4 Stages of Development
At each of the four stages of development, from birth to age eleven, there is virtually a different being inhabiting your home. To get a flavour of each stage, it may be useful to keep these different creatures in mind:
Infant: a small, squawking, hungry little bird, all mouth and unable to fly on its own
Toddler: a curious monkey, a veritable natural scientist bent on actively exploring the world
Early Childhood/Preschooler: a fanciful, talkative sprite, whose sense of the world is magical more than logical
MiddleChildhood/ Grade schooler – a busy industrious beaver, who leaves home to join others at school, to learn and to discover who he/she is and how to fit into the world outside the family.