CHILD DEVELOPMENT - BIRTH TO 3 YEARS

PART 1- PHYSICAL GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT

In the first two years, humans grow more than at any other time of life. Growth and development is fastest in the first year. During this time, most full-term infants triple their birth weight and almost double their height. During the second year, most infants grow a bit more slowly than they did in the first year.

Most infants and young children look top heavy because their bodies continue to grow from the head downward and from the spine outward, a way of growing begun during the embryo stage. This kind of growth and development happens for about six years. There are three important kinds of physical development in the first three years: motor abilities, sensation and perception, and the brain.

Motor Abilities

During the first two years, an infant not only grows very quickly, but also develops motor abilities to move the body in many ways. At first, all of a newborn’s body movements are reflexes, responses the body makes quickly and automatically to something that happens. Reflexes are basic and evolutionary. Basic reflexes include activities such as sucking, breathing, swallowing, crying, shivering. These activities attract the attention of adults and increase the chances that the infant will receive proper care.

In the first few months after birth, the infant begins to develop motor skills, the ability to move and control the body. Motor skills are either gross or fine.
Young Child in a yellow shirt practicing motor skills

Gross motor skills

Gross motor skills refer to the ability to make large body movements and develop first. These include such activities as crawling, walking, jumping, running and climbing. A typical infant first learns to turn over, then to pull herself along with her arms, then she learns how to crawl by working her arms and legs together. By one year she can walk unsteadily on her own and by two years she can walk well and run. She can also coordinate her arms and legs enough to climb things. However, she still loses balance as her head, chest, back and arms take up much of her body length and her legs are short resulting keeping them apart to stay balanced. When she runs, she toddles and that is why the word “toddler” is often used to describe infants at this stage.

Fine motor skills

Fine motor skills refer to the ability to make small, detailed movements with the hands and fingers. These skills develop steadily with each new skill leading to another. At three months an infant waves her arms and legs. Around six months she grabs objects but does not let them go. At one year she lets them go to grab another nearby moving object. And, at two years she coordinates her muscles and eyes to catch and hold a large rubber ball.  She can even use her thumb and forefinger to pick up the tiniest items.

Sensation and Perception

The way people react to their surroundings is defined by  their sensations and perceptions. Young girl listening to headphones

Sensation

Sensation involves the physical feelings that happen when the senses respond to a stimulus, while perception happens when the brain tries to organize and understand the information received from the senses as well as from thoughts and emotional feelings.

Perception

Because perception involves thinking, researchers studying children’s growth and development have been particularly interested in how infants perceive. Newborns can hear, see, smell and taste, and respond to motion, temperature, pain and pressure. Even though in the past researchers believed that newborns perceived everything all at once, recent studies show that newborns can organise these sensations. Most babies focus on strong stimulus such as a loud noise or a shiny object very close to them and screen out almost everything else. From the first focused response, infants quickly develop the ability to pay attention to many kinds of information at once. They learn how to perceive differences and details in the world around them, and they quickly become used to something new. For example:
  • At birth they can only taste but tell the difference between sweet, sour and bitter tastes.
  • At birth they can not only smell, but recognize the mother’s smell.
  • At three days old, they can not only hear but tell the mother’s voice from others
  • At three months, they can not only see but recognise a picture of their mother.
At four months, they can not only respond to the emotions of others, but show that they prefer happy faces over angry or sad ones.

The Brain

A diagram of a brain cellHow well motor abilities and sensation and perception develop in the first two years depends on both experience and growth. An important part of this stage is the growth and development of the infant’s brain.

Before an infant is born, each cell begins to take on certain tasks. Some cells become muscle cells, some become bone cells, some become skin cells and some become neurones, or nerve cells. Neurones carry signals to one part of the body to another and are very important parts of the brain. A typical neurone looks like a tree and consists of three parts: a cell body, an axon and a dendrite. The cell body contains the nucleus, a spherical part that stores chromosomes and other genetic material. The axon, which looks like a long thin trunk with roots at its end, passes information from the neurone to other neurones. The dendrites, which look like branches on the cell body, receive information from other neurons. When the tip of one neuron’s axon touches the tip of another neuron’s dendrites, a neural pathway is formed, and the information travels along it.

Before Birth

In the nine months before birth, only about one-quarter of the developing being’s neurons are formed. Many of these neurons are found in the brain, and they control basic functions like breathing, heartbeat, body temperature and blood pressure. At birth, an infant has all the nerve cells she will ever need in the brain. These cells allow the infant to receive information quickly and learn to understand what is happening in her surroundings. However, at birth three quarters of the infant’s neurones are still unfinished. They will not form pathways until the brain starts to receive information from the senses.

0 to 2 Years

In the first two years of life, the brain truly acts like a sponge, soaking up new information and experiences. Infants develop many more neural pathways than they will need later in life. By the age of two, an infant’s brain can have trillions of neural pathways, twice as many as an adult’s. The tips of the dendrites grow, shrink, change shape, or die off completely, depending on what kind of experiences the infant has. That is why every experience a young child has is important for the growth and development of the brain.

Neural pathways that are constantly used become stronger and more connected and become integral parts of the brain. The more the neural pathways there are, the more a child can learn and remember. For example, when an infant listens to a story about cats and sees the words and pictures about cats in the book, her brain cells end out dendrites to join up with other brain cells. This joining makes many neural pathways of information. Some information will be about cats, but others will be about such things as reading, writing, and listening.

