child development q2

Caregiving

Providing physical, emotional, and social support to a child's daily needs (feeding, bathing, teaching, comforting).

Responsibilities of Caregiving

Tasks caregivers must complete to ensure a child's safety, health, and development (supervision, guidance, meeting basic needs).

Rewards of Caregiving

Positive outcomes caregivers experience, such as bonding, pride, joy, and seeing a child grow.

Child Rights

Legal and moral protections ensuring children receive safety, education, healthcare, and respect.

Societal Influences

Cultural norms, laws, media, and community expectations that shape how caregivers raise children.

Parenting Readiness

A caregiver's physical, emotional, financial, and social preparedness to raise a child.

Community Support

Resources like childcare programs, healthcare, parenting classes, and family networks that help caregivers succeed.

Motor Skills

Abilities that involve movement; divided into gross (large muscles like walking) and fine (small muscles like grasping).

Brain Development

The growth of neural connections that support learning, memory, movement, and emotional regulation.

Developmental Milestones

Expected skills children gain at certain ages (smiling, crawling, talking).

Developmental Theories

Scientific explanations of how children grow, such as Piaget's cognitive stages or Erikson's psychosocial stages.

Play

A natural activity that builds cognitive, social, emotional, and physical skills.

Social Interaction

How children communicate and build relationships with others.

Self-Help Skills

Skills that allow children to care for themselves (feeding, dressing, toileting).

Language Acquisition

How children learn to understand and produce language through listening, imitation, and practice.

Language Modeling

When caregivers demonstrate correct language use by speaking clearly, expanding sentences, and naming objects.

Cognitive Development

Growth in thinking, problem‑solving, memory, and reasoning.

Moral Development

How children learn right vs. wrong, fairness, empathy, and ethical behavior.

Piaget's Theory

A theory describing how children move through stages of thinking (sensorimotor → preoperational → concrete → formal).

Vygotsky's Theory

A theory emphasizing social interaction and guidance from adults (Zone of Proximal Development).

Learning Through Play

The idea that play builds language, reasoning, creativity, and social skills.

Parenting Styles

Approaches to raising children: authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, and uninvolved.

Child Behavior

Actions children use to communicate needs, emotions, and developmental stages.

Positive Discipline

Teaching‑focused discipline that guides behavior through encouragement, clear expectations, and consistent routines.

Redirection

Steering a child toward a safer or more appropriate activity.

Natural Consequences

Allowing children to experience the result of their actions in a safe way.

Emotional Support

Comfort, validation, and guidance that help children manage feelings.

Transitions

Changes like starting school, new routines, or family shifts that require extra support.

Social Needs

The need for connection, belonging, communication, and peer interaction.

Physical Abuse

Intentional harm causing injury (hitting, shaking).

Emotional Abuse

Behaviors that damage a child's self‑worth (shaming, threats).

Neglect

Failure to meet basic needs (food, supervision, medical care).

Sexual Abuse

Any sexual act involving a child.

Signs of Abuse

Physical marks, fearfulness, regression, poor hygiene, sudden behavior changes.

Mandated Reporter

A person legally required to report suspected child abuse (teachers, caregivers, healthcare workers).

Mandated Reporting

The legal duty to report concerns immediately to child protective services or law enforcement.

Secure Attachment

A strong, trusting bond formed when caregivers respond consistently and warmly.

Protective Factors

Conditions that support safety and resilience (stable routines, supportive adults, safe environments).