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What is Permanence in child development?
Permanence, or object permanence, is a toddler's growing understanding that people and things still exist even when out of sight. Beginning around 8–12 months and strengthening through the toddler years, it is a foundational cognitive milestone that underpins memory, language, pretend play and the confidence to separate from a parent. It develops naturally through play, with wide healthy variation — and is not a diagnosis but a skill to notice and nurture.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is Planning & Organization in child development?
Planning and organisation is a child's developing ability to think ahead, break a task into steps, sequence them and gather what is needed to begin and finish. Part of the brain's executive functions, it sits within ICF higher-level cognitive functions (b1641) and grows most between about 3 and 7 years. It is a strength to nurture, not a diagnosis, and emerging skills respond well to playful, everyday practice.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is Play & Imagination in child development?
Play and imagination is how children explore and understand the world through self-directed activity. Between roughly 3 and 7 years it becomes richly imaginative — pretend roles, using one object for another, and shared games with friends. It is not just fun: it powerfully builds social skills, language, flexible thinking and empathy, and offers a clear window onto a child's development.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is Play in child development?
Play is how toddlers learn about the world, build relationships and practise new skills — it is the natural engine of early development, not just passing the time. Between 12 and 36 months, play grows from simple exploring into functional play, pretend play and turn-taking with others. Each kind of play builds a different ability — language, attention, movement and the social give-and-take that underpins friendships and learning. Watching how a child plays is a gentle window into social and communication growth.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is Play Skills in child development?
Play skills are the abilities a child uses to explore, pretend, build, share and connect through play. Play is how children practise language, imagination, problem-solving and friendship, and it develops in steps — from exploring objects to functional play, pretend play and cooperative, imaginative play with friends. Watching a child's play gives a rich picture of their social and thinking development, and gentle, playful support helps these skills grow.
Read the answer AnswerPretend-Play in Child Development
Pretend-play is when a toddler uses objects, actions or roles to stand for something else — feeding a doll, 'talking' on a toy phone, or cooking with blocks. Emerging between roughly 12 and 36 months, it is one of the richest signs of healthy imagination, language and social development. It is a growing skill, not a pass-or-fail test, and very limited pretend-play by around age 2 is a gentle reason to seek a developmental review.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is Problem-Solving in child development?
Problem-solving is a toddler's growing ability to face something new or tricky and work out what to do by looking, trying, thinking and trying again. Between roughly 12 and 36 months it shows in everyday play — fitting shapes, stacking blocks, using a stool to reach. It is a cognitive skill (ICF b1), not a test, and it builds steadily with unhurried play and gentle encouragement. A friendly developmental check can map strengths if a clear gap appears across several areas.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is Processing Speed in child development?
Processing speed is how efficiently a child takes in everyday information — what they see, hear or read — understands it, and responds. It is a measure of pace, not of intelligence or effort: a bright child may simply need more time. In ICF terms it sits within mental functions (b147). It affects how comfortably a child keeps up with classroom pace, conversation and play, and many children thrive with extra time and chunked instructions.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is Quantitative Reasoning in child development?
Quantitative reasoning is a child's growing ability to think with numbers and amounts — comparing quantities, counting, sorting and solving simple everyday number problems. Mapped to ICF d172 (Calculating), it is a cognitive skill that emerges in everyday play long before formal maths, weaving together with language, attention and memory. It is not a diagnosis but a way of noticing where playful support may help.
Read the answer AnswerReasoning in Child Development
Reasoning is a child's growing ability to think things through — connecting cause and effect, solving small problems, sorting, comparing and using what they know to work out something new. In toddlers (12–36 months) it shows up in everyday play, such as fitting shapes, anticipating routines or finding a hidden toy, not in words or tests. It is a key cognitive building block of learning that grows through exploration, repetition and gentle guidance, and children develop at their own pace.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is Receptive Language in child development?
Receptive language is a child's ability to understand the words, instructions, questions and stories they hear. It develops earlier than spoken language and underpins learning, friendships and following everyday routines. Between roughly 3 and 7 years it grows from following single instructions to understanding multi-step directions, concepts and questions. Noticing where understanding needs support early — not as a diagnosis — helps a child thrive.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is Relationship in child development?
In child development, a relationship is the warm, dependable bond a child forms with carers, family and, later, friends. For toddlers it is the foundation for feeling safe to explore, sharing attention, reading feelings and connecting through words and play. Healthy early relationships are how social and emotional skills first take root — not a diagnosis, but the soil everything else grows from.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is Repetitive in child development?