If parents and other adults read to the infant often then the child will likely find it easier to learn reading than a child who is never read to. However, as Montessori said so often, children learn to read best when they are ready to read. Many researchers now  believe that this readiness to learn is as important as the formation of neural pathways because some neural pathways cannot in fact be formed until the brain has reached a particular level of growth and development. At that time, the brain responds very quickly to certain experiences. This is one reason Montessori often referred to sensitive periods as “windows of opportunity”.

2 Years +

After the sensitive period has passed, it is much harder for the brain to receive and organize that particular information. For example, at two and a half years old, a child’s brain may be particularly ready to learn the skills involved in putting together a simple wooden puzzle. She will naturally be drawn to work with such a puzzle if the opportunity is offered to her. If she is given the opportunity at this crucial time, she will likely learn to do the puzzle easily and quickly. In the process, her brain will likely form all kinds of neural pathways that will help her recognize shapes and spatial relationships in other objects that she encounters.

If the infant is not given the opportunity to work with the puzzle at this time, when she particularly interested and ready, she will likely need much more time, training, and practice to learn how to do the puzzle later. More importantly, perhaps, as she works with other objects in the meantime, she will not have the benefit of the skills and experience she acquired when working with the puzzle.

Great Minds ECC Team

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Family arranging wall art after moving

The parent’s guide to moving with children

WHAT TO DO BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER Before the move: setting the foundation Children pick up far more from how their parents feel than from what their parents say — especially before age five, when emotion carries more weight than information. If you’re tense, they’ll attach that tension to the move. If you can hold space for excitement and honesty, they’ll learn to do the same. A few things to keep in mind: Include them in the conversation, at every age. Even babies benefit from being spoken to as part of the family’s plans. The level of detail changes with age, but the principle doesn’t: the more children understand what’s happening, the safer they tend to feel. Be realistic, not aspirational. It’s tempting to promise that everything will be bigger, better, happier in the new home. But children remember promises, and you can’t guarantee how they’ll feel. Saying “we’re going to be so happy there” sets up a standard that may not match reality. Instead, try: “I’m going to miss this house and everything we did here, and I’m also looking forward to new experiences in the next one.” That acknowledges loss without adding anxiety. Don’t minimise what’s being left behind. A child’s home or room is their safe space. Treating that lightly, even with the best intentions, can make the transition harder. Show them what’s coming. Visit the new home if possible, or share photos if not. The more concrete it feels, the less frightening it becomes. Pack the things and beings that hold them steady. A favourite blanket, a familiar toy, the mobile from above the crib. These aren’t just things; they’re anchors of safety in a season of change. Where you can, involve your child in choosing what comes with them, it gives them a small but meaningful sense of control. Pets are also a part of the support system. If they can come, bring them. If they can’t, make sure to give your child time & space to say goodbye properly. During the move: what reassurance actually looks like Moving day is rarely calm. Routines break, energy is high, and parents are often running on adrenaline. Here’s what helps children feel held through it. Make space for goodbyes, sentiment and all. Saying goodbye to the room, the house, the people, this is sentimental, and that’s exactly why it matters. It’s how children process change. Let them choose what travels with them. A small bag of items they pick themselves can make a long journey feel less like a loss. A favourite stuffed animal, a book they love, a pillowcase that smells like home. Familiar pieces of their world that remind them, even in unfamiliar surroundings, that some things stay the same. Watch for changes, but don’t panic. Unusual behaviour, lethargy, and even minor physical symptoms can show up during disruption. This isn’t necessarily a red flag, it’s a signal to slow down, ask gentle questions, and offer extra closeness. An extra hug, an extra few minutes of attention, an extra bit of quiet time together can all help. Pay attention to the meaning behind the question. Children often communicate what they need indirectly. A logistical-sounding question may carry an emotional one underneath. One example: a child moving from their rented apartment to a new purchased home in the same area asked, “Why can’t we just buy this apartment instead?” On the surface, a practical question. Underneath, a clear message: I want to stay where I feel safe. Open questions deserve open answers. Regulate your own emotions, again. Worth repeating from the section before, because it’s possibly the single most important thing a parent can do during a move. Your child’s nervous system is reading yours. The calmer you can be, even when you’re working at it, the more reassurance your child receives. After the move: the season most people underestimate The boxes are unpacked. The new chapter is just beginning, and the gentlest part of the work often starts here. Let routines find their shape. Predictability is what helps children feel safe in new surroundings, but routines don’t need to fall into place overnight. Small consistencies help, mealtimes, bedtime stories, a regular weekend walk. Over time, these small repetitions become the foundation of feeling at home. Involve them in shaping the new space. Choosing furniture, deciding where things go, picking out their room. These small choices help your child feel the new home is theirs too, not just somewhere they’ve been brought to. Keep the old connections close, especially at first. This isn’t about replacing the old support system with a new one, both can coexist. In the early weeks, more frequent video calls with friends and family from the old home can ease the transition. As your child begins to settle, that contact will naturally find a gentler rhythm. Don’t force happiness. A nicer home doesn’t erase what was left behind. Both feelings can exist at once, and both deserve acknowledgement. Recreate anchors of familiarity. Continuity in small things helps make change in big things easier. If your child had a regular activity, a sport, a class, anything that gave their week structure, try to find something similar in the new place. The same applies to parents: your own stability and continuity are part of what helps your child settle. When parents feel grounded, children feel it. Adjustment takes the time it takes. There’s no fixed timeline. Some children adjust within weeks, others take many months, some longer. It depends on the family, the child, the type of move, and dozens of variables that are different in every household. The most helpful thing a parent can do is meet the situation as it is, rather than measure it against an expected pace. Let go of the phrase “kids adjust easily.” Some do. Many don’t. Saying it out loud can lead to skipping over parts of the process children actually need to feel. When you invite your child to share their feelings, return the openness.

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