Physical Child Development

Child Development

Babies grow and develop at a very rapid rate during the first year of life. They grow physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially. In this paper I will discuss the physical growth and development patterns of an infant all the way through adulthood.

Development is the baby's increased skill in using various body parts. When dealing with a development of a child there are three basic development rules. First development rule: This rule says that babies develop in the head region first, then the trunk, and lastly in the legs and feet. For example, a baby can hold up their head before they can grasp an object with their hand. Also they can feed themselves before they can walk. Second development rule: The second development rule explains that children develop from the mid line, or center of the body, outward toward the fingers and toes.

Third development rule: Finally, this rule reveals that, as the brain develops, a child responds to more and more sights and sounds in their environment. Furthermore, they learn to respond to much finer details. A general rule is that a baby increases in height by 50% and triples its birth weight in the first year. Clearly, this is a very rapid growth rate; however, the rate of growth slows down after infancy. At three months, a baby is alert and responding to the world. When put on their tummy, they can hold their chest and head up for ten seconds. They try to swipe at toys hung over the crib. They turn their heads toward an interesting sound or listen to voices. Babies love to stare at people's faces. They coo and gurgle.

At six months a baby is developing control over its body. They can sit with support and may sit alone for short periods of time. They can roll over. They will hold out their arms to be lifted up or reach and grab an object. They can hold their own bottles and toys. They laugh out loud, babbles, "calls" for help and screams when annoyed. At nine months babies are exploring their environment. They can sit unassisted, crawl, pull to a stand and sidestep along furniture. They can use their fingers to point, poke, and grasp small objects. They feed themselves finger foods. Babies know their names and respond to simple commands. She babbles a pattern as if she were speaking a foreign language. At twelve months a baby is striving for independence. They stand and may walk by the...

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...dolescence. Puberty rites signal acknowledgment of a young woman or young man has reached the age of responsibility, virility and community productivity, and these rites make an impression on the teenager or adolescent. Puberty rites are an attempt to mold and educate the teenagers and prepare them for their new role in life. Today, in our western culture part of the world, we have no clearly defined rites; however our rites are randomly scattered throughout the mid-teen years.

For teenagers, getting your driver's license, entering college, turning legal age, traveling across America or to Europe are all social rites. To further complicate matters, the period of adolescence has probably doubled in length since Mr. Hall first identified it, our children mature younger and younger and take longer and longer to prepare for fully engaged membership into adulthood. Through all of the readings on child and adolescent development, it is clear that children from birth through teen years all develop according to many factors; society, peers, education, family life, finances, fetal development, pre dispositions, and basically anything or anyone that the child may come in contact with.