1. Ages and Stages Stages of Development 5-12 Years
Basics of Child Development
Share the important role paraeducators can take as readers to children to encourage healthy cognitive development
When you are in a classroom, there will be children across the continuum of development
Need to understand child development to know where to meet the child with instruction
How to support language development

2. The 5 Year Old How I learn: What I need from adults:
Through imaginative play
Through play with others
Through experimenting over and over again
Through stories, songs, and rhymes
Through practicing
By asking questions
Through experiences in kindergarten
What I need from adults:
Clear messages about safety and social expectations – I’m curious
Opportunities to be creative
To know that learning is fun
Patience! I have a short attention span!
increase fine motor – can use knives to spread things and cut, spoons to stir, etc.
Can dress/undress, brush teeth
Gross Motor – climb, jump run
1,500 words words
Memory improves and tell you stories, songs, “Remember when…”
Language skills improve – can understand jokes and make up their own..even only they may understand why it is funny.
Enjoys stories and making up their own
Imagination is key to learning
Enjoys pretend play
Understand simple concepts: big little, tall short, heavy light, mine yours
Able to learn letters, shapes, colors, and numbers
Social skills: turn taking, patience, being without caregiver, less self-centered, able to play in groups
Group play now splits into genders

3. 6 Year Old How I learn: By asking questions Through play
Through practice
Through interactions with friends my age
Through experiences at school in preschool or kindergarten
What I need from adults:
Clear expectations of social
rules
Some opportunities to be independent
Help practicing my letters, numbers, colors and shapes
words
Right or left handed
Printing letters, numbers, reproduce shapes
Physical Development: hop on one foot, balance on a beam, skip, somersaults
More and more questions: marriage, birth, death
Know the difference between acceptable and unacceptable behavior
Pretend play is still important: children at this age still have difficulty time separating reality from fantasy.

4. 7-8 Year Old How I learn: By active participation
Through concrete experiences
By drawing on my own experiences
By comparing past and present
What I need from adults:
Opportunities to be competitive
Approval and assurance
Support to be independent

5. 9-10 Year Old How I learn: By observation and critical thinking
By reading for information
Using my own skills
Exploring problems
What I need from adults:
Clear expectations of standards
Opportunities to practice helpful behaviors
Affection and humor

6. 11-12 Year Old How I learn: By active participation
Through concrete experiences
By drawing on my own experiences
By comparing past and present
What I need from adults:
Opportunities to be competitive
Approval and assurance
Support to be independent

7. English Language Learners
MYTH: Learning a second language confuses a child.
Children do not get confused and mixing languages is normal and to be expected when learning more than one language.

8. MYTH: Learning a second language will slow a child’s readiness to read.
Bilingual children are better able to connect sounds to letters and read words.

9. MYTH: Children who learn 2 languages never master either language.
As long as children are exposed to both languages, children can become proficient in both languages.

10. Stages of 2nd Language Acquisition
Silent or Non-Verbal Period
Early Speech
Conversation
Continued Language Development

11. One Hundred Years From Now…
  It will not matter  what kind of car I drove,  What kind of house I lived in,  how much money was in my bank account  nor what my clothes looked like.  But the world may be a better place because  I was important in the life of a child.
(excerpt from "Within My Power" by Forest Witcraft)