Whether they will be adults or not, kids need to know the value of learning. This appreciation of knowledge enables them to embrace challenges and remain curious.
The accelerated Bachelor of Arts in Child Development degree offered by PLNU can help you turn your passion into a career. Learn more about this unique program and other options for studying at PLNU.
Social and Emotional Development
Social-emotional development equips children with skills for learning and life. Interprofessional teams can identify and intervene to resolve social-emotional problems more effectively if they understand the developmental milestones that occur in early childhood.
The first step in social-emotional development is developing trusting relationships with caregivers. Providers can help children feel safe and secure by demonstrating consistent loving interactions and responding to challenging behaviors with patience.
Play is a natural way for children to build social-emotional skills. Encourage children to take turns and cooperate during their play with other children. Also, use back and forth interactions during their play to teach them different emotion/feeling words.
Child development specialists help educators stay up to date on research and best practices. They also support educators through continuing education and trainings, ensuring they have the resources to implement high-quality programs. They may also work to develop educational materials and curriculum.
Cognitive Development
Children have an inherent interest in understanding their environment and how things work. They’re constantly trying to solve problems. This is called cognitive development, which can be defined as the mental processes that go into creating, imagining, categorizing, memorizing, estimating, problem-solving, testing hypotheses, and thinking creatively.
The first stage of cognitive development is the Sensorimotor stage, which occurs during ages 0 to 2 years of age. This is when kids begin to understand a basic concept of causality, like how shaking a rattle may produce a sound. Also, they start to grasp the idea of object permanence.
Kids also become more skilled at pretend play during this time. However, they often struggle with logic and taking the point of view of others. The next stage is the Concrete Operational stage, which begins around age six to twelve. During this period, kids develop an understanding of the physical laws of conservation such as weight and volume. They can also make generalizations and understand theories and abstractions such as justice and love.
Physical Development
Physical development is the gradual progression of a child’s motor skills, muscle strength and overall physical health. This is influenced by both genetic factors and environmental experiences. Adequate nutrition, adequate access to safe and stimulating living environments and high quality early learning programs all contribute to healthy physical development.
A holistic approach to children’s education recognizes the interconnected nature of social, emotional and cognitive development as well as physical health and safety. This type of education, known as a whole child approach, prioritizes a student’s holistic needs and provides them with the supportive learning environment they need to thrive.
Research has found that a variety of physical development approaches improve children’s movement skills. Some of these techniques also have a positive impact on cognitive development outcomes such as executive function and concentration. These improvements are likely the result of activities that draw on theories of learning like those in Lev Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory. This theory describes how children build on and adapt their previous knowledge to learn new information.
Communication Skills
Effective communication skills are vital for children’s self-expression and social development. It’s also critical for learning and academic achievement. Research demonstrates that children with strong social and verbal language skills are better equipped to understand classroom instruction and read at a higher level.
Children develop their communication skills from the earliest moments of life. Educators who listen intently, respond to their interests and questions, and encourage them to interact with others in the community promote their development.
Children can practice their own communication skills at home. For example, they can learn to greet people with a smile and make eye contact. They can also read aloud together and talk about the characters and plot. If they have trouble understanding social rules and nonverbal cues, a professional evaluation from a speech-language pathologist in Houston or Cypress can help them improve their communication abilities. Children can also develop their expressive language skills by role-playing with friends and engaging in imaginative play.