Helping each child develop to his or her full potential physically, socially, emotionally, and intellectually is a tremendous responsibility. Include the elements described in this section in your program, and you'll be well on your way to providing children with the kind of environ- ment that will encourage them to learn, grow, and be happy.Children 3 Why Study Child Growth and Development? Knowledge of child growth and development will enable you to know what behavior and characteristics you can expect in children at different ages. You can use this in- formation to help you decide how to set up the room and how to offer children challeng- ing learning opportunities. Above all, a foundation in child development will help you answer the most important question, “What is best for children?” ‘These principles of development will guide you in making decisions that are developmentally appropriate: 1. Development follows predictable patterns Children develop in stages and the sequence of these stages is the same. 2. There are large differences in the rate at which children develop. Even when children are the same chronological age, their level of knowledge and skills will vary widely. 3. Development is often uneven. Children may develop more quickly in some areas than others. 4, Development proceeds from simple to complex and from general to specific. Each skill is built on a simpler one until the child learns more refined skills and concepts. 5, Learning proceeds from the concrete to the abstract. Children need real-life experiences interacting with concrete objects in order to construct knowledge. 6. Development cannot be “taught” or hurried. If children are forced to perform beyond their abilities, it may damage their self-concept or cause negative attitudes about school. 7. Children have different styles of earning, as well as different interests, needs, and motivations. 8, Intellectual, social, emotional, and physical development are intricately inter- woven. Itis important to develop a well-rounded child with experiences in all the domains. ‘When you understand how children think and behave at different ages, you will know how to guide them, motivate them, and how to provide optimum learning environment and experiences for them. An understanding of child development will also improve your confidence and will enable you to adjust your program to the in- dividual needs of the children in your classroom. Your school library, public library, or acollege library are all good sources for material on child growth and development. What Are the Major Areas of Development? From the moment of birth, children learn and grow in many ways. These are the major areas in which development will occur: © Physical Development—This involves the way children use their large and small muscles Large muscles are used for activities such as walking, running, and throwing; small muscles are used for drawing, writing, feeding, and dressing. © Social Development—Social development refers to how children interact with other children and adults in their lives Social skills include sharing, cooperating, and following rules.4 Children, * Emotional Development—Emotional development includes children’s feelings about themselves, their self esteem, and their ability to express their feelings * [fansuage Development—Language development refers to children’s ability to listen, understand, speak, and eventually to read and write, * Cognitive or Intellectual Development—Intellectual development involves children's ability to think, reason, and solve problems Tt includes forming com cepts remembering ideas, and recognizing objects. ou cc What Should You Know About Two-Year-Olds? ‘Twoyyear-olds can be terrific, and sometimes troublesome! ‘They arefull of energy and curiosity, so they need teachers who are. alert, understanding, flexible, and creative, What Are TwoYear-Olds Like? How Can We Teach Them? Very active, P_ Give many opportunities for indoor Can walk, run, jamp on 2 feet, tip: Hand outdoor running and elimbing toe, and climb, Y Offer children a wide variety of Can scribble, work a 3- or 4-piece. material to work with puzzle, string large beads, stack blocks, mold play dough, and paint. C Give children opportunities to Can feed self, clean-up, and is A. dress, feed self, and care for toys learning to use bathroom. L_ Praise efforts at toileting, Generally plays alone, but beginning S Blocks and housekeeping areas en- parallel play. © courage children to play with others. Doesn't share well. C. Have duplicates of toys. May be aggressive with other I Watch children closely and be a children, A. good model, L_ Encourage children to use words to express their feelings.Children Becoming independent and aware of “self” Favorite words are “no” and “me do it.” Easily frustrated when cannot do something. Doesn't like changes. Emotional swings—laughing or crying. Says 200-600 words ‘Understands more than he or she says. Likes repetition. ‘Uses language to express ideas. Short attention span. Learns through senses. Can match colors and like pictures, Can identify body parts. HO>aCaZ>r m>ZoHnHoeM I N by E L L E c T U A L Allow children choices and to do as much as they can for themselves. Have age-appropriate toys and activities, Provide a secure environment and follow a regular schedule. Be reassuring and sensitive. Encourage children to talk, talk, talk. Describe what you are doing and what the children are doing. Sing songs, say rhymes, and reread favorite books. Expect and encourage children to express their wants and needs. Keep activities short. Provide different activities and toys children can choose from. Let children touch, smell, taste, see, and hear. Use matching games and sorting activities. Sing songs and play games with body parts.What Are the Characteristics of Three-Year-Olds? Three-year-olds are cooperative, cheerful, and eager to please. They enjoy new ex- periences, their friends, and are becoming increasingly independent. What Are ThreeYear-Olds Like? Can walk backwards, run, (swing- ing arms), balance on 1 foot, climb stairs alternating feet, ride a tricycle, and throw. Has greater control of hands. Colors, cuts straight line, draws lines and circles. Can pour juice, use a spoon and fork, dress and undress self. Brushes teeth, washes hands, and has bladder and bowel