mouth. You can help them introducing new things they can see, touch, and feel.

6-12 months

At this child development stage, babies like lots of attention and will make a lot of noise to get it. They will also reward the attention with lots of smiles. They begin to respond to familiar voices and may be fearful or shy around new people.

12 month-2 years

By 12 months, most children can say a few words. At two years of age, most children are able to make simple, two-word sentences.

At this development stage, being close to their family and giving and receiving lots of hugs is very important.

At this stage, children will also begin to respond to simple requests.

Parenting Tips

• When your baby cries, respond quickly and consistently. They will cry less when they are older 

•  Develop a pattern of regular eating, sleeping, and play times that suit both you and your child

2-3 years

During this child development stage, toddlers begin to realize they are individuals. There are many ways to express their independence like saying "no" and refusing to do as you ask. Your child may occasionally kick or scream. Your child also learn to express to feed their curiosity. The combination of curiosity and a lack of understanding about danger can make this a challenging time for parents.

Parenting Tips

• If your child has a temper tantrum, try to work out what's wrong and distract them with a toy or object. Children at this stage are easily distracted 

• Encourage your toddler's newfound independence by letting them do things by themselves, like eating, dressing or making simple choices 

• Tell your toddler often what you like about them

3-5 years

At this age, children love to talk and ask lots of questions. They will talk to their family, friends, and themselves. They're very affectionate, begin to share and start to make friends.

Parenting Tips

• Share stories about your culture with your children (for example, and island legend or traditional story)  

• Encourage your child to ask lots of questions by listening and giving them answers 

• Read your child regularly and take your child to play groups to make new friends and prepare them for school

5-7 years

This age is an exciting child development stage for children and their parents. Children have high energy levels, like to build and create things and have a great imagination. It s also a stage when children need lots of support because they start to go to school. Starting school can be a big step which they often feel tiring and sometimes scary.

It is also important to be patient as children this age can be slow to follow instructions.

7-10 years

As children continue to grow, they become increasingly sociable. Being popular and successful are very important.

While children are less reliant on their parents, they still worry about things, such as loss of parents and family.

Parental guidance and support is very important and has a major influence on school achievement.

10-12 years


This can be a difficult time during child development stage. The physical changes that begin around this age often leave them feeling awkward, self-conscious, and shy.

Children worry about other's opinions of them and so it's important that you find ways to build self confidence.

Parenting Tips

• Encourage your child's efforts, rather than pressuring them to win or reach a goal

• If your child shows interest in something new, support that interest

• Give your child a chance to learn new things