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Child Development
Principles and Theories
HUMAN GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
Child Development
 Studying and understanding child growth and
development are important parts of teaching young
children.
 No two children are alike!
 To help all children, you need to understand the
sequence of their development.
 Healthy brain development results from healthy human
contact.
Growth and Development
 Development:
Ability of a human to do things that
start out simple and become more complex and difficult.
Starts at infancy and continues to adulthood.
 Growth: physical changes; increase in size or amount
that is easily observed.
 Infancy:
 Toddlers:
 Preschooler:
 School age:
 Adolescents:
0 – 12 months
13 to 35 months
3 – 6 years
6 – 12 years
13 – 18 years
Laws of Growth And Development:
Growth proceeds from head to foot
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Cephalo=head
Caudal=tail
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lift head, pick-up objects, walk to objects.
Infants gain control of head and face movements within the first 2
months after birth.
By 6-12 months of age, infants start to gain leg control and may be able
to crawl, stand or walk.
Growth proceeds from near to far
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1.
Proximal-distal
From body trunk(center of body) outward
Spinal cord develops first
Arms before the hands
Hands and feet before fingers and toes.
Scoot body, wave arms, grab object and pick-up object.
Laws of Growth And Development:
3. Growth proceeds from the simple to the complex
 Sleeping, being fed, holding the bottle, feeding self.
4. Growth is continuous and orderly
 both legs grow at the same time and rate.
Generalizations of Growth and Development
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The tempo of growth is not even.
Different aspects of growth develop at
different rates.
Both the rate and pattern of growth can
be modified by conditions within and
outside of the body.
Each child grows in his/her own unique
way.
Every individual normally passes
through every stage of development.
Growth is complex. All of its aspects are
closely interrelated.
Growth is predictable since individual
differences remain constant.
Growth proceeds from the general to
the specific.
Each developmental phase has
characteristic traits.
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Many forms of problem behavior are
normal due to the age in which they
occur.
Most traits in development are
correlated.
Behavior is caused.
The impulse to use the capacity or
power in an exaggerated way is
associated with the development of a
capacity or power.
Learning must wait on maturation.
Whenever an act results in a feeling of
satisfaction to an individual, the act is
likely to be repeated.
Children's concepts grow out of their
experiences.
Experimentation is an important part
of learning.
The urge to grow is innate.
Inside Out
Areas of Development
 The study of child development is often divided into 5 main areas:
 Physical development: physical body changes that occur in a
relatively stable, predictable sequence.
 Cognitive development: intellectual developments, language,
thought, reasoning, and imagination.
 Social: A child learning and discovering the expectations and rules
for interacting with others.
 Emotional development= learning to relate to others, feelings &
expression of emotions.
 Moral: Identifying personal values.
Physical Development
 Growth in size and in proportion
 Muscle coordination and control
 Gross-motor development= improvement of skills using the
large muscles in the legs and arms.
Running, skipping, and bike riding
 Rolling over, lifting head or sitting up
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Fine-motor development= involves the small muscles of the
hands and fingers.
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Grasping, holding, cutting, and drawing
Taking it to the Gym!
Cognitive Development
 Intellectual
 The ability of the brain or mind to take-in and
process information.
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Language, thought and reasoning
Child recognizing their name or a parent
Responding to the shake of a rattle
Identifying colors
Social Development
 Learning to relate to one another
 Discovering the expectations and rules for
interaction.
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Child smiling at mother
Child learning to share a toy with a friend.
Emotional Development
 Ability to recognize and understand feelings and how
to respond to them appropriately
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Trust, fear, confidence, pride, friendship and humor
Child feeling jealousy due to a new baby in the family
 Child feeling love for another person
 Child being afraid of the dark
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Moral Development
 Examples: right or wrong, behaving according to
what others need or want, respecting human rights,
developing principles to guide behavior
Principles of Development
 Maturation: refers to the sequence of biological
changes in children. Children must mature to a
certain point before they can gain some skills.
Brain Development
 Neurons= specialized nerve cells that link
or connect.
 Synapses= links neurons together, “brain
wiring”. The more synapses there are the
greater number of messages that can pass
through the brain.
 Sensory stimulation= a child’s growing
brain responds each time a caregiver
reads, sings, etc.
 Plasticity= ability of an infant’s brain to
change according to stimulation.
Brain Development
 Overstimulation= a flood of
sounds and sights, can cause
stress to infants.
 Cortisol= when under stress, the
body produces this steroid. Over a
long length of time, coritsol can
lead to problems with memory
and regulating emotion.
Windows of Opportunity
 Vision= birth to 6 months
 Vocabulary= prenatal to 8 years
 Emotional= birth to 3 years
 Math/logic= birth to 3 years
 Motor skills= 1 to 4 years
Why do we observe of children?
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To gain a deeper understanding of children, in general; how they
think and feel, how they can be expected to grow and behave.
To get to know a specific child better -- the child's needs interests,
skills, problems, and feelings.
To assess where a child is developmentally and make comparisons
with other children that same age.
To identify special needs, problems, or interests children may have.
To assess teaching skills -- A teacher can analyze the set-up of the
room, the scheduling of activities, observing when learning problems
take place, etc.
To make a conscious effort to know all the children in a group
equally well. Some children stand out in a group due to a talent or
behavior problem. Others tend to get lost in the crowd by blending in
too well. A teacher must know all the children in the group and try to
meet all of their needs.
Making the Pieces Fit
 In order to become a nurturing,
responsive teacher, you must have
insight into how children grow and
develop.
 Children learn best in a caring
environment rich with opportunity
for learning.
 Caregivers help build the self
confidence and self worth children
need to safely explore the world.
Onward and Upward…
 Developmental Theorists