Developmental Milestones: What to Expect at Each Stage
As your child grows at Precious Angels, you'll see them learn new skills and reach important milestones. Understanding these developmental stages can help you better support your child's growth and celebrate their achievements. Here’s a deeper look into what you can expect at each stage:
Infants
We provide a safe and stimulating environment for your baby to explore, learn, and grow. Our Caterpillar Room teachers meet your child’s daily needs in a timely manner and show them lots of love.
Physical:
Gain head control
Roll over
Sit with support
Start crawling
Improve hand-eye coordination
Cognitive:
Recognize familiar faces and voices
Explore through senses: touch, taste, and sight
Begin to understand cause and effect
Social & Emotional:
Express emotions through coos, gurgles, and smiles
Form bonds with caregivers
Develop a sense of trust and security
What Parents Can Do at Home: Encourage plenty of tummy time to strengthen neck and shoulder muscles. During this time, you'll see many gross motor developmental milestones. Use brightly colored toys that make noise to stimulate your baby's senses and encourage reaching and grasping. Spend time talking, singing, and reading to your baby to promote cognitive milestones and bonding.
Older Infants
The Butterfly Room is for mobile infants. We offer a variety of age-appropriate activities that encourage exploration, language development, and social interaction.
Physical:
Crawl and cruise along furniture
Take first steps
Develop fine motor skills (picking up small objects)
Cognitive:
Understand simple words
Follow basic instructions
Enjoy exploring cause and effect
Social & Emotional:
Enjoy simple games with caregivers
Show a wider range of emotions
What Parents Can Do at Home: Encourage your baby to move by placing toys just out of reach to motivate crawling or cruising. Play simple games like peek-a-boo and pat-a-cake to stimulate social interaction and cognitive skills. Read books and name objects to enhance language development.
Young Toddlers
In the Penguin Room and Elephant Room, we provide a stimulating environment with age-appropriate activities. These activities promote speech, social developmental milestones, and problem-solving skills.
Physical:
Walk with more confidence
Climb stairs
Start to run and jump
Scribble, stack blocks, and turn pages
Cognitive:
Use simple words and phrases
Explore surroundings with curiosity
Begin to solve simple problems
Social & Emotional:
Develop a sense of self and independence
Show signs of defiance and seek attention
Play alongside other children
What Parents Can Do at Home: Encourage physical activity by providing a safe space for walking and climbing. Engage in interactive play, such as building with blocks or drawing together, to enhance fine motor skills. Read books together and encourage your toddler to name objects and repeat words to support language development.
Older Toddlers
In the Monkey Room, learning is a core focus, and they will rotate between 3-4 learning stations. Each station consists of fine and gross motor, art, sensory, and movement.
Physical:
Run, jump, and kick a ball
Ride a tricycle
Use utensils more effectively
Cognitive:
Use longer sentences and a wider vocabulary
Ask questions and explore new concepts
Develop a sense of time and routine
Social & Emotional:
Engage in cooperative play
Learn to share and take turns
Understand basic social rules
What Parents Can Do at Home: Create chances for your toddler to practice running, jumping, and climbing in a safe environment. Play interactive games and ask open-ended questions to stimulate cognitive development. Encourage sharing and taking turns during playdates to enhance social skills.
Preschoolers
In the Kangaroo Room, we begin to follow a structured routine to encourage knowledge and structural growth.
Physical:
Enjoy running, jumping, climbing, and dancing
Draw simple shapes and cut with scissors
String beads and perform other fine motor tasks
Cognitive:
Engage in pretend play and storytelling
Learn counting, colors, and shapes
Understand more complex concepts
Social & Emotional:
Navigate social situations and make friends
Understand and manage emotions better
Follow social rules and resolve conflicts
What Parents Can Do at Home: Encourage imaginative play with costumes and props to foster creativity. Practice counting, identifying colors, and naming shapes during everyday activities. Teach and model social skills such as taking turns and expressing emotions calmly.
Pre-Kindergarten
In the Owl Room, we focus on helping your child achieve those kindergarten developmental milestones.
Physical:
Hop on one foot, skip, and throw a ball with accuracy
Write their name and draw detailed pictures
Dress themselves independently
Cognitive:
Explore new concepts and ask questions
Develop pre-reading and pre-math skills
Understand time, sequence, and cause-and-effect relationships
Social & Emotional:
Form closer friendships and navigate social dynamics
Manage emotions and express needs
Resolve conflicts peacefully
What Parents Can Do at Home: Practice writing letters and numbers to develop fine motor skills. Encourage your child to ask questions and explore new ideas through hands-on activities. Teach problem-solving skills and help your child navigate social situations by role-playing different scenarios.
Every child is unique and will develop at their own pace. The milestones described here are just a general guideline. If you have any concerns about your child's development, don't hesitate to talk to your child's teachers at Precious Angels. We're here to support you and your child every step of the way.
