JV

4_CHILDHOOD2

Childhood Development Stages

  • Age range: Ā± 2 years to puberty.

Lecture Outline

  • Key Focus Areas:

    • Physical development

    • Cognitive development

      • Piagetā€™s pre-operational and concrete operational stages

    • Psychosocial development

      • Eriksonā€™s stages 2 ā€“ 4

      • Importance of play

Physical Development

  • Growth Rate:

    • Slows down during childhood.

  • Motor Skills:

    • Improvement in gross and fine motor skills as strength, coordination, balance, and flexibility increase.

Cognitive Development

Piagetā€™s Pre-operational Stage (Ā± 2-7 yrs)

  • Symbol Usage:

    • Preschool children start using symbols (e.g., language).

  • Characteristics:

    • Thinking is often illogical.

    • Egocentrism: Difficulty in viewing situations from perspectives other than their own.

    • Centration: Focus on one aspect of a situation while ignoring others.

    • Inability to conserve: Difficulty understanding the quantity remains the same despite changes in shape.

    • Animism: Belief that inanimate objects possess feelings or thoughts.

Piagetā€™s Concrete Operational Stage (Ā± 7-12 yrs)

  • Logical Thinking:

    • Children can think logically about concrete objects and problems.

  • New Capabilities:

    • Decentration: Ability to consider multiple aspects of a situation.

    • Conservation: Understanding that quantity doesn't change even with changes in shape.

    • Reversibility: Ability to understand that actions can be reversed.

Psychosocial Development

Erikson's Stages

  • Stage 2: Autonomy versus Shame and Doubt (1-3 years)

    • Focuses on fostering independence and self-control.

  • Stage 3: Initiative versus Guilt (3-6 years)

    • Encouragement of initiative results in a sense of purpose, while discouragement leads to guilt.

  • Stage 4: Industry versus Inferiority (6-12 years)

    • The development of a sense of competence and achievement in skills and tasks.

Play

Types of Play

  • Practice Play:

    • Engaging in repetitive actions to refine skills.

  • Constructive Play:

    • Building or creating objects.

  • Pretend Play:

    • Sociodramatic play (make-believe play). Peaks at ages 4 to 5.

Cultural Variation in Play

  • The nature of play varies across cultures, reflecting different norms and values.

Functions of Play

  • Learning motor and cognitive skills.

  • Mastering emotional conflicts and anxieties.

  • Developing an understanding of self and society.