EDUC 313 Chapter 5 (1)

Cheat Sheet: Early Childhood Development (Slides 1-23)

Overview of Early Childhood Development

• Author: Janet Belsky, Sixth Edition of Experiencing the Lifespan

• Focus: Developmental milestones and processes in early childhood (ages 3 through kindergarten).

Developmental Stages

• Early Childhood: Ages 3 through kindergarten.

• Middle Childhood: Ages 7 to 12.

Social-Cognitive Skills

• Includes complex abilities such as self-reflection, mind reading, and collaborative knowledge building.

Erikson’s Developmental Stages

• Infancy (Birth to 1 Year): Basic trust vs. mistrust.

• Toddlerhood (1 to 2 Years): Autonomy vs. shame and doubt.

• Early Childhood (3 to 6 Years): Initiative vs. guilt.

• Middle Childhood (7 to 12 Years): Industry vs. inferiority.

• Adolescence (Teens to 20s): Identity vs. role confusion.

• Early Adulthood (20s to 40s): Intimacy vs. isolation.

• Middle Adulthood (40s to 60s): Generativity vs. stagnation.

• Late Adulthood (60s and Beyond): Integrity vs. despair.

Principles of Physical Growth

• Cephalocaudal Principle: Growth proceeds from head to foot.

• Mass-to-Specific Principle: Development from gross motor skills to fine motor skills.

Physical Development

• Types of Physical Skills:

  • Fine Motor Skills: Precise movements (e.g., picking up small objects).

  • Gross Motor Skills: Larger movements (e.g., walking, running).

Age Milestones

• Age 2: Picks up small objects, feeds self with a spoon.

• Age 4: Cuts paper, approximates circles, catches a large ball.

• Age 5: Prints name, copies two short words, hops on each foot.

• Age 6: Walks without holding onto rails, throws ball overhand.

Threats to Physical Skills

• Lack of outdoor play, internet influence, high-tech toys, and safety concerns.

• Nutritional deficits impacting skill development (undernutrition, stunting).

Cognitive Development: Piaget

Developmental Stages

• Preoperational Thinking (3 to 7 years): Inability to think abstractly.

• Concrete Operational Thinking (8 to 11 years): Ability to logically reason.

Conservation Tasks

• Understanding that changing shape does not change amount.

  • Types: Number, mass, volume, matter.

Cognition Challenges

• Inability to Conserve: Struggles with reversibility and centering.

• Differences in Perceptions: Egocentrism, animistic thinking, artificialism.

Transitioning from Preoperations

• Shift around ages 7 to 8, mastering conservation in order (number, mass, liquid).