2. Understanding Children from Birth to Age Two5
Understanding Children from Birth to Age Two

3. Key Concepts
Children change very quickly during their first two years of life.
Infants develop physically, cognitively, socially, and emotionally.

4. Objectives
Chart the physical development of children in the first two years after birth.
Describe how children develop cognitively in the first two years after birth.
Explain how children in the first two years after birth develop socially and emotionally.

5. Discuss
Why do you think it is important to study the growth and development of children?

6. Reflect
Think about children who are the same age, yet their development is at different levels.

7. Physical Development in the First Two Years
Growth is rapid during the first two years of life
Size and shape changes
Reflexes change, then disappear
Motor sequence depends on the brain and nerve development

8. Size and Shape Average weight At birth: 7½ pounds
Five months: 15 pounds
One year: 22 pounds
Two years: almost 4 times birth weight
continued

9. Size and Shape Average length
At birth: 20 inches
One year: 30 to 32 inches
Two years: 32 to 36 inches
Height and weight differences between boys and girls by age two

10. Reflexes Two types of reflexes
Survival reflexes are necessary for life
Breathing, sucking, and swallowing
Primitive reflexes disappear with age
Babinski
Moro
Palmar
stepping or walking reflex

11. Did You Know?
Some reflexes occur only in specific periods of development.

12. Motor Sequence Motor sequence of infants
Lifting head and moving it from side to side when watching
Rolling over
Sitting upright
Crawling or hitching
Creeping
Walking: first with support, then unassisted

13. Brainstorm
Name some motor skills gained during the first two years of life.

14. Cognitive Development in the First Two Years
Important development of the child’s senses occur during the following periods:
birth to three months
three to six months
six to nine months
nine to twelve months
twelve to eighteen months
eighteen to twenty-four months

15. Birth to Three Months During this period, infants
start to focus on objects
pay more attention to faces
follow noises
start to experiment with reflex actions
adapt reflexes to their environments

16. Three to Six Months
During this time, children start to focus on their surroundings
Learn they can touch, shake, and hit objects
Start to show judgment and preferences
Increase their vocalizations
Respond in new ways to touch
Think with their senses and movements
Begin to develop body awareness

17. Six to Nine Months At this stage, object permanence develops
Objects continue to exist even if the infant cannot see them
Memory and goal-oriented thinking
Understand that other people exist
Communication skills expand
Name recognition

18. Nine to Twelve Months
During this stage, infants become more intentional about their goals
Have definite ideas about what they want
Begin to anticipate certain events

19. Twelve to Eighteen Months
During this stage, infants’ hearing and speech continue to develop
Like trial-and-error problem solving
Experiment with objects for new uses
Find cause and effect relationships fascinating
Start to communicate using language
Enjoy hearing books read

20. Eighteen to Twenty-Four Months
Children change their approach to their environment nearing age two
Think before taking action
Apply learned problem-solving techniques
Think in terms of actions
Have improved thinking and motor skills
Start to pretend; form of deferred imitation
Use phrases, or telegraphic speech

21. Discuss
Provide some examples of things children are able to do that demonstrate that they think before taking action.

22. Social-Emotional Development in the First Two Years
In the first few months of life, the range of emotions include
happiness: corners of the mouth are pulled back, cheeks are raised
fear, anxiety, anger: mouth is opened with the corners pulled back, eyes widened, and eyebrows raised

23. Temperament
Temperament is the quality and intensity of emotional reactions
Passivity: how actively involved a child is with his or her surroundings
Irritability: tendency to feel distressed
Activity patterns: levels of movements vary by infant

24. Attachment
Attachment is the strong emotional connection that develops between people
Separation anxiety: an attachment behavior shown by child protests when a familiar caregiver is leaving
Six to eighteen months more prevalent
Crying as distress

25. Did You Know? A child’s separation anxiety can be eased by
transitioning with familiar items
telling him where you will be while he is at school
explaining what's going to happen
focusing on the positive

26. Changes Over Time Social and emotional changes
Birth to three months: unrefined emotions
Three to six months: respond with smile, laughter, and crying
Six to twelve months: actively involved with caregivers
Twelve to twenty-four months: show anxiety and self-awareness

27. Review
True or false. Children change very slowly during their first two years of life.
What are the four primary ways that infants develop?
Describe Shaken Baby Syndrome. Why is it considered serious?

28. Glossary
attachment. The strong emotional connection that develops between people.
deferred imitation. Watching another person’s behavior, then acting out that behavior. This occurs between eighteen and twenty-four months.

29. Glossary
motor sequence. Order in which a child is able to perform new movements. Motor sequence depends on the development of the brain and nerves.
object permanence. An understanding that objects continue to exist even if a person cannot see them.

30. Glossary
reflex. An automatic body response to a stimulus. At birth, an infant’s physical abilities are limited to reflexes.
separation anxiety. A child’s difficulty in separating from parents, often occurring between 6 and 15 months of age.

31. Glossary
telegraphic speech. Two-word phrases used by toddlers when they first learn to combine words.
temperament. Quality and intensity of children’s emotional reactions to their environment, such as passivity, irritability, and activity patterns.