1.1. Outline the development of young children in the first three years of life

This guide will help you answer 1.1. Outline the development of young children in the first three years of life.

Physical Development in the First Year

From birth to one year, babies grow and change at a fast pace. Physical development means how the body moves and matures. This includes gross motor skills, which involve movement of the whole body, and fine motor skills, which involve smaller movements.

In the first few months, babies have reflexes. These are automatic movements, such as sucking when something touches their mouth. They can grasp an adult finger, turn their head towards a sound and startle at sudden noises.

By around four months, babies can often lift their heads when lying on their stomachs. They begin to wave their arms and kick their legs with more control. Eye movements become more focused and they can track objects moving across their field of vision.

By six months, many babies can roll over. They reach for toys and hold objects for a short time. Sitting with support can happen around this stage.

By nine months, babies can usually sit without help for longer periods. They may begin to crawl or shuffle on their bottom. Hand–eye coordination improves and they can pass objects from one hand to the other.

By twelve months, many babies can pull themselves up to stand. Some may begin to take first steps. Fine motor skills improve and they can pick up small items using a pincer grip, where thumb and finger work together.

Physical Development in the Second Year

Between one and two years, toddlers strengthen muscles and improve balance. Walking becomes more steady and confidence grows. Climbing furniture, pulling toys and carrying objects become common.

By around 18 months, toddlers can squat to pick up toys and stand back up without falling. They can throw balls in a simple way. They can feed themselves finger foods and begin to use spoons, though with some spilling.

During this time, fine motor skills improve. Toddlers can stack a few blocks, turn pages in board books and start to scribble with crayons. They may try to help with dressing, such as pushing their arms through sleeves.

By two years, many children can run without clumsiness, kick a ball and climb stairs with both feet on each step. Coordination is still developing but movements are more controlled.

Physical Development in the Third Year

From two to three years, the body becomes stronger and more agile. Children can run with more control, jump with both feet and climb playground equipment. They can start to pedal a tricycle.

Balance is good enough for walking on tiptoe for a short time. They can catch a large ball most of the time and begin to throw more accurately.

Fine motor skills progress further. Children can draw simple shapes, build towers of more than six blocks and turn pages in books with less difficulty. They can use a spoon and fork and may start practising with a plastic knife.

Self-care skills develop. Many children can pull down trousers, put on shoes and wash their hands with guidance.

Cognitive Development in the First Year

Cognitive development is about how the brain learns and understands the world. Newborns respond to senses such as touch, sound and light. They recognise voices and prefer faces over other shapes.

By around three months, babies begin to smile in response to familiar people. They start to show boredom when activities do not change and excitement when they see new toys.

Around six months, babies look for dropped objects and show interest in how they work. They enjoy simple games like peekaboo, which teaches object permanence, meaning they realise something still exists even when they cannot see it.

By one year, they copy actions they see, such as waving goodbye. They begin to understand simple words and may respond to familiar requests.

Cognitive Development in the Second Year

Between one and two years, toddlers learn through exploration and trial and error. They experiment with objects, such as stacking, sorting and filling containers.

Memory improves, and they remember routines and where favourite toys are kept. They start to solve problems in simple ways, such as finding a step to reach something high.

They begin to use pretend play. This might include feeding a doll or pretending a block is a car. This shows they can think about things that are not actually happening.

By two years, they can follow simple two-step instructions, such as “pick up the ball and give it to me”.

Cognitive Development in the Third Year

From two to three years, thinking skills grow fast. Children can match shapes and colours. They can count small groups of objects, though numbers are not yet accurate.

Problem solving develops. Children try different ways to reach a goal, such as using a stick to pull a toy closer. They can remember more events and sequences.

Pretend play becomes more complex. They create longer stories and include other children in their play ideas. They start to understand simple concepts like “under”, “inside” and “bigger”.

Language Development in the First Year

Language development starts from birth. Babies cry to show needs. By two months, they coo and make vowel sounds.

Around four to six months, they babble, linking consonants and vowels, like “ba” or “da”. They listen to tone of voice and respond with noises.

By nine months, they understand “no” and recognise familiar names. They repeat sounds they enjoy.

By one year, they may say one or two clear words, along with babbling. They use gestures such as pointing and waving.

Language Development in the Second Year

Between one and two years, toddlers’ vocabulary grows quickly. They can say about 50 words by age two and understand many more.

They start joining two words, such as “want juice” or “go park”. They name familiar objects and people.

They can follow simple requests and respond with short sentences. They enjoy listening to stories and songs.

Language Development in the Third Year

From two to three years, speech becomes clearer and more complex. Vocabulary can reach 200 to 300 words.

Children use short sentences of three to four words. They ask questions like “what’s that?” or “where go?”. They can retell simple events.

They begin to use plurals and simple grammar, though mistakes are common. They can join in with rhymes and understand most of what is said to them.

Social and Emotional Development in the First Year

Newborns rely on caregivers. They show comfort when held and distress when needs are not met.

By three months, babies smile in response to faces. They enjoy interaction, such as gentle talking and singing.

By six months, they recognise familiar people and show fear around strangers.

At one year, they may feel separation anxiety when a caregiver leaves. They show affection with hugs and smiles.

Social and Emotional Development in the Second Year

Toddlers form strong attachments to caregivers. They want independence but still need reassurance.

They may play alongside other children but not yet interact much. This is called parallel play.

They express a wide range of emotions. Frustration can lead to tantrums. They begin to show empathy by trying to comfort someone in distress.

They can imitate adult actions, like sweeping with a toy broom.

Social and Emotional Development in the Third Year

By this stage, children seek interaction with peers. They start to share and take turns with guidance.

Cooperative play begins, where they work together in pretend games. They develop friendships.

They better control emotions but still need help managing frustration or disappointment.

They gain self-confidence from mastering new skills and enjoy praise.

Final Thoughts

The first three years of life bring extraordinary change in every area of development. Children grow from completely dependent infants to self-aware young learners with many skills. Each stage builds on the one before it, and progress happens at different rates for each child.

Understanding these stages helps workers support children in the right way. By knowing what to expect, you can spot early signs of difficulty and provide the right activities and encouragement to help every child reach their potential.