Monitoring and Encouraging Physical Development in Early Childhood
How to monitor physical development in early childhood? These are physical, mental and motor skill development markers that can be seen in your child as they grow older. Read more info here!
Every parent wants to make sure that their child is growing properly and hitting all their milestones, especially when it comes to physical development and mental development. You're excited to see them progress from sitting without support to crawling, walking and even running! Read on to learn the behaviours and motor skills to look out for during early childhood, and what to expect from each age range.
Remember, while it's good to keep track of the milestones, watching a checklist too closely can result in unnecessary stress if your child isn't hitting them "on time". You should also talk to your child's healthcare provider if you have any concerns about their progress.
What are the Developmental Milestones?
These are physical, mental and motor skill development markers that can be seen in your child as they grow older. Motor skills can be divided into two categories: gross and fine motor skills. Gross motor skills involve large muscle movements such as sitting, crawling, walking and jumping. Fine motor skills refer to the use of smaller muscles, such as grasping, opening containers and drawing. They are different for each age range, so take a look at the general list below of some of the cognitive and physical development activities your child might be doing at different ages.
1-2 Years Old
At this age, your child would start developing their gross motor skills and simple cognitive skills. They should be able to:
|
Motor Skills |
Cognitive skills |
|
Sit and stand without help |
Pretend play (like drinking from a cup) |
|
Push with their feet while sitting on a riding toy |
Say mama, papa, and a couple of other words |
|
Drink from a cup |
Understand simple commands |
|
Pick up a small item with their thumb and index finger |
Point at and identify simple objects and parts of the body |
|
Build a tower of 2-4 blocks |
Listen to a story |
|
Draw a line |
Recognise and label some colours |
2-3 Years Old
At this age, your child’s clumsy “toddling” will turn into a smoother, more balanced walk. With it comes a whole lot more abilities that they're able to explore, such as the following:
|
Motor Skills |
Cognitive skills |
|
Run, jump and hop |
Understand the word "no" and stop accordingly |
|
Throw, catch and even kick a ball without losing balance |
Speak in sentences of 3 words or more |
|
Push themselves around on a riding toy |
Ask questions and stay focused for longer |
|
Turn a doorknob |
Knows their own name, age and sex |
|
Pick up objects while standing, without losing balance |
Can engage in cooperative play |
|
Flip through a book one page at a time |
Understand 2 step commands like, "Give me the toy and then get your socks" |
3-4 Years
At this age, your child should have better balance and coordination. For example, they should be able to climb up the stairs without much assistance (but always with you watching). Here are other milestones to keep an eye out for.
|
Motor Skills |
Cognitive skills |
|
Throw a ball overhand with coordination |
Learn and sing simple songs |
|
Show improved balance and maybe hop on one foot |
Put together a sentence of 3-5 words in a sentence |
|
Easily place a small object in a small opening |
Know their own name, age and sex (boy/girl) |
|
Draw a circle |
Become less afraid when separated from mother or caregiver for short periods of time |
|
Pedal a tricycle |
May have an imaginary playmate |
|
Cut out a picture using scissors (under supervision) |
Increased understanding of time |
4-6 Years
At this age, your boisterous child will continue to refine earlier skills. They're running faster, jumping higher, and they can even skip and start learning how to ride bicycles. They should also be able to do many of the following.
|
Motor Skills |
Cognitive skills |
|
Skip, jump and hop with good balance |
Can count to 10 and over |
|
Can balance on one foot (maybe also with their eyes closed) |
Has a vocabulary of more than 2,000 words |
|
Slowly masters playground activities like the jungle gym, see-saw, and swing without assistance |
Knows their telephone number |
|
Show interest in organised sports like football and basketball |
Can name the primary colours, and even more |
|
Button and unbutton clothes by themselves |
Improved math skills |
|
Can write letters and numbers, and draw shapes |
Asks deeper questions that address meaning and purpose |
Supplementing Mental, Motor and Cognitive Development with Nutrition
While each child develops at a different rate, they all need the right nourishment to help their brain, muscles and body develop! Friso® Gold is newly upgraded with NOVAS Signature Milk, and it contains naturally small molecules with soft structure that’s easy to digest. Good digestion is important to help your child absorb the nutrients that fuel their mental and physical growth. For more information, you can also call the Friso Care Line at 1800-88-1647 for support, available every Monday to Friday, from 8.30am to 4.30pm.
Try Friso Gold – buy direct at Friso Gold Malaysia
Reference:
https://www.gracepointwellness.org/462-child-development-parenting-early-3-7/article/12755-early-childhood-physical-development-gross-and-fine-motor-development
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002002.htm
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