Principles of Child Development Activity How children view

Principles of Child Development

Activity How children view the world

12 Principles of Child Development v General principles taken from a review of the early childhood literature v Principles should be considered when making decisions about children

Principle 1: Interrelatedness v Development in one domain influences and is influenced by development in other domains Example: Language skills impact social relationships v Example: Crawling increases development due to increased ability to explore v

Principle 2: Orderly Sequence v Development occurs in a relatively orderly sequence, with later abilities, skills, and knowledge building on those already acquired Example: crawl, pull to stand, steps, walking v Example: cooing, sounds, approximations, words, phrases, sentences v

Principle 3: Varying Rates v Development proceeds at varying rates from child to child as well as unevenly within different areas of each child’s functioning Own pattern and timing of growth v Unique personality, temperament and learning style v Varied experiences and family background v

Principle 4: Long Term Effects v Early experiences have both cumulative and delayed effects on individual children’s development; optimal periods exist for certain types of development and learning Example: Responding to infants cries v Example: Early literacy experiences v Example: First 3 years optimal for verbal language v

Principle 5: Increasing Complexity v Development proceeds in predictable directions toward greater complexity, organization, and internalization Example: Self talk before abstract thinking v Example: Using real items in play before being able to substitute a pretend or other object for that item v

Principle 6: Social and Cultural Influence v Development and learning occur in and are influenced by multiple social and cultural contexts Learning is additive v We need to help connect what children already know with what we want them to know v Example: Children whose primary language is not English develop a new language well when provided opportunities to learn English while continuing to learn new concepts in home language v

Principle 7: Active Learners v Children are active learners v Example: Learning addition through play with toys and games v Example: Learning spatial concepts through play with toys rather than worksheets

Principle 8: Biological and Environmental v Development and learning result from interaction of biological maturation and the environment Example: The language that children are exposed to is the one that they will learn even though they are born with capacity to learn any language v Example: A child with typical physical abilities but not exposed to bikes will not learn to ride a bike v

Principle 9: Play v Play is an important vehicle for children’s development, as well as a reflection of their development v v Organizing the play environment with themes and props can enhance language development Providing many motor toys will give you opportunities to observe children's motor development

Principle 10: Practice and Challenge v Development advances when children have opportunities to practice newly acquired skills as well as when they experience a challenge just beyond the level of their present mastery Allowing a child to put on own coat with needed assistance v Leaving recently mastered puzzles in the classroom v

Principle 11: Learning Modes v Children demonstrate different modes of knowing and learning and different ways of representing what they know v Example: After a walk around the neighborhood one child may come back and draw a picture, another act out what they saw and another talk about it

Principle 12: Needs Met v Children develop and learn best in the context of a community where they are safe and valued, their physical needs are met, and they feel psychologically secure. Example: If children are well fed they will be able to concentrate on learning activities. v Example: If children are living in violent home environments they may have trouble interacting positively with peers. v