CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Structure
2.1 Introduction
$2.2. Scope of Child Development
2.2.1 Developmcnt and Cilowtb
2.2.2 Stages of Development
2.2.3 Areas of Development
2.3 Importance of the Study of Child Development
2.3.1 Describing Universal Patterns of Development
2.3.2 Explaining Individual Differences in Devel&ment
2.3 3 Understanding Human Behaviour
2.3.4 Application in Day-to-Day Interactions with Children
2.4 h p r t a n c e of Infancy and Early Childhood
2.5 Summ~ngUp
2.6 Glossary
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2.7 Answers to Check Your,Progress Exercises
2.1 INTRODUCTION
In the earlier Unit you have i d that each child has different experiences during
childhood. The vanery uf experiences accounts for some of the differences among
ch~ldren.What other factors are responsible for dlrferences among children? These and
related issues are the concern of the tield of Child Development. In I.!~S Unit you will
read about the scope and importance of the discipline of Child Development.
Objectives
After studying this Uilit you should be able to:
What makes you the person you are? How is it that your own brothers and sisters are
different ffom you - hot just in the way they look but also in their behaviour ? Why is
it that one cbild is popular in the neighbourhood and has many friends while the other
prefers to play alone? What makes one cbild a leader in ber group while the other is
timid and stays close to the teacher all the time? Do all children develop various skills
and abilities at the same time? Are all three year old cbildren similar? What should be
expected from a four year old child? Is there a pattern in development by which one
can expect a three year old to behave differently from a five year old? Such questions
are the concern of the field of Child Development.
The discipline of Child Development is concerned with the cbanges in the bebaviour of
children over time and explains wby and how they occur. Thus it aims to describe and
explain development in the areas of physical, social, emotional, language and cognitive
functioning. However, childhood experiences have an impact on the .ways of thinking
and behaviour in adulthood. Thus the student of Child Development is concerned with
growth and bebaviour that affects the entire lifespan. This course is, however, limited to
understanding the development of cbildren from b i to six years.
The period of childhood is from two to twelve years of age. Development at this stage
is not as rapid as during infancy. During this period the child refines the skills she has
acquired during infancy and learns new skills as well. ?his is the period when
coordination of the parts of the body improves. During childhood she also learns the
ways of behaviour that are considered appropriate by the society. The child meets many
people outside the family and forms attachments with more people. As the child grows
and her thinking capacities mature, she realizes that she can do many things. She can
play on a swing, make a house from sand, draw, paint or sing a song. This gives her a
feeling of confidence. During this period she becomes more independent though adult
guidance is constantly needed. .
Introduction to Child Care The period of childhood is divided into two stages: the period of early childhood
.ad Development
(2-6 years) and middle chiidhood (6-12 years). The period of early childhood is also
referred to as the preschool age because at this age the child is learning skills that will .
help her to do tasks associated with schooling. The preschooler has mastered the words
to ask questions about things and people. She learns about numbers, colours, shapes and
the reasons for everyday events. All these concepts develop from actually seeing things
and doing various activities. Doing a task is important for learning about it. She learns
to make friends and values relationships with people. Children's ability to imagine
receives a major spurt during this period. This can be seen in their play. They enjoy
playing games that require them to pretend and make-believe. Preschoolers cannot play
together for long. After some time they start playing independently again, though they
may be with each other. You will read more about this aspect of play of children in
Unit 5 of this Block.
The child in the age group 6-12 years has matured a great deal and is expected to
behave more responsibly than the preschooler. Parental expectations of the child increase.
The child moves out of the home to help the family members in their work and may
even go to school all by herself. Middle childhood is the period when the child becomes
involved in learning skills that will help her to take up a vocation later on. The child's
store of information grows at a fast pace. Her thinking develops rapidly and her interest
in the outside world grows by leaps and bounds. There is active interaction with children
of the same age. They are able to cooperate with each other during play and are able to
follow the rules of the game. Playing team games is a development of this period.
The next stage is referred to as the period of adolescence (12-18 yrs.) The beginning of
this period is marked by puberty. Puberty refers to the stage around 11-14 years of age
when there is a spurt in physical growth. This results in a rapid increase in height and
weight and the emergence of secondary sexual characteristics. Examples of these are the
development of facial hair in boys and development of breasts in girls. The onset of
puberty is earlier for girls than for boys. These rapid physical changes lead to a need for
emotional readjustment.
