What are children capable of learning at various stages in their development? How do children develop the intellectual skills to react and interact with their environment? How do these cognitive abilities develop, and in what order?
These are some of the questions often asked by first-time parents or parents who are unsure of the developmental milestones listed by clinicians and researchers.
These were some of the questions that were answered by French Psychologist, Jean Piaget, in 1952 when he published his ground-breaking theory on cognitive development in children.
Piaget (1967) began his research focusing on how children react to their environments, but his observations countered the current thinking of the day (which stated that children have no cognition until they are old enough to learn to speak), and have, in fact, become the most well-known and influential theory of cognitive development to date.
Here are the four cognitive stages of childhood development as identified by Piaget (1967)
1. Sensorimotor Stage: Birth through, approximately, 3 years.
During this stage, children learn about the world through their senses and the manipulation of objects.
2. Preoperational Stage: Ages 3 through 7.
During this stage, children develop memory and imagination. They are also able to understand things symbolically, and the ideas of past and future.
3. Concrete Operational Stage: Ages 7 through 11.
During this stage, children become more aware of external events, as well as feelings other than their own. They become less egocentric and begin to understand that not everyone shares their thoughts, beliefs, or feelings.
4. Formal Operational Stage: Ages 11 and older.
During this stage, children are able to use logic to solve problems, view the world around them, and plan for the future.
In this article, we will focus on the Sensorimotor Stage (birth through, approximately, 3 years of age) and the developmental milestones associated with this stage.
Babies grow in unique ways…
The baby who sits up weeks before her peers might be one of the last to learn how to crawl. The 18-month-old who is still communicating with grunts and gestures suddenly bursts out with prepositional phrases at 2 years. This is why it is important to emphasize that this is merely a guideline which has been put together using existing findings.
- 0 – 3 Month Milestones:
Motor Milestones:
Whilst lying on their tummy, they are able to push up on their arms
Whilst lying on their tummy, they are able to lift and hold their head up
Ability to move their fists from closed to open
Ability to bring their hands to mouth
Moving their legs and arms off of a surface when excited
Sensory Milestones:
Whilst lying on their back, they attempt to reach for a toy held above their chest
Whilst lying on their back, visually tracks a moving toy from side to side
While lying on back, keeps head centred to watch faces or toys
Able to calm with rocking, touching, and gentle sounds
Enjoys a variety of movements
Communication Milestones:
Quietens down when in distress or smiles in response to sound or voice
Turns their head towards sound or your voice
Shows interest in faces
Makes eye contact
Cries differently for different needs (e.g. hungry vs. tired)
Coos and smiles
Feeding Milestones:
Latches onto the nipple or bottle
Tongue moves forward and back to suck
Drinks 59ml to 177ml of liquid per feeding
Sucks and swallows well during feeding
- 4 - 6 Month Milestones:
Motor Milestones:
Uses their hands to support themselves while sitting
Rolls from back to tummy and tummy to back
While standing with support, accepts entire weight with their legs
Reaches for nearby toys while on tummy
Whilst lying on their back, reaches with both hands to play with feet
Whilst lying on their back, transfers a toy from one hand to the other
Sensory Milestones:
Uses both of their hands to explore the toys in their environment
Generally happy when they are not hungry or tired
Brings both of their hands and other objects to their mouth
Able to calm/soothe them with rocking motions, touching, and gentle sounds
Does not get upset by everyday sounds
Enjoys a variety of movements
Communication Milestones:
Reacts to sudden noises or sounds
Listens and responds when spoken to
Begins to use consonant sounds in babbling, e.g. “da, da, da” or “mum, mum, mum”
Makes different kinds of sounds to express their feelings
Notices toys that make sounds
Uses babbling to get attention
Feeding Milestones:
Shows interest in food
Opens mouth as spoon approaches their mouth
Moves pureed food from front of mouth to back
Begins to eat cereals and pureed foods – Smooth, pureed food (single ingredient only) e.g. carrots, sweet potato, butternut, apples, pears etc.
