Chapter 7 Infants and Toddlers Critical Years for Learning

Focus Questions What are infants and toddlers like? How does brain research influence care and education of young children? How can you support the psychosocial, emotional, motor, cognitive, and language development of infants and toddlers?

T 7.3 Focus Questions How can you provide developmentally appropriate and enriched environments to support infants and toddlers development? How can I provide high quality curricula for infants and toddlers? How can you provide high quality curricula for infants and toddlers? What is infant mental health, and why is it important?

Brain-Based Guidelines for Teaching Child development is dynamic and continuous interaction between biology and experience. Culture is reflected in child-rearing beliefs and practices Self-regulation is a cornerstone of early childhood development Children are active participants in their development Child–adult relationships is a building block of healthy development Timing of early child experiences

Psychosocial and Emotional Development Erikson’s stage—trust vs. basic mistrust Social behaviors Crying Imitation

Psychosocial and Emotional Development Attachment Secure attachment Avoidant attachment Resistant attachment Disorganized attachment Temperament Easy child Slow-to-warm up child Difficult child

Piaget’s Stages of Sensorimotor Development Reflexive actions Primary circular reactions Secondary circular reactions Coordination of secondary schemes Experimentation (Tertiary circular reactions) Representational intelligence (intention of means)

Sequence of Language Development First words Holophrasic speech Symbolic representation Vocabulary development Telegraphic speech Motherese or Parentese Negatives

How to Promote Language Development in Infants and Toddlers Treat children as partners in the communication process Conduct conversations Talk to infants in a soothing and pleasant voice Use children’s names Use a variety of means to stimulate and promote language development Converse and share information Converse in various settings

How to Promote Language Development in Infants and Toddlers Have children use language in different ways Teach the language of directions and commands Converse with children about what they are doing and how they are doing it Use the full range of adult language Use new words and phrases

Developmentally Appropriate Infant and Toddler Programs Three dimensions Child development and learning knowledge Strengths, interests, and needs of each individual child Social and cultural contexts Multiculturally Appropriate Practice Be culturally sensitive in care and education practices

Curriculum for Infants and Toddlers Responsive Relationships Provide daily routines Encourage language development Promote respectful social development and interactions Provide engaging and challenging activities

T 7.13 Infant Mental Health State of emotional and social competence of young children Interplay between nature and nurture Relational guidelines Individualize attention Emphasize strengths Provide continuous and stable caregiving Be accessible