BASIC CONCEPTS IN
CHILD DEVELOPMENT
1. WHAT IS CHILD DEVELOPMENT?
Child development refers to
the biological and psychological and
emotional changes that occur in human
beings between birth and the end
of adolescence then through adulthood, as
the individual progresses from dependency to
increasing autonomy.
1. DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH
The term DEVELOPMENT and GROWTH both
refer to two different meanings.
a) DEVELOPMENT(qualitative)
changes in a person’s physical and
behavioural traits that emerge in orderly ways
and last for a reasonable period of time.
the changes are…
PROGRESSIVE (results in acquisition of skills
and abilities that are complex,
finer and more efficient.)
IN ORDER (there is an order in
development.)
CONSISTENT
…that leads to and end with maturity (Hurlock,
1982)
• DEVELOPMENT refers to both
qualitative and quantitative changes.
• Development may be defined as a
progressive series of orderly, coherent
changes. There is a definite
relationship between the changes that
are taking place and those that
preceded or will follow them.
• Development is a continuous process
that starts even before birth.
4 main areas of development:
Physical (height, strength and weight)
Emotional (feelings and attitudes)
Spiritual (believes and religions)
Intellectual (thinking and understanding)
Social (interacting with others)
Seven (7) Principles of Development
1. Development involves change
Proportion, disappearance of old features (baby hair and
teeth) in exchange for new ones (secondary sex
characteristics).
2. Early development is more critical than later
development
According to Freud, the first 5 years are crucial to
the formation of adult personality (McLeod, 2019)
3. Development is a product of maturation and
learning
Maturation is the appearance of features that may
come from genetics. Learning comes from exercise
and effort.
Development = hereditary x environment
Seven (7) Principles of Development
4. Developmental pattern is predictable
The child is expected to develop at a certain period.
Example: After learning to crawl, it is expected that they would
be ready to walk.
5. There are individual differences in development
Although predictable, the rate of development still varies
from child to child. Some might be advanced in learning and
there are those who are late.
6. There are periods of developmental pattern
Developmental patterns follow through stages. Everyone
have or will experience these stages from infancy to
adulthood.
7. There are social expectations for every developmental
period
Each stage has social expectations. Children are expected
to develop their social skills at home, school and during
play. Adolescents are expected to act maturely.
b) GROWTH (quantitative)
refers to physical increase in the size of the
body. (increase in weight, height, etc..)
refers to a quantitative change (can be
measured)
there is a change in form and increase in the
complexity of body parts and their functioning,
thinking abilities and social skills.
Growth is only one aspect of the larger process
of development.
Principles of Growth
1. Cephalocaudal Principal: growth directs
the development from the head
downward
2. Proximodistal Principal: growth that
proceeds from the spine to the
extremities i.e
i.e. encourages development from the
central part of the body outward
The main areas of growth and development:
1.Physical (weight, height, muscles, systems,
organs)
2.Emotional (extend trusting relationships to
other adults and to children, show a strong
sense of self as an individual, recognise
feelings, label their own feelings)
3.Social (enjoy playing alongside other
children, but won’t interact a great deal with
them, show awareness of others’ feelings and
might try to give basic help, look to adults
for comfort.)
4.Spiritual (concerns the broad search for
transcendental meaning that may be as
simple as a young child’s inquiries into how
the world came into being)
5. Intellectual
The Sensorimotor Stage: A period of time between birth and age two
during which an infant's knowledge of the world is limited to his or her
sensory perceptions and motor activities. Behaviors are limited to
simple motor responses caused by sensory stimuli.
The Preoperational Stage: A period between ages two and six during
which a child learns to use language. During this stage, children do not
yet understand concrete logic, cannot mentally manipulate information
and are unable to take the point of view of other people.
The Concrete Operational Stage: A period between ages seven and
eleven during which children gain a better understanding of mental
operations. Children begin thinking logically about concrete events,
but have difficulty understanding abstract or hypothetical concepts.
The Formal Operational Stage: A period between age twelve to
adulthood when people develop the ability to think about abstract
concepts. Skills such as logical thought, deductive reasoning and
systematic planning also emerge during this stage.
The human life span has been divided into
the stages of...
a) Infancy
b) Childhood
c) Adolescence
d) Adulthood
a) Infancy – from birth to 2 years of age
the child is totally dependent on the caregiver
for the fulfilment of her needs.
the period of the most rapid growth
and development.
their skills and abilities increase.
b) Childhood – from 2 to 12 years of age
acquire learning skills that will be associated
with schooling.
learns about numbers, colours, shapes and the
reasons for everyday events.
thinking develops rapidly and her interest
in the outside world grows by leaps and
bounds.
c) Adolescence - from 12 to 18 years of age
the beginning of this period is marked
by puberty.
Puberty refers to the stage around 11 - 1 4
years of age, when there is a spurt in physical
growth.
This results in a rapid increase in height and
weight and the emergence of secondary
sexual characteristics (face hair, pubic hair,
sexual organs)
Conflicts due to peer pressure occur and
there will be needs for emotional adjustment.
d) Adulthood – 18 years and above
the ability to support oneself economically
(getting married, settle down, raise
family)
adulthood typically involves either working or
preparing for one's livelihood.
physical changes are complete and the person is
mature.
http://psychology.about.com/od/developme
ntalpsychology/ss/early-childhood-
development_3.htm
Thompson and Randall, retrieved from
http://www.desmos.info/en/doc/Childrens_S
piritual_Development.pdf
http://www.preservearticles.com/201105206
839/physical-growth-and-development-of-
a-child.html
