Key Developmental Milestones in Early Childhood (0-6 Years)
Understanding children's developmental milestones is vital for parents because it allows them to provide appropriate support, identify any delays, and establish an environment that promotes cognitive, emotional, and physical development throughout these important early years. Our toys are
Here are some of the most important developmental milestones :
7 - 12 Months
Motor Development
• Sits, crawls, and may take first steps
• Uses a refined pincer grasp (thumb and forefinger)
• Improved depth perception and pattern recognition
Cognitive Development
• Engages in intentional, goal-directed behavior
• Begins developing object permanence (searches for hidden objects)
• Imitates adult actions with objects
• Solves basic problems through analogy
Emotional/Social Development
• Forms a strong attachment to primary caregiver
• Uses caregiver as a secure base for exploration
• Expresses a wider range of emotions (joy, fear, frustration)
13 - 18 Months
Motor Development
• Walks with improved coordination
• Manipulates small objects with better control (e.g., stacking blocks, turning pages)
Cognitive Development
• Learns through trial and error with objects
• Finds hidden objects in multiple locations
• Begins categorizing objects by features
• Says first recognizable words (language development begins)
Emotional/Social Development
• Follows simple instructions
• Recognizes self in a mirror (self-awareness emerging)
• Engages in basic social play with parents and siblings
• Shows early signs of empathy (e.g., comforting others)
19 - 24 Months
Motor Development
• Runs, jumps, and climbs with increasing confidence
• Fine motor control improves (e.g., turning pages, building towers, using crayons)
Cognitive Development
• Understands that objects exist even when moved out of sight (object permanence fully developed)
• Engages in pretend play (symbolic thinking developing)
• Categorizes objects more effectively
• Expands vocabulary to around 200 words
Emotional/Social Development
• Develops self-conscious emotions (shame, pride, embarrassment)
• Begins self-control (delayed gratification, following rules)
• Recognizes differences in age, gender, and basic social roles
2 Years
Motor Development
• Better balance and walking coordination
• Develops running, jumping, throwing, and catching skills
• Uses utensils more skillfully (e.g., spoon, fork, cup)
Cognitive Development
• Pretend play becomes more complex
• Strong recognition memory
• Differentiates between internal thoughts and external reality
• Understands simple cause-and-effect relationships
Emotional/Social Development
• Begins developing a sense of self and self-esteem
• Cooperation and instrumental aggression appear
• Understands basic emotions, their causes, and how they are expressed
• Displays more independence but still relies on caregivers for reassurance
3 - 4 Years
Motor Development
• Runs, jumps, throws, and catches with improved coordination
• Rides a tricycle
• Uses scissors with control
Cognitive Development
• Understands basic causality in familiar situations
• Organizes objects into simple categories and hierarchies
• Recognizes letters and symbols (early literacy skills emerging)
• Counts small groups of objects
Emotional/Social Development
• Emotional self-regulation improves (better coping with frustration)
• Engages in cooperative and interactive play
• Distinguishes moral rules from social norms and personal preferences
• Starts expressing more complex emotions (like guilt and fairness)
5 - 6 Years
Motor Development
• Jumps, throws, and catches with full coordination
• Ties shoelaces, writes name, and draws detailed pictures
Cognitive Development
• Distinguishes between appearance and reality more accurately
• Memory and recall improve significantly
• Performs simple addition and subtraction
• Expands vocabulary to about 10,000 words and uses complex grammar
Emotional/Social Development
• Better at predicting and interpreting others' emotions
• Understands social rules and moral behaviors
• Demonstrates empathy and fairness in social interactions
• Forms strong friendships and follows group norms