1.1 Children’s development is continuous and can be measured in different ways.
Although all children will develop at different rates and in different ways, the sequence in which they develop will be roughly the same as they need to have developed one skill e.g. walking, before they move on to running or jumping.
Development is often referred to on a timeline is broken down in ages. As development is more rapid in early years the milestones start by being quite close together after becoming further aoart as baby becomes a child and then a young adult.
The aspects of development that children are measured on are, language, physical, social and emotional and intellect.
Children’s language development usually begins in the first three months. They begin learning to use their voice and enjoying vocal play. Babies watch faces and copy movements and sounds.
Between six and twelve months a baby starts to enjoy making new and different sounds and will show their feelings in laughing/squealing and crying.
By two years their speech will begin to develop as they start to understand and respond to more words when they are listening, and also start to copy sounds such as their name. Simple commands are understood although their ability to become understood isn’t as developed. Their vocabulary could consist of up to 150 words. The use of single words will progress to phrases and later small sentences. Questions are often asked.
Between two and three years their vocabulary has progressed into longer sentences and they easily learn new words, names, places etc. Their vocabulary can consist of several hundred words by the time they are three years old. They begin to join in and remember both the words and actions to songs. Mark making on paper with chalks/crayons etc. begins.
From three to four years children begin to develop their language skills further, their vocabulary continues to extend towards 1500 words and mark making becomes more...