4_CHILDHOOD2

Childhood Development Stages

• Age range: ± 2 years to puberty.

Lecture Outline

• Key Focus Areas:

  • Physical development

  • Cognitive development

    • Piaget’s pre-operational and concrete operational stages

  • Psychosocial development

    • Erikson’s stages 2 – 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

Piaget’s Pre-operational Stage (± 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.

Piaget’s Concrete Operational Stage (± 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.