Emotions, behaviour & play

Newborns 0-3 months

• From 6 weeks of age, your baby will smile back when their main carer smiles at them

Babies 3-12 months

• Your baby is starting to show more emotion and can laugh, smile, show excitement when happy or grimace with frustration when denied what they want
• From 9 months old, your baby might show signs of separation anxiety where they might cry when away from their carer and stranger anxiety when they get upset around people they don't know

Toddlers 1-3 years

• Your toddler is going through a lot of emotions without knowing how to express them. This may come out as tempers tantrums when they don't know how to put into words that they are feeling frustrated, sad, angry etc.

Preschool 3-5 years

• At 5 years old, children develop a sense of awareness such as worrying about not being liked and knowing how to be funny in order to make people laugh

Newborns 0-3 months

• Your one-month year old will know your voice and by 6 weeks of age they will recognise you and respond to your voice and smile

Babies 3-12 months

• Your baby knows your voice and has a stronger attachment to you
• By 6 months, they know other people can also look after them and can recognise and enjoy spending time with them

Toddlers 1-3 years

• From 2 years old, separation anxiety should settle, as your toddler will understand that you will come back when you leave them

Preschool 3-5 years

• By 4 years old you child might enjoy tricking you such as pretending to be asleep

Newborns 0-3 months

• In the early days, your face is the most interesting thing to your baby. They might also like looking at toys with contrasting colours e.g. black and white

Babies 3-12 months

• At 6 months they will start to show enjoyment when you play with them e.g. tickling, playing peek-a-boo, singing to them etc.
• From 6 months your baby will explore objects by reaching to grab them and tasting them

Toddlers 1-3 years

• At 12 months of age your toddler will love to explore their surroundings with you close by, e.g. by crawling towards a cupboard and pulling out all the hidden items in it
• From 18 months of age, they might start to do 'pretend play' where they will pretend to drink from a toy cup, or put a phone to their ear and start talking
• At 2 years old they will start playing games with other children and having friends

Preschool 3-5 years

• By 4 years old they understand how to share and take turns and their imagination becomes quite dramatic in their play e.g. playing mums and dads

• Give your child hugs to provide your child with a sense of comfort, safety and confidence
• Being nearby when they are trying new things out, to help them develop their independence and self-confidence
• Play together and give them your full attention when doing so by smiling at them, giving eye contact, e.g. messy play, outdoor play, art-based play and roleplay
• If your child has difficulty changing from one activity to another (ending a game to then leave the house to meet people), try to make sure your child knows that the activity will be changing. Give them plenty of time to prepare themselves for this change by giving them occasional reminders. Increase these reminders as the next activity approaches
• Be you child's role model on how you would like them to behave with others e.g. if you have a child who interrupts persistently - be mindful of actively listening to them and allowing them to finish what they want to say before getting your own point across or focusing on something else. If you have a child who snatches - be mindful of asking for things politely and not grabbing things yourself
• Be more aware of how you speak to your child - if you are struggling with a child who says 'no' to everything - try to avoid using the word 'no' yourself and explain in short sentences why you are not giving permission now and when you would reconsider their request. Tell them what you would to do as opposed to telling them what no to do e.g. say 'please use kinds hands' instead of 'don't hit!' or try saying 'please use your quiet voice' instead of 'don't shout!'
• Encourage your child's imagination by reading together, telling stories, singing songs etc.

When your baby:

• cries persistently without you being able to settle them
• doesn't appear to like cuddles
• doesn't pay attention to faces
• doesn't smile back from 6 weeks old

By 2-3 years old, when your toddler:

• seems to be in their 'own world' with very little interest in their general surroundings
• can be very particular and infatuated about certain things
• when they persistently and continuously can not listen or pay attention to adults requests/instructions

By 4-5 years old, when your pre-schooler:

• doesn't look you in the eye to communicate with you
• isn't interested in other children
• doesn't do any pretend or imaginative play
• enjoys obsessive, repetitive things e.g. lining things up, wanders around aimlessly, throws things
• does not have a strong bond with their carers. Things that you may notice could include; not looking for comfort when upset, but will expect you to approach them, not appearing to enjoy praise for doing a good job, not running up to you after a period of separation, when they have routines that are near impossible to break or have purposeless rituals that they must do in order for them not to have a meltdown, etc.

You should be concerned at any age if your child stops doing what they were previously able to do.

If you think you are having trouble with your child's behaviour and emotions or finding it difficult to know how to play with them, discuss your concerns with a professional like a Health Visitor, GP, or a nurse/school teacher who can provide advice and consider what support might be appropriate.