Child development refers to the study of growth and change in children from birth to maturity. Children develop in a predictable order – from simple to more complex. They learn by imitation, by doing and by practising new skills through play. There are 5 areas of development in a child’s life and if these areas are moulded successfully in the child, it will ensure that they are able to develop holistically and in turn assist them in reaching their full potential.
1. Physical Development: The development and growth of the child’s body, muscles and senses. Hands are the instruments to a child’s mind. By allowing children to explore their environment in safety, we give them the opportunity to stimulate their independent mobility thus enabling the child to be in control of how and where he moves.
2. Cognitive/Intellectual Development: This deals with the way children think, ability to reason, their memory, concentration, problem solving as we as the way they understand and use language. It is also concerned with how knowledge and understanding grows and changes through childhood. Ensuring that the child has opportunities to make sense of their involvement in the environment will assist in helping their intellectual development.
3. Social Development:
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Emotional Development: This focuses on the child’s awareness of themselves, their self-esteem, the way they feel about who they are, their expression of feelings. In order for emotional development to be healthy, the child needs to know that they are safe, accepted, loved and special; the child needs to know that they have a home away from home and somewhere where they belong. By ensuring that the child has adults and teachers that help them feel emotionally secure, this will build on their emotional development and help them to see who they are in a more positive, accepting light – this in turn will assist the child in coping well with situations that involve other people, which is an important aspect in