Child Development 101: The 7 Stages of the Growing Child

When you are a parent, it can be easy to look at the life of your child as one long, but wonderful process.  However, there are seven important developmental stages in the lives of growing children.  Let’s look at these stages and explain them briefly.

Newborn
This is the stage that encompasses your child’s first 28 days.  During this stage, the brains of growing children are still developing, and both muscle and mental abilities are being formed.

Infant
This stage lasts until growing children are a year old.  Infants often sleep a great deal of the time, and they love to see the world around them as they learn to recognize faces and voices.

Toddler
From age one to three is the toddler stage.  Here, kids learn how to walk, talk, and start interacting with the world around them.

Preschooler
Your growing children are now starting to develop a strong unique personality.  Until the age of five is considered the preschool years, and it is here that kids pick up many personality traits that stay with them for the rest of their lives.

School Age
From ages five to eleven are school age years.  Growing children in this stage are learning to develop friendships and interact within a routine.  This is a critical period in a child’s life and is where diet and exercise habits are often learned.

Preteen
From ages eleven to thirteen are the preteen years.  Here, growing children start to experience hormone changes, notice the opposite sex, and create their own gender identities.

Teen
This is your child’s pathway to adulthood.  Growing children in this stage will likely test their limits and push boundaries.  This is a normal part of figuring out their place in the world.

Proper development in every stage of your child’s life is critical to a reaching a healthy adulthood.