Early childhood encompasses ages 1 to 4 years. Huge changes take place during this stage, as tiny, dependent infants transform into children who can walk, talk and begin formal learning.  

By their fourth birthday, most children attain a height that is double their length at birth. They also gain muscle control, balance and eye-hand coordination, which enable them to become more physically active and independent.

Motor skills generally achieved during early childhood development include the ability to walk, run, kick and throw a ball overhead as well as pedal a tricycle. By age 4, children can also eat, dress and undress without assistance.

Children also experience huge developmental changes in their cognitive and language abilities during these years. At age 1, most children are able to say a few intelligible words. By their fourth birthday, most children speak clearly in sentences of four to six words, have a vocabulary of more than 1,500 words and understand the concept of counting.

Healthy children develop at their own pace, and it is normal for some to achieve various developmental milestones earlier or later than others. The time frames used in this patient guide should serve as a rough estimate rather than an exact schedule of how early childhood development will unfold. Parents looking for a specific behavior at a specific time should observe the child over one month.

Failure to meet certain milestones may be signs of possible developmental delays. For example, a child who has not learned to walk by the age of 18 months may be delayed.  Other delays during early childhood years can include, but are not limited to,  failure to thrive, not being able to throw a ball overhand or ride a tricycle, showing no interest in interactive games, not using the personal pronouns “me” and “you” appropriately, not responding to people outside the family, or excessive aggression. In addition, children sometimes lose skills they had already mastered.