Social and Emotional Growth: The First Five Years (continued)

• actively seeks interaction
• starts to show interest in another child
• searches surroundings for people and new items
• laughs at funny faces
• shows anger when toy is taken away
• smiles and laughs at baby games
• starts to imitate the inflection in people's voices
• shows pleasure and displeasure
• cries when separated from caregiver
• prefers familiar persons to others; may fear strangers

From 8-12 months the child

• plays and tests social reactions of others by doing "unusual" or "naughty" things
• smiles at, pats or even kisses his own image in mirror
• may refuse to be confined in crib or play pen
• buries head in parent's shoulder when meeting new people, but usually warms up
• shows moods by facial expressions
• plays interactive games such as peek-a-boo and patty-cake
• seeks approval and responds to "no"
• offers toys to others
• helps with getting dressed and maybe putting things away
• will search for a person, pet or item when they are mentioned
• uses sounds, gestures and facial expressions to gain attention
• is learning to self-regulate (in terms of sleeping and eating) and parents should be flexible in adapting to the baby's schedule

By the end of the first year of life, the toddler smiles easily and shows affection for others by hugging, kissing and snuggling.

Second Year Milestones

By 13 months the child

• enjoys being around other children; babbles or talks into a play phone and makes pretend conversation
• can play simple interactive games such as chase me/catch me
• imitates simple acts, such as hugging or fondling a doll and can play interactive games such as peek-a-boo, so-big, and pat-a-cake
• initiates interactions such as reaching out to be picked up
• responds to limits set by parents voice or gesture

By 15 months the child

• kisses and greets people
• loves to imitate activities she sees around the house, such as cooking, dusting, hammering

By 18 months the child

• seeks help from adults
• protests or shows anger by using voice and gesture

By two years the child

• is learning that what she does has an impact on the world; she can make things happen
• is becoming aware of herself as an individual
• is developing visual self-recognition (in a mirror) and verbal self-reference (Susie big)
• wants to assert her own independent style. She wants to do things for herself and takes pride in accomplishment. When she falls short however, she can become frustrated and resort to crying or tantrums
• is becoming sensitive to events that violate her sense of the way things are "supposed to be," such as a doll missing an arm or dirt on clothes
• imitates adults in her play, for example, using a hammer to bang and a spoon to feed her.
• is beginning to imitate her parents' tone of voice and gender specific behavior

Two-to-Three Year Milestones

Between ages 2 and 3 the child

• begins to interact with his environment in new ways. He is becoming aware that the feelings and wishes of others may be different than his own and develops the capacity for empathy. His imagination is flourishing and his world is filled with make-believe
• is learning to master fears through play
• is often assertive, refuses assistance and insists on doing things himself
• is able to explore the world without the physical presence of his mother as he becomes more autonomous
• can engage directly with other children, unlike a younger child who tends to enjoy playing side by side with other children (parallel play)
• may have difficulty with sharing and taking turns
• by the age of three the childs emotional repertoire broadens beyond the basic emotions of infancy; she can experience emotions like pride in accomplishment, guilt over doing something provocative, and embarrassment in social situations.

Four-to-Five Year Milestones

The friendly, talkative and curious preschooler explores ways of relating to people; her self-confidence expands and she likes to please others. She is learning to read the reactions of others, and she can be empathic and show sympathy and concern if a person is hurt or sad. She enjoys playing with other children, but her own needs may prevail and lead to problems in sharing and taking part in complex group play. Although she can still be cranky and stubborn at times, she is more responsive to reasoning.