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Why nature vs nurture is important
Why nature vs nurture is important
Child development physical development 0 - 19 years
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The learning environment is a critical aspect of child development. Children spend the majority of the early years in some form of an educational institution. Therefore it is important their surroundings are conducive to personal growth. In this environment, a child learns essential social and life skills that will follow them throughout their lives. At the learning institution, children are exposed to forms of authority, that can introduce the child to levels of conformity.
The Early Years Foundation Stage contains all the principles to help achieve positive outcomes for children and breaks them down into smaller units. The four main areas include; » Unique child – Every child is a unique child, who is learning and can be resilient, confident, self-assures and capable. » Positive relationships – Children learn to be strong and manage feelings through positive relationships. » Enabling environment – Children learn and develop well in enabling environments, which their experiences respond to the own individual needs and there is a strong partnership between the practitioners and the child’s parents/carers. » Learning and development – Children embrace learning and development in different rates and ways.
This is why, a number of people started paying attention towards children brain development from early childhood. A number of institutions have come into the picture, which use the modern technologies and give proper education to the kids for their future. Classes are organized for the children for their future growth. There are some ideal ways that are used by these institutions for the children's development.
There are four types of development, physical, cognitive, emotional, and social. Physical development is the growth of gross and fine motor, skills. Gross motor skills are walking, running, throwing, and crawling. Fine motor skills are writing, holding a fork, and using scissors. Physical development is also the easiest to see.
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.
However, each child is an individual and his/her physical, emotional, social development is either boosted or restricted by personal factors like genetic health or parentsâ€TM health etc.; and external factors such as the environment they grow up with. All factors have some kind of impact on a growing child and tend to affect all areas of development, not just one. Personal factor Personal factor influence childrenâ€TMs development in many areas. It consist health status, disability, sensory impairment and learning difficulties etc.. Childrenâ€TMs health is really important. Health issues can be genetical which influence how the brain works, e.g. Downâ€TMs syndrome which have impairment of cognitive ability and physical growth.
The emotional ,social and physical development of young children has an effect on their overall development and on the adult they will become. Sigmund Freud indicated how disruptions in stages of development may relate to current problems in adult hood for example :Trauma at an early stage in life may effectively prevent natural development through that stage this may then have a knock on effect in future stages causing development or learning problems for an adult . It is a positive thing for a client to recognise that certain childhood experiences may have prevented or halted their natural development ,since it provides a rational blame free explanation .If trauma does occur in childhood and problems arise because of that trauma then this
It starts with infancy and continues to adulthood. By gaining knowledge about child development, a synopsis of what children can do at various ages can be formed. Following are the three theoretical perspectives of child development: i. Maturationist’s View of Child Development : Maturationism is a premature childhood educational philosophy emphasizing the child as a growing individual in which knowledge exists. Based on Arnold Gessell’s work, maturationists suggest that “genetic factors play a bigger role in development than environmental ones” [8].
One of the important aspects is the motor development a process by which the child acquires movement patterns and skills and many factors contribute to this such as genetics, size of the child at birth, nutrition, social class ethnicity and culture. Physical development include both gross motor development which includes the use of large muscles like legs for running and arms for throwing and fine motor development like smiling ,tying school lace picking a fork , drawing with crayons and building blocks .Many studies have shown that physical activities enhance cognitive development like ability to think and problem solving skills ,which require stimulation in the environment like if you give a child a plate and a spoon the child will soon realise that hitting the plate with a spoon will produce sound similarly playing with water like filling the balloon with water will help improve hand eye coordination .activities like learning to
In the contemporary times, great importance is given to the significance of early years of a child’s life. It is widely acknowledged now-a-days that the early childhood years are a predominantly receptive phase in the developmental process. This stage is responsible to lay a foundation in early days and later years for cognitive functioning, learning process, physical wellbeing, and self-regulatory capacities in both personal and social lives. In simple words, “the period from birth to age 5 is one of opportunity and vulnerability for healthy physical, emotional, social, and cognitive development” (Karoly, Kilburn & Cannon, 2005). However, it is also a fact that many children go through several stressors during their developmental years due to which their healthy development may be impaired.
Development is a gradual and continuous process. The development of children is greatly influenced through interactions with the family, friends and culture. Children learn from seeing how they are treated, overhearing the interactions of the people around them and observing the things we do all throughout the day. Fully understanding how children grown and change over the course of childhood requires us to look into various child development theories such as psychosocial, cognitive, behaviourist and ecological theories, to name a few.
Cognitive, neurological and brain development (Acquiring knowledge and the nervous system). Between birth to 6 months babies and children use their senses to become aware e.g. knowing they are hungry, as well as recognising key people in their lives and responding to physical smiles. In the next 6 months, they are beginning to understand tone of voice and begin to have favourite toys. Between 1 to 2 years children start to use objects correctly e.g. a cup.
Child development is an area of significant interest to professionals who deal with children on a daily basis. It is through child development theorists and their theories that we begin to form an understanding of how children develop emotionally and socially to become fully grown adults in society with a moral and emotional compass/. Teachers need to study child development in order to provide developmentally appropriate educational experiences for children. Health professionals also need to understand this area to support children in their physical, social, emotional and cognitive journey to becoming functioning adults in society. Childhood is a concept that is affected by social context and also by history. Here in the West childhood was not always considered to be a fundamental developmental phase in life with children in Victorian times working from as early as the age of four.
One basic principle of growth and development is that developmental patterns show wide individual differences. Erikson refers to this factor the individual’s biological and physical strength and limitations (Estrada, 2011). In observing children, the patterns of growth can be predictable to some extent, but great individual differences will be apparent. This literature explains how differences among children can render varying developmental outcomes. These variables are crucial when processing stimuli (stressors) and making decisions.
Social and physical environments in the home and the social environment in the classroom impact early childhood development. This paper discusses: the impact of the social environment in the home on early childhood development; the possible negative impact of the physical environment on a preschool child in a Guyanese home; and the impact of a positive social environment in the early childhood classroom. Early childhood development is“a set of concepts, principles, and facts that explain, describe and account for the processes involved in change from immature to mature status and functioning.” (Katz, 1996, p. 7) The physical environment refers to; the nature of the physical home surroundings including its cleanliness; the safety of the home and the security which the home offers.