In child development, repetitive means actions, sounds or play a child does over and over in much the same way — lining up toys, repeating words, rocking. In toddlers, much repetition is normal and healthy, helping them practise skills and feel secure. It is worth a closer look only when it is very intense, hard to interrupt, or seems to replace play and connection — which is a cue for a friendly developmental review, not a diagnosis.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is Response-to-Name in child development?
Response-to-Name is a child's ability to turn, look or react when their name is called — one of the earliest social-communication skills. By around 9–12 months most babies turn consistently, and it becomes reliable in the toddler years. It reflects social attention and joint attention, not a pass-or-fail test, and an overall pattern of rarely responding by 12–18 months is worth a gentle developmental check after ruling out hearing.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is Routine in child development?
A routine is the regular, predictable order of a toddler's daily events — waking, meals, play, naps and sleep. Between one and three years, this rhythm builds a sense of safety, helps a young child anticipate what comes next, and supports attention, language, social connection and emotional steadiness. It is not about rigid discipline but a comforting, flexible frame that lets a toddler feel secure enough to explore and learn.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is School Readiness, and How is it Built?
School readiness is the set of everyday skills a child builds before formal schooling begins that help them settle, listen, make friends and learn — spanning language, attention, social-emotional confidence, fine-motor control and self-care. It is not about early reading; it grows gently through play, conversation and predictable routines over the years before school. A slower-developing thread is an invitation to add early support, not a verdict, and early review protects a child's confidence and love of learning.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is Self-Monitoring in child development?
Self-monitoring is a child's growing ability to keep an eye on their own thoughts, actions and feelings — noticing how a task is going, catching mistakes and adjusting. Classified under ICF b164 (self-awareness), it develops gradually between about 3 and 7 years, moving from adult prompts to an inner habit. It underpins attention, problem-solving and friendships, and responds well to playful practice; persistent difficulty past five may warrant a developmental review.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is Self-Sufficiency readiness, and how is it built?
Self-Sufficiency readiness is how ready a child is to manage age-appropriate daily living and self-care — eating, dressing, toileting, washing and asking for help. It is not a diagnosis but a gentle way of noticing where independence is strong and where support may help. It is built step by step through everyday practice, encouragement and small responsibilities that grow with the child.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is Situational in child development?
In child development, 'situational' means a young child's skills, behaviour and mood can change depending on the setting — who is present, where they are, and how familiar the routine feels. It is normal and expected: context shapes how abilities show up. Because of this, watching a toddler across several everyday situations gives a truer picture than a single snapshot. A difference seen only in one setting often points to the setting; one seen everywhere is worth a closer look.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is Social Awareness in child development?
Social awareness is a child's growing ability to notice and make sense of other people — their feelings, needs and the unspoken rules of a situation. It underpins kindness, sharing, friendship and cooperation. In children aged about 3 to 7 it shows as reading a friend's face, taking turns, and beginning to understand others may want something different. It develops gradually and unevenly, and that is normal — playful practice helps it grow.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is Social Communication in child development?
Social communication is how a child uses language together with non-verbal cues — eye contact, gesture, expression and tone — to connect with others: to share, ask, greet, take turns and play. It is not just what a child says but how they use it socially (ICF d350). Between three and seven years it grows quickly, as children learn conversation, social rules and reading others' feelings. It is not a diagnosis but a developmental area worth gentle attention if a child struggles to connect with peers.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is Social Development in child development?
Social development is how a child gradually learns to connect with others — sharing, taking turns, making friends, understanding feelings and following the unspoken rules of being together. It is not a single skill but a web of abilities that grows through play and everyday moments, especially between ages 3 and 7. Differences in pace are common, and warm modelling and practice help these skills bloom; an early review simply guides support where it helps.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is Social in child development?
Social development is how a child learns to connect with people — noticing others, sharing feelings, taking turns and building relationships. In toddlers (about 1 to 3 years) it appears as joint attention, imitation, simple turn-taking, sharing and early pretend play alongside peers. It is not about being outgoing; it is the foundation of relating, and it grows with everyday warmth and play. A persistent gap is an invitation to look closer, never a verdict.
Read the answer AnswerWhat is Social Interaction in child development?
Social interaction is the everyday give-and-take between a child and the people around them — eye contact, responding to a name, sharing attention, taking turns and joining play. Classified in the ICF as d710, it is a foundation of communication and friendship that grows through warm, playful moments. It is not a single skill but a web of small abilities that build together, and a noticed difference is simply an invitation to add the right support.
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