Infant Physical Development Flashcards
What age should infants be able to grasp objects?
Physical development occurs at different times for all children depending on their unique characteristics, family’s values & culture, and access to available resources. However they are within similar timeframes
How do you best support physical development for children?
- Responsive care from loving adults
- Proper nutrition
- Appropriate and stimulating environments
Where do infants begin developing physically?
From the top down, starting with their heads and necks
What are the physical development milestones for a 2 months old child?
- Kicks both arms and legs while on back
- Briefly relaxes hands from fists for short periods
- Grasps adult finger
- Raises head and chest while lying on stomach
- Primitive reflexes present: Rooting and sucking
- Holds head up when on tummy
What are the physical development milestones for a 4 months old child?
- Holds head steady without support
- Maintains hold of a toy placed in their hands
- Swings arm at objects
- Brings hands to mouth
- Pushes up from ground onto elbows when lying on tummy
What are the physical development milestones for a 6 months old child?
- Rolls from tummy to back and may roll vice versa
- Pushes arms straight when on tummy
- Uses hands to support when sitting
- Supports weight equally on legs when standing with support
What are the physical development milestones for a 9 months old child?
- Moves into the sitting position without support
- Transfers items from one hand to the other
- Uses fingers as a ‘rake’ to pull food and objects towards self
- Sits without support
- Lowers body with control while using support
What are the physical development milestones for a 12 months old child?
- Pulls up to stand
- Walks or ‘cruises’ along furniture for support
- Drinks from a cup without a lid with adult support
- Uses ‘pincer grasp’ to pick up small items
What are the physical development milestones for a 15 months old child?
- Takes a few steps independently
- Feeds themself finger foods
- Squats to pick up an object from the floor and then stands up without support
- Makes marks on paper using crayon
What are the physical development milestones for a 18 months old child?
- Walks independently
- Drinks from a cup
- Tries to use a spoon
- Climbs on and off furniture independently
- Tries to kick a ball after observing an adult
What are the physical development milestones for a 24 months old child?
- Kicks a ball
- Runs
- Walks up and down stairs while holding on for support
- Eats with a spoon
- Turns doorknobs
What are the physical development milestones for a 30 months old child?
- Uses hands to twist and unscrew objects
- Takes off loose clothing alone
- Jumps off the ground with both feet
- Can turn book pages one at a time
What are the physical development milestones for a 36 months old child?
- Strings items onto a string such as large beads or macaroni
- Dresses self in loose clothing
- Uses a fork
- Pedals a tricycle
What are a child’s basic physical needs?
- Food (nutritious and age-appropriate)
- Shelter (protection from harm)
- Warmth (loving environment)
- Clean air and environment
- Health and dental care
- Activity and rest
What other influences affect infant & toddler physical growth and development?
- Prenatal care and development: genetic inheritances, exposure to drugs and alcohol
- Prematurity
- Temperament
- Family’s composition, lifestyle, level of education & housing
- Maturation
- Developmental delays or disabilities
What problems come with low birth weight?
Respiration difficulties, vision problems, feeding & digestive problems
What are gross motor skills?
The movement of large muscles in the body, sitting, crawling, walking and jumping
What are fine motor skills?
The coordination of small muscles in the hands and fingers, crucial for grasping, holding, and manipulating objects
How’s the development of gross motor skills for children from birth to 3 months?
- Limited control over their body movements
- Starts to develop head control
- Can lift their head while lying on their stomach
How’s the development of gross motor skills for children from 4 months to 6 months?
- Infants can roll over from their stomach to back and vice versa
- Begins to support some of their weight with their legs when held upright
How’s the development of gross motor skills for children from 7 months to 9 months?
- Starts to sit without support
- Crawl
- May pull themselves into a standing position using furniture
How’s the development of gross motor skills for children from 10 months to 12 months?
- Can stand alone briefly
- Start to walk with assistance or take first steps unaided
How’s the development of fine motor skills for children from birth to 3 months?
- More reflexive, like their grasp reflex
- Begin to open and close their hands
- Can swipe at objects
How’s the development of fine motor skills for children from 4 months to 6 months?
- Develops the ability to voluntarily grasp objects
- Start to reach for or explore objects with hands & mouth
How’s the development of fine motor skills for children from 7 months to 9 months?
- Improves ability to transfer objects from one hand to another
- May begin to show preference for one hand over the other
- Starts to develop the pincer grasp
How’s the development of fine motor skills for children from 10 months to 12 months?
- Refines their pincer grasp
- Begins to demonstrate more purposeful manipulation of objects (putting objects into a container and then taking them out again)
How do you support motor skills development?
- Provide safe spaces: use baby-proofing measures
- Encourage exploration: safe toys and objects of different textures, sizes, shapes to stimulate curiosity
- Active play: encourage movements
- Practice skills: Offer opportunities for practicing standing and walking
What kind of toys can help with developing fine motor skills?
Soft books or blocks