Learning About
Children
Ch.1 DC/CEY
Chapter 1 Outline:
• 1-1: Beginning Your Study of Children
• 1-2: Understanding Childhood
• 1-3: Observing Young Children
Section 1-1 Objectives:
• Explain why childhood is an important
time of development.
• Identify ways that play benefits children.
• Describe reasons for studying children.
What is Child Development?
Development
Child Development
• Development begins at
conception and
continues until death
• The scientific study of
children from
conception to
adolescence.
• It is the gradual process
through which babies
become adults
• The study of how
children master new
skills.
Why Is Childhood Crucial?
• Childhood is a time for preparation.
• The brain develops connections between nerve cells that
allow it to think and control the body in certain ways.
• Links in brain help promote mental and physical skills.
• Links are also formed through play.
Brain Development
• The command center of the body
is the brain
• 50 trillion synapses are present at
birth
• When stimulated, the brain
produces more synapses
(connections).
• Pruning begins in the very first
year and is almost completed by
age 10 years.
• Rich sensory experiences strengthen
and refine the brain’s wiring.
• A lack of stimulation can prevent
Brain
some connections from forming and
cause others to be pruned away.
Development
• Window of opportunity – a prime
period in a child’s life or developing
a particular skill if given the chance
to do so
• Brain plasticity - the ability of the
brain to be shaped and reshaped,
which is greatest early in life
Areas of Development
Physical
• Change in the body and its
abilities.
•Large Muscles (back, arms, and legs)
– running, climbing, jumping rope
•Small Muscles (hands) – jigsaw
puzzles, finger painting and stringing
beads
Areas of Development
Social
• Learning to relate to others
•Children first play alone; gradually,
they learn to play together
Areas of Development
Emotional
•Learning to express and handle
feelings.
• Acting out the role of a parent,
firefighter, or jungle explorer can lessen
the frustrations of being a small person
in this world.
Areas of Development
Moral
• Knowing what’s right from wrong.
• Learning how to follow rules and act
fairly toward others.
Areas of Development
Intellectual
•Progress in the mind and thinking
abilities.
•Singing nursery rhymes, stacking blocks,
and sorting through a box of buttons can
help a child learn language, balance, and
how to organize objects.
• Each group should agree on a play
activity that they enjoyed as children
or that children they care for enjoy.
• Discuss how this play benefits children
in at least 3 of the 5 areas described in
the text and note the age of the child.
• Each group will illustrate the type of
play chosen and the benefits on a
poster.
Why Study Children?
Before studying
how adults can
help children
develop and
learn, you must
understand why
you should study
them.
Child Development is a new
discipline.
Until the 1900’s society was relatively
unconcerned. Specialists in education, medicine,
nutrition, nursing, psychology and social work
worked together to learn the common problems
of the developing child.
To Understand Children
• You will better understand why children act,
feel, and think as they do.
• Behaviors – ways of acting or responding
• Set of typical behaviors for each stage of
childhood
To Understand Children
• To understand the importance of
caregivers.
• Caregiver – parents and others who
take care of children
To Be a Responsible Parent
• Parents know their
children’s needs at each
stage of development
and the best ways to
respond to those needs,
• Helps parents have
reasonable expectations
about their abilities
To Be a Responsible Parent
Parents must be responsible for meeting all of their
children’s needs, which include the following:
• Being able to trust their parents helps children
gain confidence.
• Love/Guidance needs
To Gain Skills
• You learn what children need at each
stage of development and how to
meet those needs.
• Gained knowledge and skills =
confidence
To Understand Yourself
• Learn what makes you the person you are.
• Who you are has developed from the child
you were.
• Experience, education, and life situations
help you mature.
To Build for the Future
• Help you make decisions about your future
career
• Prepare for parenthood and its
responsibilities
You can still remember what it is like to be
a child, but are close enough to adulthood
to be able to reason and think.
William Wordsworth said, "The child is
the father to the man.”
• Childhood is a vital and significant time.
• Foundations are laid for the person to become
an adult.
• Knowing about childhood can help you help
children build a strong foundation
• It can give you insight into the foundation you
built for yourself.
•Think about
parents,
teachers, and
caregivers who
stand out as
• Write a one page paper
describing what qualities make
the person a role model and how
that person helps guide your
own behavior with children.