- 7 – 9 Month Milestones:
Motor Milestones:
Sits without support
Sits and reaches for toys without falling over
Moves from tummy or back into sitting
Starts to move with alternate leg and arm movement e.g. creeping, crawling
Picks up head and pushes through elbows during Tummy Time
Turns head to visually track objects while sitting
Shows more control while rolling and sitting
Picks up small objects with thumbs and fingers
In simple play imitates others
Sensory Milestones:
Enjoys a variety of movements – bouncing up and down, rocking back and forth
Explores and examines an object using both hands and mouth
Turns several pages of a thick, cardboard book at once
Experiments with the amount of force needed to pick up different objects
Focuses on objects near and far
Investigates shapes, sizes, and textures of toys and their surroundings
Observes environment from a variety of positions – while lying on back or tummy, sitting, crawling, and standing with assistance
Communication Milestones:
Uses an increased variety of sounds and syllables in combination when babbling
Looks at familiar objects and people when named
Recognises the sound of their own name
Participates in two-way communication
Follows some routine commands, when paired with gestures
Shows recognition of commonly used words
Simple gestures, e.g. shaking head for “no”
Imitates sounds
Feeding Milestones:
In a highchair, holds, and drinks from a bottle
Begins to eat thicker pureed and mashed foods
Enjoys chew toys that can massage sore and swollen gums during teething
Stays full longer after eating
Starts to look and reach for objects, such as, food that is nearby
Shows strong reaction to new smells and taste
- 10 – 12 Month Milestones:
Motor Milestones:
Pulls themselves up to stand and walks along furniture
Stands alone and takes several independent steps
Moves in and out of various positions to explore the environment and to obtain desired toys
Maintains balance in sitting when throwing objects
Claps hands
Releases objects into a container with a large opening
Uses thumb and pointer finger to pick up tiny objects
Sensory Milestones:
Enjoys listening to songs
Explores toys with fingers and mouth
Crawls to or away from objects that they see in the distance
Communication Milestones:
Meaningfully uses “mama” or “dada”
Responds to simple directions, e.g. “Come here”
Produces long strings of babble in social communication
Says one or two words
Imitates speech sounds
Babbling has sounds and rhythms of speech (pitch and tone)
Pays attention to where you are looking and pointing
Responds to “no”
Begins using hand movements to communicate wants and needs, e.g. reaches to be picked up
Feeding Milestones:
Able to feed themselves using their fingers
Eating an increasing variety of food
Begins to use an open cup as opposed to a ‘sippy’ cup
Ready to try soft-cooked vegetables, soft fruits, and finger foods (banana slices, cooked pasta)
Might be ready to start self-feeding with utensils
Enjoys a greater variety of smells and tastes
- 13 – 18 Month Milestones:
Motor Milestones:
Walks independently
Squats to pick up a toy
Stacks two objects on top of one another
Sensory Milestones:
Helps with getting dressed/undressed
Sticks to a regular sleep schedule
Eats an increasing variety of foods
Communication Milestones:
- By 15 months:
May use 5-10 words
Combines sounds and gestures
Imitates simple words and actions
Consistently follows simple directions
Shows interest in pictures
Can identify 1-2 body parts when named
Understands 50 words
- By 18 months:
Responds to questions
Repeats words overheard in conversation
Continues to produce speech-like babbling
Points at familiar objects and people in pictures
Understands “in” and “on”
Responds to yes/no questions with head shake/nod
Feeding Milestones:
Increases to eat a variety of coarsely chopped foods
- 19 – 24 Motor Milestones:
- By 21 months:
Uses at least 50 words
Consistently imitates new words
Names objects and pictures
Understands simple pronouns (me, you, my)
Identifies 3-5 body parts when named
Understands new words quickly
- By 24 months:
Begins to use 2-word phrases
Uses simple pronouns (me, you, my)
Understands action words
Uses gestures and words during pretend play
Follows 2-step related directions e.g. “Pick up your coat and bring it to me”
Enjoys listening to stories
- 2 – 3 Year Motor Milestone:
- By 30 months:
Consistently uses 2-3-word phrases
Uses “in” and “on”
At least 50% of their speech is understood by the caregiver
Follows 2-step unrelated directions, e.g. “give me the ball and go get your coat”
Understands basic nouns and pronouns
Understands “mine” and “yours”
- By 36 months:
Asks “what” and “where” questions
Uses plurals, e.g. “dogs and cats”
Most of their speech is understood by the caregiver
Simple understanding of concepts including colour, space, time
Understands “why” questions
Understands most simple sentences
Since babies are not identical, please note that these guidelines allow for variations in the various stages of development. Use them to gain insight into what you are observing in your baby and to preview what you can look forward to in the months and years ahead.
Enjoy this special time with your baby, you will find that your bundle of joy will reach various milestones in a blink of an eye.
Look out for our next article where we will focus on the next stage of development (Preoperational Stage: Ages 3 through 7) and the milestones which are associated with this age group.