At this age the peer group becomes very important and the adolescent follows the rules
and the codes of her group. Feelings of loyalty and pride for the group are very strong.
At times the values of the peer group may become more important than those of the
family. There are conflicting expectations of the adolescent. Sometimes she is expected
to behave as an adult and at other times she is treated like a child. During this stage she
also has to choose a vocation or prepare for marriage. During adolescence thinking
develops further and becomes more complex. The individual can understand and deal
with varied situations. She can think of abstract problems and work out their solutions.
All this helps her to prepare for the roles and responsibilities she will be expected to
carry out as an adult.
After the age of 18 years the person is referred40 as an adult. There may be different
criteria for considering a person an adult. One may be the ability to support oneself
economically and another may be getting married and starting a family. But individuals
from some families continue to remain financially dependent on their parents till early
twenties. In others, both marriage and work may have to be taken up before adulthood. .
There are also social and legal definitions of adulthood. For example, an Indian can vote
in the elections at eighteen years. Legally, girls may gef married at 18 years and boys at
21 years of age. However, adulthood typically involves either working or preparing for
one's livelihood. By now physical changes are complete and the person is mature. It is
important to remember that these divisions of the life span are not rigid. It is not as if
the child suddenly changes from an infant to a preschooler or from a child to an
adolescent. Change is a gradual and continuous process and transition from one phase of
life to another will be different for evety individual. You will read in detail about the
periods of infancy and early childhood in this Course.
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and adults she finds out how to behave in a manner that is acceptable to them. She
learns the ways of eating, dressing, talking to elders and other things lhat are a part of , Bade h w a p b ln Cblld
her culture. She will know that it is not right to snatch a toy, hit a child or play out of Devakprcnt
tum. Slowly she learns to cooperate, to be helpful and generous. 'Ibe ability to
understand another person's point of view and a concern for others will help her to \
form satisfying relationships with people during adolescence and adulthood.
Emotional development refers to the emergence of emotions like anger, joy, delight,
happiness, fear, anxiety and sorrow and the socially acceptable ways of expressing them.
As the child p w s up and becomes aware of acceptable ways of behaviow, a variety of
emotions also emerge. As an infant she expresses only discomfort and delight. As she
grows older, expressions of joy, happiness, fear, anger and disappoin.ment appear. She
learns to express these emotions in a healthy manner. For example, initially the child
hits out when angry. Gradually she learns to control this and expresses anger in other
ways.
Personality is a word that we often use while describing a person. What is personality?
If you have observed children and adults over a period of time, you would have noticed
this: every individual has a characteristic way of thinking, feeling, relating to people and
reacting to situations which she displays in a wide variety of situations and settings.
Each child has a unique personality. What the child thinks ? h u t herself is an important
part of her personality since it determines how she interacts with others. A child who
feels confident and happy is likely to be affectionate with others. Personality thus refers
to a person's characteristic ways of relating to others and distinctive patterns of thinking
and feeling about oneself and other people. It emerges out of the child's experiences and
achievements in the areas of physical, motor, cognitive, language, social and emotional
development.
Interrelationship among varlous areas of development: We have been talking of
development in various areas as if each occurs independently of the others. However,
development in each area affects development in the others. Development of physical
skills makes the infant mobile, increases her range of activity and helps her to explore
her surroundings. This also helps in cognitive development. Language development helps
the child to communicate better. It also allows her to interact with more people. This
interaction has a significant influence on her social development. The illcreasing
complexity of thought and social interaction helps her to understand concepts like right
and wrong and good and bad. When we observe or talk about a child, we have to study
her as a whole person. The child is a complete person with the experiences and skills in
one area influencing the development in others. The effect of each area of development
cannot be separated out easily. We do not know any child well until we know her in all
spheres of functioning.
1) The following are some examples of children's behaviour. Under what areas of
development would you categorize them? Write in the space provided below.
a) The child is able to hit a ball with a bat.
b) The child of five years of age begins to understand why a stone sinks and a
bI& of grass floats on water.
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c) The child shares toys with friends..
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These age ranges around which most children aquire a certain skill are used in
identifying norms of development. Norms help us to evaluate whether or not the child
is developing at a pace considered normal for h a age. For example, the average age
for beginning to walk is one year, but because of individual differences in the rate of
development, this may happen any time between 9 and 15 months. But if the child
does not begin to walk even after 15 months, the parents must look into this.
