From First Glance to Full Focus

The perception of faces with a focus on facial expressions begins at approximately three months. Hand movements such as grasping an object, swiping their hands towards an object but they are not yet able to coordinate holding the object with any visual attention.

Eye Coordination

Eyes are moving independently and are beginning to judge distances between objects, an essential skill in safely exploring their environment.

At approximately five months, both eyes are working together to perceive the world in three dimensions. At this stage, infants can perceive colours similarly to adults.

Vocalisation of single vowel sounds, responding to sounds, and reacting to familiar situations, such as smiles and excited movements, are observed.

The Integration of Fine, Gross Motor and Visual Skills

Picking up an object with both hands such as a rattle is observed at approximately six months of age. As they gain more control over their movements and hand-eye coordination, this allows them to reach for objects or toys. The palmar grasp in the first six months after birth is more functional, with the thumb beginning to play a role as the pincer grasp emerges.

At around 8 months of age, the palmar grasp (or grasp reflex, a newborn reflex that causes the newborn’s fingers to clamp down on an object) develops into the pincer grasp, with greater precision. Self-feeding, grasping objects, and feeding are significant developmental milestones.

The coordination visual and body movements become more refined between five and eight months. Observing their world in three dimensions, depth perception begins to emerge.

Gross Motor Development

Crawling often begins at eight months of age, which significantly improves hand-eye coordination. The act of crawling involves coordinating eyes with hand and body movements, laying the groundwork for more visual skills.

Crawling supports depth perception by helping support judgments about how far away objects are. This skill is vital for safety and confidence in movement.

Development such as being able to hold up their head, tilt and move their head side to side allows them to visually explore their world.

Eight to Twelve Months

Vocalisation, the use of hand gestures between nine and twelve months, using both their hands freely. Beginning to point by approximately twelve months of age, and a fully developed pincer grasp. Picking up small pieces of food, for example, a grape.

The development of object permanence where the infant believes once something falls away from their visual field it does not exist anymore. As object permanence develops, they will begin to look for lost items, such as a toy, and become unhappy if they cannot find it

Supporting Visual Development 0-2 years and Beyond

Face-to-face integration
Visual play, including toys of different shapes, sizes and textures
Introduce vibrant and colourful toys or objects to captivate their attention and enrich the visual experience
Providing age-appropriate toys that fit into the hands
Interaction with various objects, such as balls and rattles, to enhance dexterity and visual tracking ability
Outdoor play improves depth perception and distance vision
Imaginative play supports visual, mental and social interaction.
Reading and describing vivid images in books enhances visual recognition and language skills
Visual exploration through organising treasure hunts improves visual acuity and cognitive abilities

The earliest stages of a child’s life are critical for vision development. Infants explore their world visually and require rich, diverse stimuli to achieve key developmental milestones. Face-to-face interactions and traditional play are more effective for their development.

Reflection

Anderson. E.M. Rowna Candy., Gold. J.M. Smith. L.B., An edge-simplicity bias in the visual input to young infants. Developmental Neuroscience. Science Advances. 2024.https://www.science.org (accessed 10^th June, 2025)
Hunter.B. K, Kizildere., E., Klotz. S., Nelson. C.M., Markant. J., Oakes. L.M., What have we learned about infant visual attention in the first 25 years of the 21^st century? 2025. Infant Behaviour and Development 81 (2025)1021.35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infbeh.2025.102135. (accessed 10^th April2025)
Hyvaerinen. L., Walthes.R., Jacob, N. Nottingham Chaplin.K., Leonhardt. M., Paediatric Ophthalmology (S. Robbins, Section Editor). Curr Ophthalmology Rep (2014) 2:142-149. Doi:10.1007/s40135-014-0056-2 (accessed 10^th April, 2025)
Sharma, A., Cockerill, H., From Birth to 5 Years. 2^nd edition. Routledge. 2
Images bought under Licence from Shutterstock

Disclaimer

All information provided is for informational purposes only. It is not a replacement for advice from medical or allied health professionals. Any concerns about your child’s development should be directed to the appropriate professional for further assessment. The information provided does not cover children with a disability or children born prematurely, as their stages of development will differ. It should be monitored and directed to the appropriate