Children Objective 5

Ages and Stages

Areas of Development Terms to know: cooperative play, developmental tasks, eye-hand coordination, inclusion, large-motor skills, morality, object permanence, parallel play, reflexes, small-motor skills The skills and body of an infant change so rapidly in the few years of life, it is phenomenal

Cont. Children develop in 5 major areas: Physically: small and large motor skills Socially: talking, sharing, and getting ready for school Emotionally: learning to express and control emotions Intellectually: ability to use and express language Morally: being able to tell right from wrong

Stages and Principles 4 stages of development: Infancy: birth to one year Toddler: one to three years Preschooler: three to five years School-age: five to 12 years

Principles of Development Development is sequential All children master the same skills around the same time Rates of development are individual Some develop quicker and some slower than others Five areas of development are interrelated Example: toileting requires physical, emotional, and intellectual readiness

Brain Development Brain develops quicker in the first few months than any other time of life

Infancy Physical Development Reflexes: automatic, involuntary responses Become learned behaviors Need to develop hand-eye coordination Developing their large and small motor skills

Cont. Social and Emotional Development: Learning to trust their care giver For food, comfort, cleanliness, and loved Recognizes familiar faces, smiles, and responds to voices

Cont. Intellectual Development: Imitating others actions Communicates through crying Developing object permanence

Toddlers Physical Development: Growth starts to slow down Walking Major developments with large and small motor skills

Cont. Social and Emotional Development: Engage in parallel play Struggle for independence but still very dependent on their parents Develop self-concept (knowledge they are unique and have their own feelings) “I can do it” attitude

Cont. Intellectual Development: Improved communication Can understand basic cause and effect Learns size and space and how two objects relate to one another

Cont. Moral Development: Begin to understand what is right and wrong

Preschoolers Physical Development Arms, legs, and trunk lengthen making running and other large motor skills easier Small motor skills are also improving Can cut with ease, string beads, and dress themselves

Cont. Social and Emotional Development Verbal skills allow better control over emotions Can express themselves better and not have outbursts Can not distinguish between fantasy and fact Engage in cooperative play Learning to get along in a group, how to share, and solve simple problems

Cont. Intellectual Development Learning to count and name colors Can identify letters of the alphabet Have an active imagination May create imaginary friends Speak in complete, coherent sentences

Cont. Moral Development Understand right and wrong Believe that parents, caregivers, and teachers set the rules

School-Age Physical Development Between ages 5-10 Still growing, but slowing down Baby teeth are replaced by permanent teeth Enjoy more skillful games and activities Small motor skills are still improving

Cont. Social and Emotional Development Fear is being replaced with stress Do not understand what it is and do not know how to deal with it More social opportunities outside of the home Practice sharing and considering others feelings

Cont. Intellectual Development Ask a lot of questions and inquire about the world Practice reasoning skills like why and how Learning math, reading, and science Add about 5,000 new words a year to their vocabulary

Cont. Moral Development Begin to understand that rules are flexible and can be changed Begin to care what others think Most want to be thought of as “good” Conscience takes a larger role

Childhood Nutrition

Special Needs Disabilities cause children to be challenged in more than one area of development Different disabilities include: physical, mental, learning, and emotional Gifted children also have special needs Many schools use inclusion to help benefit children with special needs

Importance of Play Chapter 10

Play and Development Terms to know: active play, distract, facilitate, quiet play, sensory toys Through play, children learn about themselves and the world around them

Cont. Play helps development physically, intellectually, emotionally, socially, and morally Physically Helps to develop large and small motor skills as well as coordination

Cont. Intellectually Emotionally Their environment teaches about shapes, sizes, colors, textures, numbers, problem solving, and how things fit together Emotionally Learn to give and receive love, share, develop self-esteem

Cont. Socially Learn to make and maintain friendships, sharing, resolving conflicts, taking turns, cooperating, and compromise Morally Learn how their actions affect others, make-believe lets children learn about values and consequences of their actions

Active and Quiet Play Children need a balance of quiet and active play time Active play includes activities that are primarily physical Need active play to develop muscles and release energy Helps children sleep better at night

Cont. Quiet play includes activities that engage the mind and do not have much movement Helps develop small motor skills and their mind Example: reading a book, drawing, coloring, painting, and playing with clay/play dough

Cont. Both activities help children get exercise and learn self-discipline needed for school years Not every child needs the exact balance of both activities

Promoting Play Infants Sensory toys like mobiles, rattles, and teething rings Learn through hands, eyes, and mouth Giving attention to infant will also help Enjoy looking at faces

Cont. Toddlers Need activities that help develop their motor skills Love to play in sand, water, dirt, clay, dough, and paint Like to imitate adults Very short attention span Always changing activities

Cont. Preschoolers Continue many of the play games of toddlers Like to color, draw pictures, and make collages Very creative and love to show it off Imaginary friends Playing dress-up

Making the Most of Play Give children choices of activities Caregivers can provide ideas, materials, or join in their fun May also facilitate their play Help bring about play without controlling what the children do

Cont. Handling competition Should parents have their young children compete? Does it help self-esteem? Is it beneficial at a very young age?

