PRE-NATAL DEVELOPMENT

time of remarkable change that helps set the stage for future psychological
development

The Germinal Period (Weeks 1-2) The Embryonic Period (Weeks 3-8) The Fetal Period (Weeks 9-40)

The embryonic period begins Conception occurs when a

once the zygote is implanted in sperm fertilizes an egg and When the organism is about
the uterine wall. It lasts from forms into a zygote, which nine weeks old, the embryo is
the third through the eighth begins as a one-cell structure. called a fetus. At this stage, the
week after conception. Upon The mother and father’s DNA fetus is about the size of a
implantation, this multi-cellular
is passed on to the child at the kidney bean and begins to take
organism is called an embryo.
moment of conception. The on the recognizable form of a
Now blood vessels grow,
genetic makeup and sex of the human being as the “tail”
forming the placenta. The
baby are set at this point. The begins to disappear. During the
placenta is a structure
germinal period (about 14 fetal stage, the brain develops
connected to the uterus that
days in length) lasts from and the body adds size and
provides nourishment and
conception to implantation of weight until the fetus reaches
oxygen from the mother to the
the zygote (fertilized egg) in full-term development.
developing embryo via the
umbilical cord. the lining of the uterus.
 BRAIN DEVELOPMENT
process that generate, shape, and reshape the nervous system of animals, from the earliest stages of embryonic
First Trimester
First Trimester
A few weeks after a baby is conceived,
the brain begins to develop. For about
eight weeks, the basic structures of the
brain form. The neural tube is formed.
This slowly becomes the brain and spinal
cord. Around seven weeks after
conception, the first neurons and
synapses are developed in the spinal
cord.
First Year
During the first year of life, a baby's
brain develops quickly. The ability to
develop motor skills quickly increases
and limited vision turns into a more
perfect vision. Around three months, a
baby starts recognizing things, and their
capacity to remember gets better.
development to adulthood
Second Trimester
During the second trimester, gyri and
sulci are formed. Gyri are the ridges,
bumps, and indentations that make up
the topmost layer of the brain. They
increase the surface area of the brain,
meaning that more neurons can fit and
more information can be processed.
Second Year
More language skills are acquired
during your second year of life. More
synapse connections are made in the
brain’s language areas result in a
growing vocabulary. Research shows
that between a baby's first and second
birthday, the number of words they
know will quadruple.
Third Trimester
Towards the end of pregnancy, the brain
takes on new responsibilities as it
prepares for birth. Reflexes like fetal
breathing develop and the brain starts
to respond to external forces like touch,
pain, vision, smell, taste, and sound.
Third Year
Synapse creation will peak during a
baby's third year. Various areas of the
brain are strengthened and brain ability
greatly improves. During this year, a
child will develop a more clear
understanding of past and present
events and cause and effect.
 Perceptual Development
how children start taking in, interpreting, and understanding sensory input.
Birth to 9 months 7 months to 18 months
Children begin to use their Children begin to use
senses to explore and sensory informatiom
become aware of their
received from their
environment. Indicators for
environment to alter the
children include:
way they interact and
Responds to changes in
explore.
the environment, e.g.,
Indicators for children
startles when hearing a
include:
loud noise, turns head
Begins to manipulate
toward light
materials, e.g., pounds
Explores objects
at play dough,
through senses, e.g.,
squeezes finger foods
mouths, touches objects
Begins to show a
Attempts to mimic
preference for or
sounds heard in the
aversion to particular
environment.
sensory activities.
16 months to 24 months 21 months to 36 months
Children continue to Children begin to process
work on using perceived sensory information in a
sensory information to more efficient manner and
decide how to interact use the information to
with their environment. modify behavior while
interacting with the
Indicators for children
environment. Indicators for
include:
children include:
Plays with water and
Imitates familiar adults
sand tables; explores
when coloring; draws
by pouring, digging,
lines and/or circles
and filling Perceives and acts
Enjoys physical play,
accordingly when
e.g., wrestling, tickling
holding a fragile object,
Recognizes situations
both in the actual
that need to be environment and in
approached play
cautiously
 MOTOR DEVELOPMENT
development of a child’s bones, muscles and ability to move around and manipulate his or her
environment. Motor development can be divided into two sections: gross motor development and
fine motor development.

Motor development also involves how well children’s muscles work. This is referred to as muscle tone.
Children need a balanced muscle tone in order to develop their muscles and use them with ease
when standing, sitting, rolling, walking, running, swimming and all other other postures and actions

GROSS MOTOR DEVELOPMENT FINE MOTOR DEVELOPMENT

Gross motor development involves Fine motor development involves
the development of the large the small muscles of the body,
muscles in the child’s body. These especially in the hand.
muscles allow us to sit, stand, walk
and run, among other activities. Fine motor skills involve use of
smaller muscles, such as grasping,
Gross motor skills pertain to skills object manipulation, or drawing.
involving large muscle movements,
such as independent sitting,
crawling, walking, or running