Development in the first two years Infancy Development in the first two years

Spending Quality Time with Baby Looking Games – funny face, shadow figures, mirrors, peekaboo, hide and seek Listening Games – mimic, what’s that, musical games Baby Exercises – Bicycle, tug-of-war with large toy, airplane

Rules to Build a Brain By 1.) Keep it simple and natural. 2.) Match experiences to the child’s mental capacity. 3.) Remember that practice makes perfect. 4.) Make sure the child is actively involved. 5.) Provide variety, but avoid overloading the child. Complete Brain Development scenarios.

Emotional and Social Development Emotional Development is the process of learning to recognize and express one’s feelings and to establish one’s identity as a unique person. A child with healthy emotional development becomes an adult that can handle stress, has self-confidence, and shows empathy toward others.

Social Development Social Development is the process of learning to interact with others and to express oneself to others. Healthy social development results in an adult who shows tolerance for others, can communicate well, and listen to different viewpoints before acting.

3 Influences on Social/Emotional Development 1.) The bond formed between parent and child - attachment 2.) The atmosphere of the home 3.) The temperament of the child Journal: Do you think healthy emotional development is possible without healthy social development? What about the reverse? Why or why not?

1.) Attachment Babies have a basic need for physical contact – holding, cuddling, rocking, or even just being near another person. The contact builds a bond between a child and caregiver, which we call attachment. Social relationships are important for many animals, not just humans.

1.) Attachment The type of attachment we develop as a child significantly impacts adult relationships. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSAPfiSw _Ic Read article called The Four Principles of Attachment Parenting and Why They Work

1.) Attachment A baby who is left alone a lot may fail to respond to people and objects and have smaller than average sized brains. Could result in a condition known as failure to thrive, where a baby does not grow and develop properly. If these babies are not helped, they will become unattached, even as adults.

1.) Attachment - Journal After reviewing the four parenting styles in the article The Four Principles of Attachment and Why They Work, complete the following journal. Which style of parenting do you think you were predominately raised with? Do you feel you will parent the same way if you have children some day? Why or why not?

2.) Emotional Climate of the Home Feelings are contagious Babies understand the tone of adults’ long before they understand the words Worried/angry caregivers are likely to handle their baby tensely and babies can sense this, becoming irritable and fussy. Every family has ups and downs, but affection and caring must form the base of interactions.

2.) Individual Temperament A baby’s style of reacting to the world and relating to others. Temperamental differences in infants Temperament of disposition- the tendency to react in a certain way (example- cheery or grumpy Partly inherited Affected by prenatal conditions and birth Influenced by environment https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAmyt5gRd3 k Complete temperament questionnaire

Three types of temperament in infants Easy -regular habits for eating, sleeping, etc… -respond quickly to new situations -are cheerful 2. Slow to warm-up -take more time to adapt to new situations Difficult -irregular in their habits -after withdrawal or protest (even with screams) when faced with new situations Children with difficult temperaments often learn to cope with their surroundings as time goes on (self-righting tendencies). Sometimes constant care (extra holding and soothing) will help difficult babies with new situations.

2.) Individual Temperament Journal: After completing the temperament questionnaire, discuss your results in one component. Is there anything you wish you could change? What can change temperament, if anything?

Social development What influences a child's development 1. Birth order- each child experiences the family differently, oldest, youngest, middle, only, multiple Birth of a Sibling- older child is dethroned and now must share the family Parenting Styles- all styles work but consistency is the key. Social contact and culture- child gains gender identity (feeling of being male or female). Child also gains understanding of sex- appropriate behaviour within our culture Journal: How does society treat infant boys and girls differently? What impact does that have on the child?

Early stages of emotional growth Symbiotic period From birth to 5 months- babies can not distinguish that their mothers are separate from themselves Individuation period From about 5 months to about 3 years- infants begin to develop a sense of self (separate from their mothers) They will experiment with separation from their parents/caregivers. (can often experience separation anxiety) This can be seen in the following behaviours exploring mother’s face and hair, playing peek a boo (controlled separation), saying no (asserting their individual personality), attachment to a security item (blanket, etc…)

An infant’s social world Social development is shaped by how other people affect the baby and how the baby affects other people 3 aspects- interacting with others, learning to trust, showing attachment Bonding- an infant needs to have at least one permanent figure to bond with that provides security and healthy stimulation to grow up learning to trust others normally.