WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO

KEEP AN EYE ON A CHILD’S

DEVELOPMENT?

So why should we keep an eye on a child’s development / Have progress

reports in preschool?❖Is the child developing on par according to his age?

❖ Is the child on par with the rest of the kids in his age group in his class?

❖What is the child’s strengths?

❖What is the child struggling with?

BUT REMEMBER……………..❖Each child is unique

❖Some kids have their birthday later in the year

❖Give a 3 – 6 month waiting period/leeway

Refer the child to a speech therapist if the child is falling behind in language development / speaking unclear / can understand or follow instructions

Refer the child to a play therapist if emotional issues is suspected / abrupt changes in behaviour occurs

Refer the child to an occupational therapist if the child is falling behind:

❖in an important area (e.g. movement)

❖in a few areas

LET’S NOW LOOK AT A FEW IMPORTANT MILESTONES IN EACH

AGE GROUP

Birth to 1 year old

❖ Lifts head for a few seconds - 6 weeks old

❖ Has head control when sitting - ¾ months old

❖ Sitting independently - 6 months old

❖ Babbles to get attention - 6 to 9 months old

❖ Crawls - 9 months old

❖ Eats solid food - 10 months old

❖ Shakes head to indicate ‘No’ - 10 – 11 months old

❖ Walks - 12 months old

Why is tummy time so important?

❖Neck strength

❖Weight-bearing on arms

❖Eye-hand coordination

❖Exploring my environment with my eyes

www.pampers.com

WHY IS CRAWLING IMPORTANT?

❖Weight-bearing on my arms and legs

❖Bilateral integration

❖Motor planning

❖Eye-hand coordination

❖Hand strength

❖Exploring my environment

❖Touch integration

www.howwemontessori.com

www.teachinglittles.com

1 – 2 years old

❖ Able to climbs stairs up (needs help getting down)

❖Starts to run/climb/jump

❖Takes off own socks

❖Feeds self with a spoon

❖Starts to identify objects

❖Speaks 15 – 100 words

❖Catches a big ball against the body

❖Has a fore-finger grasp / pincer grasp

❖ Identifies 5 body parts correctly

www.parentlane.com

2 – 3 YEAR OLD❖ Able to ride a toy motorbike without falling over

❖ Jumps with feet together from a low step

❖ Speaks 200 – 300 words

❖ Knows own name

❖ Shows parallel play (playing alongside other children not with them)

❖ Kicks a 20cm ball

❖ Dominant hand starts to develop (between 2 – 4 years old)

❖ Grasp (digital pronated)

❖ Identifies the arms, legs, back, head, stomach, feet, nose, eyes, ears and head

❖ Identifies and names 1 – 2 colours

❖ Able to thread big beads

Teaching my child to use a scissor – YouTube – Click on the link to watch the YouTuber video

otperspective.com

www.growinghandsonkids.com

3 – 4 YEARS OLD

❖ Starts to jump on one leg

❖ Starts to alternate legs when climbing stairs

❖ Starts to walk on toes

❖ Starts to stand on 1 leg

❖ Starts to walk heel-toe

❖ Should be toilet-trained during the day

❖ Uses a fork and spoon to eat

❖ Calls themselves ‘I’ not on their own name any more

❖ Talks about 1000 words

❖ Understands the concept of give-and-take

❖ Catches a 20cm ball after it was bounced towards them

❖ Builds a 3 – 5 piece puzzle

❖ Has a 3-point grip

❖ Identifies to all the basic body parts mentioned above including the feet, fingers, pinkie, thumb, knees, hips and shoulders

❖ Starts to count objects – more important than counting

❖ Counts up to 10

❖ Starts to name shapes circle/triangle/square may say (ball/roof)

❖ Copies a cross

❖ Sort different colours together

❖ Identifies and names up to 5 colours

❖ Able to colour simple shapes

❖ Holds the scissors correctly in one hand

❖ Tries to cut out shapes

❖ Learning about fine motor, patterns, sequencing, touch integration

and visual perception – YouTube – Click on the link to watch the YouTube

video(3) Pinterest

4 – 5 YEARS OLD❖Stand on 1 leg up to 10 seconds

❖Jumps on 1 leg up to 8 times

❖Can walk the full length of a balance beam

❖Galops coordinated

❖Walks heel-toe up to 1,5m

❖Put on and takes off own shoes and socks

www.amazon.in

❖ Knows own age

❖ Throws accurately to a target 2.5m away

❖ Builds a 15 piece puzzle

❖ Has a dynamic tripod grasp

❖ A tip on how the get a child to hold the pencil with this grip –

❖ Names all the basic body parts mentioned above including the elbow, ring finger, middle finger and toes

❖ Counts up to 4/5 objects

❖ Writes 1 – 2 numbers: use rhymes

❖ Names a circle, square, triangle and rectangle

❖ Imitates a square

❖ Identifies and names up to 7 colours

❖ Cuts out simple shapes and pastes it

http://www.headsupnow.com

www.learning4kids.net

5 – 6 YEARS OLD❖ Can do a summersault

❖ Stands on one leg for more than 12 seconds

❖ Jumps on one leg up to 5m

❖ Skips coordinated

❖ Rides a 2-wheel bicycle with sidewheels

❖ Dresses and undresses independently

❖ Talks easily and fluidly

❖ Talks up to 3000 words

❖ Knows own birthday

https://www.pxfuel.com/

❖ Gives own name and surname

❖ Starts to hit a ball using a bat/racquet

❖ Builds a 30 – 25 piece puzzle (50-piece end of Gr. R)

❖ Must have a dominant hand when doing fine motor skills

❖ Names all the basic body parts mentioned above as well as the wrist, ankle, eyebrows, elbow, shoulder, hips, knee, neck, middle finger, ring finger and index finger

❖ Counts up to 13 – 50

❖ Counts between 10 – 15 objects

❖ Names a circle, square, triangle, rectangle and diamond

❖ Copies a triangle

❖ Identifies and names up to 8 colours

❖ Able to write own name

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