Ages 0-3 years

Development – Ages 0-3 years 

Physical development 

By 6 months a child will: 

 Turn their head toward sounds and movement 

 Watch an adult's face when feeding 

 Smile at familiar faces and voices 

 Reach up to hold feet when lying on their backs 

 Look and reach for objects 

 Hold and shake a rattle 

 Put everything in their mouths 

Between 6 months and 1 year: 

 Move from sitting with support to sitting alone 

 Roll over from their tummy to their back 

 Begin to creep, crawl or shuffle on their bottom 

 Pull on or push against adult hands or furniture to reach a standing 

position 

 Raises arms to be lifted 

 Turn and look up when they hear their name 

 Pat and poke objects when playing 

 Pass objects from hand to hand 

 Look for things that have been hidden or dropped 

 Reaches hand towards source of food 

Between one and two years: 

 Begin to walk 

 Sits alone indefinitely 

 Feed themselves 

 Push and pull toys while walking 

 Wave goodbye 

 Point or make noises to indicate wants 

 Enjoy a picture book

 Shake head for 'No' 

 Uses thumb and first two fingers to grip 

 Bangs objects together 

 Crawl upstairs 

 Stoops to pick things up from the floor 

 Begins to show preference for one hand 

 Builds tower of few bricks 

 Holds crayon in palm and makes marks on paper 

Between two and three years: 

 Kneels to play 

 Throws 

 Kicks ball 

 Builds larger brick tower 

 Pour liquids 

 Uses pencil to make marks and circular scribbles 

Social and emotional development  Newborn to 3 months:   Responds to adults especially mothers face and voice   Smiles, concentrates on adults face during feeding   Very dependant on adults for reassurance and comfort, quietens  when held and cuddled  Between 6 and 9 months:   Enjoys company of others and games like peek-a-boo   Shows affection to known carer, but shy with strangers  Between one year and two years:   Likes to please adults and to perform for an audience   May become anxious or distressed if separated from known adults   May use comfort object   Mostly cooperative and can be distracted from unwanted behaviour   Plays alongside other children Between two and three years:   Developing sense of own identity, wanting to do things for self   Demanding of adult attention, jealous of attention given to others,  reluctant to share playthings or adults attention   Acts impulsively, requiring needs to be met instantly, prone to  bursts of emotion tantrums   Enjoys playing with adult or older child who will give attention,  beginning to play with others of own age for short periods  Intellectual development  Between 0 and 3 years:   Beginning to realise others are separate beings from themselves   Imitates others and tries out ways of behaving in play   Becoming more confident…