Sheri Johnson

Identify Children's Growth and Development

Early childhood is a time of immense growth across all areas of development. The first stage of growth and development stretches from birth to around 18 or 24 months. During this period of development, young children will learn through their sensory perceptions and their visual and touch experiences of the world around them. Infants are developing their motor skills as well as learning about the cause and effect of their actions. A key moment, at around the age of one, is the development of Social and emotional functioning. This is the time when attachment formation becomes critical. The quality of emotional attachment or lack of attachment formed, may serve as a model for later relationships. A childs most important relationship during this period is that with the maternal and primary caregiver. The second stage of growth and development is from 18 months to 3 years of age. Children will begin to assert their individuality, declaring NO and making other choices freely. Over the first three years of life, children develop a vocabulary of between 300 and 1,000 words, and they are able to use words to learn about and describe the world around them. During the third stage of growth and development, which occurs between 3 and 5 years, most children begin to attend school and experience increased interactions with the world outside of their home. Children develop a sense of responsibility for their behavior; they become increasingly curious about the surrounding world and often want to emulate adults in their lives. Children continue to grow rapidly and begin to develop fine-motor skills. By age five most children show

relatively good control of pencils, crayons, and scissors. Gross motor skills may include the ability to skip and balance on one foot. A child's vocabulary will grow to approximately 1,500 words. Five-year-olds are also able to produce five-to seven-word sentences, learn to use the past tense, and tell familiar stories using pictures as cues. The fourth stage of growth and development is children ages 6 to 12 years old. During this time children will often be occupied in learning and exploration. Schoolmates and friends become a stronger influence during this time. This stage of development is key for a child to acquire self-confidence and a sense of hard work. Children begin to perform progressively complex tasks and work to master new skills. Those who are encouraged by parents and teachers develop a feeling of competence and belief in their abilities. Children who receive little or no encouragement from parents, teachers, or peers will question their ability to be successful. We must always remember how much our influences matter to a child; their early experiences with us truly shape their future!