Journal

During my infancy and early childhood years nothing particularly stood out that was out of the usual course of
development for a baby.  My mother nursed me for 2-3 months before I was weaned off.  The normal time frame for a
child to begin crawling is between 7 and 10 months and I started crawling at 8 months.  I began walking on the early side
of the usual walking age range of 9-18 months. By 10 months I was already walking and beginning to explore the house. 
Unfortunately, my parents could not actually remember my first word but it was most likely “dada” or something to do
with food.  Fine motor skills began developing 6-7 months old.  I began picking up small enough food with my fingers,
such as baby crackers and cereal.  Growing up I was more attached to my mother.  No real explanation for my greater
attachment to her other than spending more time with her because my father worked long hours.         

By the age of 2 and a half I got my first tricycle and loved learning to ride around on it outside. This was a physical
milestone within my life as it significantly effected the development of my gross motor skills. Additionally, at the age of
two, I was beginning to become familiar with independently going to the toilet and was practicing toilet training. Between
the ages of 2-3 years my social-emotional skills were developing as I had to learn to share with my brother and wait for
things that I wanted. The process of sharing and waiting was a significant aspect of my social emotional development at
this stage in my life as it taught me valuable skills and prepared me for kindergarten and later years.

Between the ages of 3 – 4 years old, I developed immensely in all areas of development. I developed independence and
was always insisting on dressing and undressing myself, brushing my own teeth, and I developed the ability to be
cooperative with the people around me such as my sibling. My language skills were developing at a rapid pace by this age
as I was constantly eager to tell stories and was able to speak in short sentences. 

Another cognitive milestone within this year was my developed ability to identify a few colours and numbers. As i was
physically, socially and emotionally ready for kindergarten, my parents enrolled me in a centre and I attended at roughly
the age of 3 years and 10 months old. I began engaging in fantasy play at this age and loved playing fairies and being
involved in other imaginative expressions. I demonstrated the ability to plan and initiate activities and make up games. As
my parents and grandparents supported me and my development within this, I was able to develop a sense of initiative.

My year at kindergarten really allowed me to flourish and enriched every aspect of my development especially my
physical and cognitive abilities. I developed the ability to follow simple rules and instruction as well as learnt to identify
most colours and write my name and the alphabet with assistance. My language development was supported and extended
during this year as I demonstrated an interest in listening to stories and borrowing books from the kindergarten and local
library. Through the incorporation of discussion times within my kindergarten I developed an interest in telling stories and
being involved in conversation. This extended my interest in dramatic play and vocabulary as well as positively impacted
my overall language development.

By the age of 5 and 6 my fine and gross motor skills were well developed as I practiced writing, using small hand
movement and was very involved in outdoor play including sports. My social-emotional development flourished further
through these two years as I developed positive friendships and developed a higher understanding of how to interact with
others. My receptive language developed as I continued to learn and understand new concepts, could listen attentively for
longer periods of time and my vocabulary expanded.

In my adolescents, I changed a lot through this stage of my life all the way through early adulthood. This is significant for
me since I’m now entering early adulthood. Unlike my early adulthood, my teenager years were not the greatest. However,
it’s always fun finding out more about yourself through assignments like these. During this time period, people are learning
about themselves and establishing a base for the rest of their life. In my adolescence and early adulthood years I changed
many aspects of myself including my physical appearance, cognitive thinking, personality, and my faith.
To be more specific, I’m highlighting my developmental milestones between the ages of 13 and 22. Starting off with the
earlier years. When I went through puberty and my voice got deeper I believed girls were more interested in me.
Unfortunately, getting attention from others allowed my self-esteem to sky rocket. I began to have an attitude and take off
with the freedom given to me. The relationship with my parents defiantly did change during my adolescence in a negative
way.