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Child psychology is a wast topic . Whatever environment and learning children gets from their surroundings make an impact on their personality. To understand child psychology one has to focus on the cognitive, emotional, social and behavioral development of children from infancy to adolescent age. Which includes how a child thinks,feels and behaves.During the different stages of life an individual changes and develops physically ,cognitively, emotionally and socially. A person passes 4 stages of childhood before turning into an adult.

The development period from birth to 1 year is called infancy. Infants experience rapid physical growth and motor development during this period of time. They gain muscle strength,control over their movements and motor skills like rolling ,crawling , sitting and eventually standing,walking.infants start to explore their environment through their sense and action.infants form attachment.They begin to display emotions such as smiling,laughing ,crying,fear and eye contact.They distinguish between different sounds.Their sleep tends to be fragmented.

The development period from 1 to 2 years of age is called the toddler. stage. In this stage children experience growth in height and weight ,slower than infancy.they gain better control over their motor skills such as walking, running and climbing.they start eating and engage in more precise hand movements.They also develop speech and begin to use single words and gradually combine words to form simple sentences.They begin to show empathy and develop rudimentary social skills.Seperation anxiety present but gradually decrease as they develop trust in their caregivers.They experience wife range of tantrums or frustration when they face difficulty communicating their needs. As they develop language and social skills,they express their emotions verbally.

The development period from 2 to 6 is called the early childhood stage. Children continue to grow in height weight and motor skills, become more refined.This is also known as preschool stage.Thry engage in activities like jumping, hopping, riding a tricycle, drawing, colouring cutting etc.Language skill expand rapidly during this period.children acquire more extensive vocabulary and complex sentences.They also develop phonological awareness to understand the sounds.They also starts reading and writing.Their memory and attention span improve.During this stage of children they engage in coopative play and form friendship with peers.They begin to understand and follow social rules and regulations.Children may experience emotional outburst or difficulties in strong emotions. They start to develop a sense of self identity, including their own likes, dislikes and preferences.They wanted to do things on their own and make choices. They develop a sense of gender identity and exhibit gender type behaviour as well as interest.Childern engage in early literacy activities,mathematical concept and sorting. In this stage children engage in imaginative play.constructing narratives and scenarios.

The development period from 7 to 11 years refered to middle childhood. Children experience continued growth in height and weight. Fine motor skills also improve, allowing them to write more neatly, manipulate small objects with precision and engage in activities that require dexterity.They develop improved problem solving skills, critical thinking abilities and logical reasoning. They acquire a deeper understanding of science,maths and the world around them Memory,attention span improve. Language skill expand and children learn more sophisticated vocabulary and grammar.Childern become more fluent, independent readers and writers.They become increasingly aware about social norms, rules and expectations.Friendship become more important and children develop more intimate,reciprocal relationships with peer.Sense of empathy and understanding of others perspective develop.

Children in this age develop a Clearer sense of self identity.They start define themselves on their abilities, interest and characteristics.selfestem can be influenced by their accomplishment, social interactions and feedback from others. They develop a strong sense of right and wrong. They show an increased awareness of fairness, justice and rules.They learn to manage their time, complete assignments and interaction with peers and teachers.They develop skills in various academic subjects.

The development period from 12 to 19 years of age referred as adolescents or teen age. During this period rapid physical growth and changes associated with puberty.Secondary sexual characteristics develop such as breast development in females and facial hair growth in males.Thr body goes under hormonal changes that influence maturation cluding the onset of mrnsturation in girls and the derpening of the voice in boys.They engage in more advanced problem solving, planning and decision making.At this stage they are going through exploring and forming one’s identity. Adolescents navigate social relationships and develop a strong sense of independence. They seek peer acceptance from close friendship, explore romantic relationships. Emotional regulation continue.During this period they experience mood swings and intense emotions. They may question societal norms and develop their own moral values, principles.They begin to think about their future and consider potential educational and career path.They may experience some uncertainty and identity confusion as they navigate through these decisions.Adolescents often seek approval and acceptance from their peers.Peer influence can play a role in shaping their behaviour and attitude.In addition in current scenario influence of social media becomes prominent, impacting their self perception, social interactions and exposure to information.

It’s important for parents, educators and caregivers to provide a safe space for children at every stage of their childhood journey to explore their identity, support their academic and career goals andpromote healthy social and emotional development.

Keshi Gupta
Writer poetess social activist and motivational speaker, Certification in child General and clinical psychology.