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Development of one- to three-year-old children

Each child is unique and develops at different speeds. It is therefore important to support each child according to their needs. Children develop in spurts and suddenly make leaps and bounds. They are curious and always want to discover new things – this promotes development.

During the various stages of development, parents often need to have lots of patience and understanding. The development of your child will be monitored medically through parent-child pass examinations. The following text gives a rough overview of the most important developmental steps from the first to the third year of life:

In the second year of life (12-24 months), children begin to develop many motor skills: They learn to walk, are better at holding things and begin to actively explore the world around them. Their ability to speak develops further. For example, they will already be able to say simple words such as "mum" and "dad". During this time, children understand simple instructions and begin to communicate through gestures: For example, they will extend their arms to be picked up. Both interest and anxiety around others or strangers may increase. At this age, children perceive themselves and also learn to deal with disappointments. 

In the third year of life (24-36 months), children become significantly more active... They run, jump and try to keep their balance. To do this, they will balance along the pavement, for example. They are often already able to solve and draw light puzzles. Their vocabulary grows and they begin to form two-word sentences. During this time, children like to play alongside others and become more interactive. They will also be able to better express and understand their feelings. Children will now also be able to play more difficult games. They have more imagination, can slip into other roles and better understand their environment

In the fourth year of life (36-48 months), children will also be able to perform more difficult movements and, for example, will already be standing on one leg. They will already be running faster and can skilfully avoid obstacles. A child of this age already has a larger vocabulary, can form complete sentences and tell simple stories. They can also understand and follow more difficult instructions. Many children now better understand what friendship means and how to deal with friends. They can recognise numbers and colours, solve simple puzzles and already have a lot of imagination in role-play. 

At each stage, it is important that you give your child the necessary time for their development. While some children progress quickly in certain areas, others need more time and support. You can support these developmental steps well through patient, encouraging and loving behaviour. Enough stimuli can promote children's curiosity and thus also their development. During developmental spurts, however, children often find themselves a little overwhelmed. They may be restless, whiny, aggressive or nagging. It is important that you support your child with understanding and patience.

For more information on your child's development:

In the event of problems or abnormalities during development, please contact your treating paediatrician or specialised outpatient clinics for developmental diagnostics and support

Or find out about local development diagnostics or development support services in your area.

For more details on various topics, you can download or order the brochures entitled 'ElternTipps'. In it you will find information on, for example...

  • getting clean,
  • sexual development,
  • how to deal with digital media and 
  • parenting tips.