What a child should be able to do at the age of 1: developmental benchmarks.
What a child should be able to do at the age of 1: developmental benchmarks.
The development of a child in the first year of life is rapid and dynamic. Every day, the baby learns new skills, learns to interact with the world around him or her and explore his or her capabilities.
It is important to remember that every child develops individually. There are no strict standards for what a child should be able to do at a certain age.
However, there are developmental benchmarks that can help parents and professionals assess a child's progress. Here are some of the basic skills that a child can master by the age of 1:
Physical development:
- Holding the head: by 3 months, the child should be able to confidently hold the head while lying on the stomach, and by 6 months - while sitting.
- Roll over: By 6 months, most children can roll over from their backs to their stomachs and vice versa.
- Sitting: by 10 months, a child should be able to sit unsupported.
- Trying to walk: by the age of 1, many children take their first steps by holding on to a support or walking on their own.
- Grabbing objects: by 3 months, the baby grabs objects reflexively, and by 6 months, he or she can purposefully grab and throw objects.
- First words: by 1 year, a child can say simple words such as "mama", "papa", "grandma", "give".
Social and emotional development:
- Smiling: by 6 weeks, the child begins to smile in response to stimulation.
- Communicate: by 3 months, the baby is humming, and by 6 months, he/she is babbling and pronouncing syllables.
- Express emotions: by the age of 1, a child can express joy, sadness, anger, and fear.
- Recognize loved ones: by 6 months, a child recognizes loved ones, and by 1 year, he or she may be shy around strangers.
- Play: By the age of 1, a child loves to play with toys, explore the world around them, and imitate adults.
Cognitive development:
- Paying attention to sounds: by 3 months, the child reacts to sounds, and by 6 months, he or she can turn his or her head to the source of the sound.
- Follow objects: By 3 months, a child can follow moving objects with his eyes, and by 6 months, he can grab moving objects.
- Distinguish between objects: By 6 months, a child can distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar objects, and by 1 year, they can find similar objects.
- Comply with simple requests: by the age of 1, a child can understand simple requests such as "give", "put", "lie down".