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Principles of Child Development
A Summary
Experiences for children, at whatever age, should be designed around the child’s developmental needs and abilities. Support for this position comes from international literature on how children develop and learn.
Development is holistic; it consists of inter-dependent dimensions.
This means that the child’s development cannot be compartmentalized into health, nutrition, education, social, emotional and spiritual variables. All are interwoven in a child’s life and are developing simultaneously. Progress in one area affects progress in others. Similarly, when something goes wrong in any one of those areas, it has an impact on all the other areas.
Development begins prenatally and learning is occurring at birth.
From the moment of conception important developments occur that affect the brain, the physical body, and the chemistry of the child. These all have an impact on that child’s ability to learn, to thrive, to grow and be healthy.
The first 8 years of a child’s life form the foundation for all later development; early attention to the child’s needs is critical.
Developmental psychologists have demonstrated that in the early years a child develops all the basic brain and physiological structures upon which later growth and learning are dependent. The benefits of intervention are greater if you provide appropriate supports early. It is also important that there be continuous attention to the child’s development.
Good care for infants (health, nutritious foods, active feeding, mental stimulation and interaction) is the best preventive measure to avoid disabilities and developmental delays.
Children’s needs differ across the early childhood years.
A child’s developmental needs will vary over the first years of life in relation to his or her maturation process.
The following periods can be distinguished:
- Prenatal and birth. During this period, attention is focused on the mother through maternal and child health programs, and parental support and education.
- Infancy (up to about 18 months). Particular emphasis needs to be placed on health and nutrition during this period. Breastfeeding is critical; every attempt should be made for children to be with their mothers. Sensory learning, especially auditory and visual, control of physical actions, and attachment to a significant caregiver seem to be the central tasks.
- Toddler and post-toddler (about 18 to 36 months). During this period nutrition continues to be critically important. A child’s coordination, language, ability to think and social skills advance rapidly.
- Pre-school (approximately ages 3, 4, 5 and sometimes 6). In the pre-school years, socialization and preparation for schooling take on greater importance, and the circle of peers and caregivers widens.
- From age four onward, early childhood programs are more likely to be associated with education and preschools, but health and nutrition remain key components of what young children need.
- Early primary school, a period of “transition” into school and the world at large (roughly ages 6 to 8). This transition can be relatively easy or extremely difficult. In either case children continue to need holistic attention.
Development is multi-determined, and varies as a function of the child’s nutritional and biomedical status, genetic inheritance, and social and cultural context.
While there is a general pattern or sequence for development that is true of most children, the rate, character, and quality of development vary from child to child as a result of what the child brings into the world (the child’s nature) and the experiences the child has in the world (nurture). Culture influences development in different ways.
It is important for adults to use methods that fit with the child’s growth pattern, not only in the cognitive (intellectual) area, but also in the emotional, perceptual and motor areas.
Children’s development is cumulative in nature.
If children’s early nutrition and health are jeopardized, development is delayed or debilitated, and, over time the child’s development follows a
downward trajectory. As a result, some children fall further and further behind their peers. The earlier attention is given to children’s health, nutritional and developmental status, the better. If interventions are going to be provided only after the age of three, there may be limits on what can be achieved in terms of overcoming already existing deficits resulting from poor nutrition, illness and neglect. If adequate care (particularly in relation to nutrition, feeding and stimulation) is provided in the first three years, then there can be some very positive long-term outcomes from programs which focus on the pre-school years.
Children are active participants in their own development and learning.
Learning involves the child’s construction of knowledge, not an adult’s imposition of information. It is important for children to have opportunities to construct their own knowledge through exploration, interaction with materials and imitation of role models.
Children need opportunities to learn by doing, to be engaged in problem-solving, and to develop language and communication skills. Opportunities for active involvement should abound, whether at home in everyday chores or in more organized settings outside the home. Emphasis should be on how to learn (i.e., positive attitudes toward learning and thinking skills) rather than on what to learn.
Development and learning occur as a result of the child interacting with people and objects in his or her environment.
Children need opportunities to interact with peers, adults and objects in a safe environment that provides the child with security and acceptance. Learning and development can be fostered by creating a healthy environment, and providing space, materials, and opportunities to help children to learn through play, whether at home or elsewhere.
Children live within a context–family, community, culture–and their needs are most effectively addressed in relation to that context.
The child’s well-being is closely linked to the well-being of the family, specifically to the well-being of the primary caregiver(s). Therefore, support to the family and community can help children; similarly support to children can help the family and community. Since the environment has an impact on children’s development, it is also possible to develop interventions that make changes in the child’s environment.
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