Summary: The Importance Of Caregiving

1. Introduction

The first three years of a child’s life is crucial as the brain develops rapidly. Each time a child uses any of their senses, a connection is made in the brain. If repeated over time, the connection will remain permanent. Thus, providing positive multisensory experiences will stimulate their learning development. (50)

2. Importance of Caregiving in curriculum

Physical care such as feeding and toileting takes the most of a caregiver’s day, however, I learnt that caregiving also includes the comfort of close bodily contact and satisfaction of innate need to cling (Martorell, Papalia & Feldman, 2014, pg 138). Therefore, routines are opportunities for caregivers to form a bond with the children as they get to interact and engage

If caregivers learnt to respect the child, be responsive to their needs and reciprocate the child’s responses with positive reactions, children will form a secure attachment with the caregivers. According to Ainsworth, children who have a secure attachment with caregivers in the first two years are related to have positive effects in their lives. Since they learnt that their needs have been met, they will develop basic trust, autonomy, and independence by growing and taking over caregiving by learning self-help skills (Gonzalez-Mena & Eyer, 2015, pg 100). Consistent caregiving will also allow children to discover their bodies, capabilities and make them feel secure. This stability will help them understand and appreciate orderliness. When a caregiver response sensitively and accepts the child’s behaviour during caregiving, children will develop positive self-image and self-esteem. Children who experiences positive caregiving experiences will be able to build strong relationships with people in their lives. However, children who experience neglect, does not develop an attachment with their caregiver. This may affect their emotional development as they develop distrust and relationship

The first discovery is learning schemes to gain information and discover properties of objects. When children adapt and combine different schemes, they will find strategies to manipulate objects. The second discovery is learning the cause and effect of using their bodies or actions to make things happen. The third discovery is learning that tools can either be their body, a person or an object. They learn to extend their power through the use of tools and a means to an end (PITC, n.d.) by combining their thinking ability and strategies to use tools to achieve their goals. The forth discovery is learning about object permanence; things and people exist even when out of sight. This is essential as it brings more permanence to their world and strengthens their relationships with others (Hahn-Hook, 2011). The fifth discovery is understanding the concept of space; spatial relationship, relative size, gravity and experience balance by physical exploration. Lastly, they learn to imitate and develop their communication skills by organising their thinking through the use of words and actions to engage with their