Social development: The first five years

• Baby begins gurgling and smiling.

• Baby recognises familiar people and acts sociably – smiling, staring, kicking and waving arms excitedly.

• Your baby can play interactive games like clapping and peek-a-boo.
• Your baby will get anxious around strangers from seven or eight months and will become quite clingy. Keep socialising with other moms and babies though.
• As his mom, you are the centre of his social world.
• He won’t show much interest in other babies or children.

• Your baby likes to interact with other children, approaching them and playing silently side by side (parallel play).
• He is unlikely to play co-operatively and will grab toys and be reluctant to share.
• He has no concept of taking turns and his favourite words will be ‘mine’ and ‘no’.
• He might alternate between clinginess and resistance towards you.
• He ‘shows off’ to seek attention.

• He uses language to communicate his needs and expresses a wide range of emotions. Encourage him by naming emotions.
• He will show more interest in other children and may even show prefer¬ences for particular ‘friends’. Help him by making arrangements or joining a play group.
• If shown how, he will stop grabbing toys, start sharing and taking turns – although he may find this very difficult.
• He will fight with other children.
• Try to make him aware of other people’s feelings through talking about yours, showing him pictures and reading him stories.
• He will be able to leave you more easily. 3 years
• He may become more outgoing, but not necessarily in a group.
• Fights and squabbles are common.
• He is starting to develop sensitivity to other people’s feelings.
• Encourage him to share and praise him when he does. 4-5 years
• As his vocabulary and language skills explode, he will enjoy talking to adults and children, making up stories and songs.
• He becomes bored when he spends too much time alone.
• He learns to say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ by your example.
• He begins to form a friendship with a particular child, but don’t expect it to run smoothly!
• Supervise play and help resolve disputes by suggesting new activities.

• He may become more outgoing, but not necessarily in a group.
• Fights and squabbles are common.
• He is starting to develop sensitivity to other people’s feelings.
• Encourage him to share and praise him when he does.

• As his vocabulary and language skills explode, he will enjoy talking to adults and children, making up stories and songs.
• He becomes bored when he spends too much time alone.
• He learns to say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ by your example.
• He begins to form a friendship with a particular child, but don’t expect it to run smoothly!
• Supervise play and help resolve disputes by suggesting new activities.

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