• Share your answers
• Discuss the desirability of
Section 1-2 Objectives:
• Compare childhood in the past and present.
• Outline the leading ideas about how children
develop
• Describe five principles of development
• Explain influences on development
• Explain the role of self-esteem in development
What is childhood?
• It is a period of life separate from adulthood.
• It is a time when development occurs very
rapidly.
• It is a time that ends and people become
independent from their parents.
Childhood : Past & Present
• Until the 20th century, few people believed that
there was anything unusual or important about
the early years of life.
• Some of the differences between children in the
past and today result from changing attitudes.
• Others grew out of advances in technology or
social changes.
Differences between the past and
the present include:
• Work
• Children were expected to work at an early
age.
• The “job” of young children is to simply
grow, learn, and play.
Differences…
• Kids had fewer toys
• Until 1800s, toys were homemade and
common games like baseball were played
• 1970s video games became available
Differences…
• Education
• Public education for all didn’t become available
until the early 1800’s.
• Schools were small and included children of all
ages and abilities.
• Today, schools are larger than the one-room
schools and use modern technology, such as
computers for learning.
Differences…
• Health
•
Before the 20th century, diseases
caused the deaths of children.
• Today, many have been controlled,
so children grow and thrive as never
before.
Differences…
• Parental Love
• This is the only thing that hasn’t
changed.
• Parent’s have always worked hard to
build lives for their children and to raise
them as moral, responsible people.
What are the
important
elements for a
happy
childhood?
What can
caregivers do
to provide the
necessary
environment?
• Be warm, loving, and responsive.
• Talk, read, and sing to your child.
• Establish routines and rituals.
• Encourage safe exploration and play
• Limit television watching.
• Use discipline as an opportunity to teach.
• Recognize that each child is unique.
• Choose quality child care and stay
involved
Principles of Growth & Development
• Development is similar for
everyone
•
Children go through the same stages in about the same order.
• Development builds on earlier
learning
• SEQUENCE - Development follows a step-by-step pattern
• Development proceeds at an
individual rate
Principles of Growth & Development
• The different areas of
development are interrelated
• Changes in many areas are taking place at the same time.
• Development continues
throughout life
• The rate changes, sometimes it slow and at others, it is fast, but it
never stops.
Identify the character of development
described in each situation.
Sarah lives in a home with her
parents, a brother and sister,
and her grandparents. Her
grandparents are now retired
from working They help watch the
younger children while Sarah
parents are at work.
Josh and Nicole are cousins.
Although Josh is two months older,
Nicole began to sit and stand at
about the same time he did.
Development proceeds at an individual
rate
Jessica is an active three-year-old.
Lately, she has started choosing her
clothes each morning. Her parents are
amazed at her eagerness to learn new
things – it seems she never stops
wanting to learn.
In school, Michael did poorly on tests
and was seldom able to answer the
teacher’s questions. Other children
teased him and called him names. As a
result, he was shy and had a little
self-confidence. Since he has started
wearing glasses, he has been seeing
the chalkboard better and doing better
in school. He feels better about
Two major influences on development
are:
• Heredity – the passing on of certain
characteristics from earlier generations (i.e.
blood type, hair color, body build)
• Environment – the people, places, and
things that surround and influence a person
(i.e. family, friends and community)
Some scientists say that nature or heredity,
is the most important factor, while other
say that the environment or nurture is the
most important. What do you think?
Human Life Cycle
• People pass through various stages throughout
life
• Each stage of life has particular challenges called
• Which stage are you in?
Adolescence – stage of life between
childhood and adulthood.
You have three developmental tasks
to achieve:
• Finding your identity
• Becoming independent
• Planning for your life’s work
Stages of the life cycle:
• Adulthood – person in their 20’s preparing
for a career and/or marriage.
• Middle life – forming a family, establishing
roots – settling down.
• Reevaluating life – those in their 40’s may
question the choices they have made.
• Finding stability and peace – 50’s
Final Stage of Adulthood:
• Late life: you have a new sense
of freedom and they come to
terms with life.
The Role of Self-Esteem
• A positive self-esteem can help you meet these
developmental tasks.
•Self-esteem - is how you value yourself.
– Tool to push yourself to achieve new goals
– Gives you energy to go on and boosts your
confidence