The term 'optimal' is often used in connection with development. What is meant by
optimal development? This means that growth and changes are at an expected rate. In
other words, the cbild's development is following the norms. Under normal
circumstances, when there are no special problems, optimal development will take
place. As you have just read, because of individual differences in the rate of
developmeht, a wide range of skills and abilities will fall within the range of optimal
development
Takt the case of M O W who is four years old and anendr a nursery school. In school
Mohm is a quiet and shy child. He does not have any fricndr and docs not speak a
single word in the four hours that he is in school. He does not initiate any activity and
prefers to play by himre@ However, he docs what the teacher asks him to do. But the
same child is dwerent once he reaches home. He narrates the experiences of the day to
his mother, plays with his e&r brother and sings songs heard in the school
'Ibus we see the conmist in the behaviour of the child in the two contexts. If one had
obsemed Mohan only in the school situation, one would have concluded that he is a shy
child This would not have been completely true. Observing him both at home as well
as in (he school is necessary to draw a concIusion.
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The need for love, nurturance and secure relationship continues throughout life but it is
of utmost importance in tbe early years because this is the time when the child is
developing self esteem. Positive experiences are important in &is period. The
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foundations of b e feelings of security and confidence are laid in the early years. Why
are these feelings important? They are important because they influence the attitude with
which a person approaches a task, whether the ta.k is learning to ride a cycle, doing
well in school, making new friends or learning to cast a net. If one is ~ ~confident
o t
about oneself, one does not expect to succeed.
The above discussion is an overview of the importance of the periods of infancy and
early childhood. As you read the following Blocks, you will study in detail the
development in each area and how it can be fostered.
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Check Your Progress Exercise 3
Read the following questions carefully and answer in the space provided below.
1) Define the term 'Norms of Development'
.............................................................................................................................................
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3) Give three reasons for the importance of the periods of infancy and early childhood.
SUMMING CTP
In this Unit you have read that the field of Child Development is concerned with
describing and explaining the changes that take place during the course of development.
Development refers to all qualitative and quantitative changes in the individual that are
long lasting, orderly and progressive. Growth, on the other hand, refers to only those
changes that can be measured. The human life span is divided into five stages: infancy
(birth-2 years), preschool years (2-6 years), middle childhood (6-12 years), adolescence
(12-18 years) and adulthqod (18 years onwards). These stages are characterized by
differences in thinking and physical, social, emotional and language abilities of the
individual. Change from one stage to the other is gradual an&the age limits are not
rigid. The various areas of development are: cognitive, physical, motor, social, emotional
and language development. Personality refers to the person's characteristic ways of
relating to others and distinctive patterns of thinking and feeling about oneself and
others.
The study of Child Development gives us an insight into human behaviour and &scribes
universal patterns of development. The average age ranges at which individuals acquire
specific skills help us to identify norms. These norms help-us to evaluate the children's
progress and plan and &vise play activities for them. lndividual differences among
children help us to appreciate that every child is. unique. This knowledge help* day-
today interaction with children.
Introdu&Uon(0 Child Care I
d Ikvelopmeni 2.6 GLOSSARY \
Attachment: An emotional bond between the infant and the caregiver. The infant wiU
approach this person in distress and display anxiety if separated from her.
Babbling: A term used to refer to the sounds produced by the infant around 9 months
of age. These sounds are repetition of syllables like 'gagaga..' 'dedede....'
Fertilized Ovum: When the ovum and the spenn unite, the ovum is refexred to as
fertilized ovum.
Nurturance: Providing emotional support, food, shelter, protection etc. to the young,
weak or helpless.
Peer group: This term is used to describe children's or adolescents' group of friends
where the members are of approximately the same age.
Skills: A co-ordinated series of actions that serve to attain some goal or accomplish a
particular task.
Self esteem: The degree to which one values oneself. Self esteem emeages from one's
evaluation of oneself. Thus a person who has more positive falings about haelf has a
high self esteem, but one who has more negative feelings about herself has a low self
esteem. It detennines the extent to which people anticipate success in what they do and
believe thehselves to be capable, successful and worthy.
2) The study of Child Development will help you to describe universal patterns of
development as well as understand individual differences between children. It also
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