The human being is constantly in a state of development since the time of conception. This development continues from birth to adolescence and eventually to adulthood. Every human undergoes physical changes throughout their life. Likewise; they also go through social and cognitive development.
Are infants social? Definitely yes. Social developments is a part of life at all ages. If you think newborns are not socially active, you’re mistaken. Similarly, cognitive development is also a mainstay of a baby’s behavioral, intellectual, and reasoning skills.
These abilities help the newborn to learn new competencies to get along with this world and be a part of the surrounding environment. In the corresponding article, you will discover how social development in infancy 0-2 years of life happens.
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The first 2 years of a newborn’s life is the phase of incredible development and growth. The baby’s social, emotional, and psychosocial skills establish, and hence they’re able to communicate their demands and feelings. Although children at this age can’t speak, still they can interact with people around them. And these communication skills continue to grow up till adolescence and even adulthood, which includes speech and language skills as well.
The development of the right social skills is also crucial for emotional and behavioral growth of all children. Controlling emotions and behavior patterns are important to leading a normal and healthy life and also developing cognitive abilities.
Birth to 3 months
Everyone knows newborns cry, but this is actually a way of communicating their needs. They might cry because they’re hungry or having colic pain, or there is also a possibility of a fabric piece hurting them. So basically, till the age of 3 months, babies show their emotions majorly by crying. Other ways of displaying their response include:
- Watching parents’ face
- Quiets after being held in the lap
- Cooing
- Smiling when cuddled.
3 to 6 months
The baby is no more a newborn and has entered infancy. More social and emotional skills have been developed till now. A 4-month old might smile and laugh when giggled. They show their joy by waving their arms and legs. Up till 6 months of age, their social and emotional activities include:
- Laughing out loud
- Recognizing parents’ face
- Smile at themselves when seen in the mirror
- Respond to distinct sounds and music
- Love watching other people or children
- Understands play like “peek-a-boo”
- Starts babbling
6 to 9 months
At this stage, the infant realizes that there is much more in this world than eating and sleeping. They will prefer toys or other unusual things which come within their reach such as your smartphone, a spoon, a hair comb or a water bottle, etc. Some infants begin standing with support at 9 months of age, being an essential landmark for their social skills. Further social and emotional milestones at this age comprise:
- Playing with ‘’favorite toys’’
- Showing displeasure by making sounds
- Differentiate between parents and other family members
- Pointing fingers towards something
- Stranger’s anxiety
- Acknowledge their name
- Claps when asked for
9 to 12 months
Stranger anxiety and separation anxiety peak at this age. The baby is out of the infancy phase and has developed an individual personality of his own. Most children start walking independently during this period. However, if your toddler is still not walking, it’s absolutely fine. Some babies start walking as late as 18 months. A 10-month-old may speak a few words and understand simple instructions. Other social developmental milestones between 9 and 12 months include:
- Playing with favorite toys
- Separation anxiety
- Knows dressing and grooming routine
- Follow simple commands
- Enjoys bath time
- Mimic what they see parents doing
12 to 18 months
The new phase in a toddler’s life after the first birthday is remarkable. He identifies himself as an individual person. The independence leads to more ‘’discoveries’’. He might be interested in your makeup bag, wallet, shoes, kitchen crockery, and smartphone. Imitating gestures from parents is his favorite hobby. The vocabulary increases from a few words to simple sentences. However, they understand more than they speak. A typical 15-month old knows how to use a pencil, build blocks, drink water from a glass, use a spoon, etc. This is also the best time to teach him simple things like fan, nose, hair, shoes, diaper, andhairbrush, as the memorizing power of a toddler is tremendous. In a nutshell, 6 months post the first birthday, a toddler can:
- Differentiate between being appreciated and scolded
- Show gestures to communicate
- Throw tantrums when demands are not met
- Understands name of daily use things
- Speak simple sentences without helping verbs
- Follow what we instruct
- Favorite words include ‘’no’’, ‘’mama’’, ‘’baba’’, ‘’doggy’’, ‘’mum’’
- Express emotions such as anger and frustration
- Play next to other children
- Share toy, food, or lotion
- Play independently without help
18 to 24 months
As the second birthday approached, the independence he got quite fascinated by the toddler. Separation anxiety begins to disappear near this age. The toddler is also more actively social by now. He might have made certain same-age friends and will most likely play along with them. haring toys and food is also common now. A wide range of emotions is developed by far, including anger, joy, frustration, jealousy, love, and grief. He is more understanding of your commands and also responds to them. By the age of 20 months, the child is most likely to recognize family members other than parents like a grandmother, grandfather, uncle, aunt, or cousin. So by the age of two years, the social and emotional development of a toddler includes:
- Recognizing extended family members
- Speak more words and simple sentences
- Responds to commands
- Shows an extensive variety of emotions
- Feels jealous when not given attention
- Refuses and says ‘’no’’ when angry
- Helps you around the house
- Pretend play
- Cuddles and hugs when being loved
- Plays independently for quite a while
- Doing everything ‘’on his own’’ without help
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BOTTOM LINE
Children have their own way of communicating and interacting with people right from birth. However, These social and emotional skills develop over the years, which play a vital role in their existence. Although some milestones may vary from child to child, if they do not meet after a reasonable amount of time, medical attention should be sought.