Reading Books Enhances verbal communication Helps children understand feelings and ways to express them Things parents should consider: Age appropriate Story will be repeated Let child look at the pictures Talk about the story or act it out

Using Television Many babysitters use movies to entertain Scientists believe that too much television can be harmful Tips for television: Watch it with the children Limit the amount of time If child doesn’t seem interested, turn off the television Adults should also watch in moderation

Providing Opportunities Take children on walks Let them interact with other children Talk about what the child sees Make the most out of everyday events

Responsible Caregiving Chapter 11

Caring for Children Terms to know: caregiver, parenting Caring for children can be difficult Takes patience, skills, responsibility, and knowledge Children are full of energy and have a great capacity to learn

Types of Caregivers Primary caregivers have main responsibility of children Generally parent or guardian Guardian is someone with legal responsibilities for child when the parents can not care for them Generally a relative

Cont. Babysitter is someone that offers temporary care Child-care professionals offer long term care Others Siblings, grandparents, and other family members that fill in the parenting roles when the parents are not able to care for the child

Rewards of Caregiving People enjoy looking at a child’s perspective on life because of their active imagination and creative view Help carry on traditions and values Watching a child reach their potential

Personal Characteristics Not everyone is suited to work with children Need: affection, patience, self-control, consistency, alertness, and energy Feeling affection for a child will make working with them much easier Need to understand and know the limitations of children and learn that repetition is key in children’s learning

Cont. Must not be impatient with children; if losing their “cool”, take a break and count to 10 Children thrive when given a routine; learn quicker Must be aware of what children are doing at all times to help keep them safe Must have the physical and mental stamina to keep up with children

Knowledge No one is born with the ability to parent Must be learned and practiced Effective parenting requires the understanding of children

Skills Communication Conflict Resolution Decision Making Children can not learn if they don’t understand words Keep sentences and directions simple Always talk at their level Conflict Resolution Need to teach children how to share and take turns Decision Making Must know how to make quick, safe decisions

Cont. Problem Solving Management Need to be able to recognize how to peacefully solve problems with children Understand that children act out feeling because they do not understand them Management Need to manage time Keep to a schedule

Outside Resources Family and friends Agencies and organizations Give support and advice Agencies and organizations Provide financial, medical, and support Support groups Hot lines Gives immediate questions to answers Books and magazines Classes and workshops

Impact The quality of childcare impacts a child’s physical, social, emotional, and intellectual development Children need adult’s time and attention to help successfully develop in all areas

Care and Safety of Children Chapter 10 & 11

Meeting Needs Physical Needs: Rest: need more sleep than adults Food: snacks are very important in young children’s lives. Foods like peanuts, popcorn, and hot dogs are not appropriate for young children Clothing: daily changing of clothes will be necessary Bath time: should take frequent baths. Never leave children alone when they are bathing

Cont. Health care: need immunizations and regular check-ups Illness: get sick often and need lots of rest

Cont. Intellectual Needs: Parents are in charge of providing for a child’s intellectual needs Talking to the child, reading with them, asking them questions, or letting them problem solve helps to develop their brains

Cont. Emotional Needs: Listening to children Praising children Helping them learn to express their emotions Accept their fears and help them to over come them Show affection

Cont. Social Needs: Need to learn to get along with others Learn to share Learn to form friendships

Cont. Moral Needs: Need to develop a sense of right and wrong Learn about consequences for their actions Teach children about values

Guiding Behavior Learn appropriate behavior by receiving guidance Modeling behavior is the best way to promote it in children Acknowledge when children engage in appropriate behavior They are more likely to repeat it if they get a reaction; can be good or bad

Setting Limits Children need to know what they can and cannot do Limits should be clear and positive Limits make a child feel safe and secure in their environment

Handling Misbehavior Discipline should be immediate or else the child forgets what they did wrong Important to make sure child understands what they did wrong Discipline depends on type of misbehavior Time out is an effective tool One minute for each year of age

Cont. Consistency in behavior helps to prevent misbehavior Rules and responses to situations must always be the same

Keeping Children Safe One way to keep children safe is to childproof a home It helps to reduce accidents and allows children to explore freely Examples: caps over electrical plugs, child gate, storing cleaning products and medicines, and keep scissors and coins out of reach

Cont. More examples: Keep plastic bags away from children Never give them sharp objects or objects that can break easily Teach the concept of “hot” Keep children away from fans Use a car seat

Cont. Protecting children outside of the home Give them limits of places they can go Only leave children with people you trust Listen to children Teach them what to do if a stranger approaches

Emergencies If choking occurs, use the heimlich maneuver For fires, get every one out of the house Scrapes and bruises, clean with warm water and soap Nosebleeds, keep them leaning forward and apply pressure

Cont. Cuts, apply pressure Burns, (minor) run under cold water; (serious) go to hospital Poisoning, call poison control; do NOT induce vomiting; take container if you go to the hospital Electric shock, don’t touch them until they are disconnected from the power source; turn off power, call 911