Fostering children’s learning requires an understanding of child development and learning. It also requires a familiarity with the paths that children follow to acquire specific skills and knowledge.
It is less important that different fields of research and practice use the same categorizations, but that they agree to a common language and terminology for children’s learning.
Socialization
Children learn about the expectations of their society from parents, but teachers and friends also play a significant role in socialization. Schools provide a safe environment where children can practice communicating with each other and sharing their emotions. They can also learn about different cultures and perspectives on history from their peers.
Gender norms are also a major influence on children’s socialization. Girls are often encouraged to be nurturing and caring, while boys are conditioned by their parents or the media to aspire toward more active careers. This is why boys usually get toys that emphasize action and construction, while girls receive dolls.
Children are also socialized by their communities and countries. They may be overtly taught by their school districts to pledge allegiance to the United States, or they may learn about the nation’s history through textbooks and public events.
Physical Development
Physical development involves the advancement of a child’s gross and fine motor skills. Gross motor skills involve large muscle groups, like those in the legs and arms. Fine motor skills involve smaller muscle groups, like those in the hands and fingers.
Children who are physically active have better bone and muscle strength, a healthier body weight, and enhanced learning abilities. Children can also be more active during play, which is a good way to improve cognitive and emotional health.
Young children are active learners and begin thinking and asking questions even prenatally. Their early thinking is insightful and complex, though they may not show much of it through their behavior due to competing demands on their attention, immature self-regulation and limited resources for showing what they know.
Cognitive Development
Cognitive development refers to children’s ability to understand and solve problems. Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget hypothesized that children progress through four stages of cognitive development: the sensorimotor stage (birth to 2 years), the preoperational reasoning stage (2 to 6 or 7 years), the concrete operational stage (6 to 11 or 12 years), and the formal operational stage (12 or older).
During the concrete operational stage, children can use logical operations to solve real-world problems and demonstrate understanding of conservation (the idea that objects retain their properties, such as mass, when transformed) and seriation (classifying items based on shared characteristics). Children also become less egocentric in social cognition, gaining the ability to take others’ perspectives into account, a skill called perspective-taking.
Piaget’s cognitive stages are relatively independent of culture, but Erikson’s psychosocial theory outlines 8 stages of development from infancy to late adulthood that incorporate significant cultural influences.
Language Development
Children develop language and speech through interactions with their family, caregivers and teachers. Children have an innate desire to communicate with others and seem to understand the meaning of what they hear even before they say their first word. They use their cries and gestures to convey what they need, want and think.
In the pre-school years, children’s vocabulary growth accelerates and they start combining words into phrases. They also begin to ask questions and narrate experiences.
Supporting this development is a key responsibility for educators, who should ensure that activities include the opportunity for one-on-one conversational partners and promote social interaction. Brain imaging research indicates that the quality of conversations with children, not just their quantity, is what matters most for language development (Romeo et al, 2018). This is where families come in as they provide an environment where talking is valued and encouraged.
Social and Emotional Development
In early childhood, social and emotional development provides the foundation for relationships and learning. Children who have strong social-emotional skills develop positive self-esteem, respect for others, healthy relationships, empathy, responsible decision-making and a positive disposition to learn.
Toddlers demonstrate empathy for peers, and they become more able to understand other people’s emotions (Denham 1998). They also begin to appreciate that others’ feelings may differ from their own (i.e., a friend’s sadness does not necessarily match her outward appearance).
Social and emotional learning, or SEL, is defined as a set of competencies developed by the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning. These core competences include self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision-making. The Fun FRIENDS program has been structured to address each of these competencies.