From Birth to Five: Mme Rigolotte’s Age-by-Age Highlights
- Frédérique and the Wooden Fellows
Have you ever wondered what it means to be a child? We have all been one once, of course, but most of our lives before we turned five fade from memory with time.
Over the past few months, Mme Rigolotte has guided us through the first years of life, reminding us of the many discoveries to be made in young children when we take the time to observe them.
This post gathers all of those moments into one place, so we can step back and take in the journey, age by age. Whether you have young children around or want to reconnect with your inner child, the wooden Fellows and I hope our words give you an idea of what it feels like to step into their shoes.
Quick note. While we base this series on milestones from the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention), the wooden Fellows and I would like to remind everyone that every child develops at their own pace. We hope you know we aim to celebrate here each child’s uniqueness, whether or not they meet traditional milestones, as well as their neurodivergence, physical or cognitive disabilities, or health conditions. And actually, this is another reason why raising curiosity is so critical to us – when you become curious about young children, you naturally start appreciating the individuality of every child, and find joy in celebrating those differences.
Infants (0–12 months):
From newborns to crawlers, the first year is filled with change. Still, Mme Rigolotte invites us to slow down and observe with gentle curiosity.
“Infants are speaking all the time, in their own language. You just have to slow down and listen”, Mme Rigolotte would say.
From their recognizable newborn cries, to pushing up from their tummy and grabbing toys a few months later, to raking food toward themselves, the first year is truly one of a kind.
→ Read more in our infant post
One-Year-Olds:
One-year-olds are busy discovering everything, from the sock drawer to the giggles of peekaboo.
As Mme Rigolotte emphasized, “a cabinet full of empty containers is more attractive than any colorful toys, and so is emptying the laundry basket.”
One-year-olds communicate in unique ways and seek connection with their loved ones, dropping one spoon at a time.
→ Read more in our being one post
Two-Year-Olds:
Two-year-olds are little people on the move—stacking, opening, and exploring how things work. As Mme Rigolotte noticed, everyday items can become treasures to a two-year-old, fueling curiosity and creative thinking. Give them access to a cabinet filled with containers of different shapes and sizes, and see the magic happen!
→ Read more in our being two post
Three-Year-Olds:
At three, children begin to develop one-of-a-kind voices and surprising perspectives. They are full of questions, determination, and the growing desire to do it all by themselves.
Like Mme Rigolotte posted, their growing language skills open the door to surprising, often heartwarming conversations. Three is also the age of ‘I want to do it!’, and they will, with a bit of time and patience.
→ Read more in our being three post
Four-Year-Olds:
Four is a golden age for storytelling, dramatic play, and building friendships, as children begin thinking about others in deeper ways. Their imagination takes them to a jungle, a fairyland, a train station. As disclosed in our previous post, a 4-year-old’s imagination knows no bounds, and there is so much to learn from them by just observing them as they play.
→ Read more in our being four post
Five-Year-Olds:
Finally, in the blink of an eye, they are five-year-olds—with growing attention and imagination, ready to read, count, zip zippers, and more. Enjoy this stage to its fullest, those shared moments become a unique learning opportunity, and most importantly, for growing together.
→ Read more in our being five post
Few final thoughts:
From the sleepy newborn snuggled in a blanket to the confident five-year-old asking dozens of “why?” questions before breakfast is even ready, early childhood is a time of deep and fast growth. Each age brings its own rhythm, magic, and reminders to slow down and pay attention.
“They may not remember, later on, daily experiences their close ones may offer,” we wrote, “but those experiences will contribute to the adult they will become.”
So here’s to those tiny, enormous moments.
We hope this collection gives you a renewed sense of wonder for the early years. Feel free to share your thoughts with us. As you know, the wooden Fellows are always listening : )
The post is based CDC’s Developmental Milestones, as well as stories from my experiences as an early childhood educator, researcher, and parent.
