How a child develops within ages 2-6 is very important. A child’s development is not focused on just one area. There are many components to how a child develops. A child may also develop quicker in other domains than others, or it may be more noticeable in other domains than in other. Development is made up of physical, cognitive, social, and emotional domains. Every domain is important in their own ways and they intertwine with each other.

Physical developmental milestones:

There are many physical developmental milestones a child should achieve from the ages 2-6. Here are some:

• At age 2, a child should improve in their balance. Walking should become more smooth and rhythmic and running should also start to emerge. A child should also start to jump, hop, throw, and catch with rigid upper body movements.
• By age 3-4, a child should be able to distinguish writing from non writing. They also will start to use a fork effectively and use scissors.
• At age 5-6, a child will start to lose primary teeth. A child should also be able to tie their shoes at this age.

What to look for to know your child has reached these milestones:

• Age 2: Look for how good their balance is. Look and see how they walk and physically move.
• Age 3-4: Look at there scribbles and writing when they draw or color. Watch how they eat. Look and see if they can grasp materials needed to eat or do activities correctly.
• Age 5-6: Keep track of their dental health and see if they are losing teeth. See if they are able to tie their shoes and if they can use their hands to work with objects.

Cognitive developmental milestones:

There are also many cognitive developmental milestones a child should achieve from the ages of 2-6. Some of the following showcase some milestones that should be achieved:

• At age 2, a child should increase in their use of language as a tool to modify existing mental representations. A child’s recognition memory should also be well developed.
• By age 3-4, a child should be able to grasp conversation and they should also showcase reverse thinking. They should begin to distinguish appearance from reality.
• By the time they reach ages 5-6, they should replace their beliefs in magical creatures and events with actual plausible explanations. Children this age should also improve in recognition, recall, and scripted memory.

What to look for to know if your child has reached these developmental milestones:

• Age 2: Listen to your child’s speech and language. Talk to them to see their understanding of memories.
• Age 3-4: Can your child engage in conversation with you? Do they have trouble talking to you and making sense while doing it?
• Age 5-6: Do they understand reality? Can your child recall past experiences and recognize things?

Emotional/social developmental milestones:

• At age 2, a child begins to develop self-concept and self-esteem. They also start to show signs of developing moral sense.
• By age 3-4, a child can describe themselves in terms of observable characteristics. They will also have several self esteems.
• By age 5-6, they will have improved in emotional understanding and they can interpret and influence other children’s emotional reactions. At this age they will also become better at social problem solving.

What to look for to know if your child has reached these developmental milestones:

• Age 2: Look and see if your child understand what it means to have self-concept. Are they aware of themselves?
• Age 3-4: Does your child describe things about themselves? Look to see if your child has started to develop self esteem.
• Age 5-6: Does your child understand their peers emotions? Can they problem solve in group settings with other children during social interactions?

How can you as a parent help support your child in developing these milestones?

“Learning and development in early childhood are supported by the sum total of caring adult and peer interactions that a child encounters in the settings of daily life – home; child care; and early childhood education. Only through attention to all the settings of early childhood can developmental potential, and subsequent sustainable development, be assured” (The Future of Our Children, 2014).

This is the most important, they just need your support. Your child needs your support and time. You need to give them the attention and time to help them thrive. As a parent, you should work with them on these skills. For physical/motor skills, help work with them. Practice the skills they are trying to master. For the cognitive side, engage your child in conversations daily. Talk to them and explain things through the day frequently. For the emotional/social side, get your child involved with other kids. Immerse your child in group settings and have them play with other children. The best way to help your child develop socially is to have them interact with people.

Additionally, I encourage you to talk to your doctors too about what you can do to help your child in their development! That’s what they are there for.

References: 

Berk, L. E., & Meyers, A. B. (2019). Infants and children: Prenatal through middle childhood. Langara College.

JSTOR. (2014). The Future Of Our Children: Supporting early childhood development for children from 0 to 8 years. http://www.jstor.com/stable/resrep15863.7