control (most of the time!) Likes friends. Beginning to share toys and take turns. Wants to help and please. Enjoys imaginary play. More confident of self. Enjoys laughing. May go through a difficult stage around 3%. Can speak most words clearly and make simple sentences. ‘Vocabulary is expanding. Uses words to express feelings Ppanadms rpHacn QZ>Pe o>ZOMHORD How Can We Teach Them? Provide a variety of indoor and out- door activities with riding toys, balls, a balance beam, and climb- ing apparatus. Children will also enjoy creative movement. Offer crayons, markers, pencils, scissors, play dough, blocks, puzzles, ete, Encourage children to serve themselves and dress themselves. Have easy access to bathroom, sink, and soap. Provide a large amount of time for informal play. Reinforce children when they do share. Give opportunities to help in classroom, such as set table, feed pets, ete. Dress-up clothes in housekeeping and props in blocks will encourage imaginary play. Praise often and use materials and activities where child will ex- perience success. Read silly stories and do funny stunts, Have clear rules and be firm, yet loving. Sing songs, say rhymes and finger plays, read books, and describe objects and experiences. ‘Model ways to express wants andChildren Can follow simple directions. Curious about world. Names colors. Recognizes name. Counts to 10. Can compare objects. Beginning to recognize some shapes, letters, and numerals. Attention span is increasing. Bard I N iv E L L E Cc oa U A L needs. Help threes work out problems with words. Give children one or two directions at a time to follow. Share excitement about learning. Play color games and matching games Label cubby, chair, pictures, and other possessions. Say counting finger plays, songs, and play counting games. Use sorting games and manipulatives Do not push children, but give them hands-on experiences with a variety of materials Plan longer activities What Should You Know About FourYear-Olds? Fouryear-olds are fun, silly, imaginative, excitable, and often a little “wild” ‘Teachers should be enthusiastic and sensitive to meet the changing needs of fours. What Are FourYear-Olds Like? Can run, jump, gallop, hop on 1 foot, swing, and bounce and catch a ball. Can print name, cut on a line, and draw simple objects. Ono How Can We Teach Them? Give fours lots of time outside with a variety of equipment to release all of their energy and excitement. Offer plenty of activities for using small motor skills, with paper, pencils, puzzles, clay, etc.Dresses self—buttons, snaps, zips, laces, buckles, Loves other children. Shares toys and plays cooperatively. Shows concern for feelings of others, “Out of bounds” behavior at times. ‘Shows emotional extremes “Loves” one minute and “hates” the next. May show fears Is bold, adventurous, and sure of self. Highly imaginative, Is very silly. High interest in words Asks many questions. “Why” and “how” are favorite words Can repeat songs, finger plays, and stories, Chatters continually. Shows curiosity about the world and other people. Can make sets, Names simple shapes. Beginning to recognize letters and numerals Can attend for longer periods of time. HO>CaZ>r He >Zonnoey HPHaon mp PP CHsosre aaa Children Encourage independence in dress- ‘ing and undressing. Schedule large amounts of time for play indoors and outdoors. Plan for small group projects and cooperative learning. Calll attention to others ‘Talk about how their behavior im- pacts others, Set clear limits and follow-through on rules. Be understanding and patient, Be reassuring, Offer new challenges and praise their efforts. Use creative movement and encourage children to make up “pretend” stories, Have a good sense of humor and laugh with them. Read funny books. Make up nonsense words and rhymes, Answer questions when you can, Turn questions around and ask, “What do you think?” Sing and read frequently. Go on field trips, invite visitors to speak to your class, and give children many real-life experiences. Encourage children to work with math manipulatives. Play shape games and have children trace shapes. Introduce letters and sounds with games and sensory experiences. Plan more group activities.Children What Are the Characteristics of Five-YearOlds? Five is a wonderful age when children love themselves and everyone around them. They are fun, creative, and eager to learn and please. What Are FiveYear-Olds Like? Can hop, skip, gallop, throw, and kick. Writes name and copies simple shapes, Handedness is established. Draws recognizable figures, cuts, sews Ties shoes, combs hair, and cares for self. Conforms to group and follows rules Imaginative play is more elaborate. Is eager to please adults. Has a good sense of self. Shows pride in work. Wants to give and receive affection. Gets angry when he or she “can't do.” UP PHOQOn HPOnudmy Zornogs How Can We Teach Them? Offer physical challenges with a variety of equipment. Provide children with ample writing activities and supplies. Have many art supplies and manipulatives available. Praise children for their independence. Have children develop class rules. Play simple games. ‘Add prop boxes, costumes, hats, and other objects to housekeeping, blocks, and outdoor play. Encourage children to help in the classroom and at home. Praise enthusiastically. Encourage children to talk about themselves. Display work and encourage them to share their work. Give lots of hugs, kisses, and pats on the back. Plan activities where they will beChildren A. successful. Do not frustrate L children by asking them ‘o think abstractly or do too much academic work, Communicates well. Uses correct LL Provide many opportunities for tense and speech patterns A children to use language Be an Can tell full name, address phone N' interested etene number, and birthday. G Play games where children must Enjoys books U say their name, address, e:e Can retell a story in sequence, A Expose children to a wide variety G of literature. E Let children act out stories or put Sequence pictures in order. Gon identity letters and sounds’ I_Mke games and use real objects to N reinforce letters and sounds. Gay match numerals and sets 7 Give children manipulatives to . make sets, Can count to 20. L Count the children in the room and HZ0"® Prepositions; opposites. _—L,_other objects in the eh Hasa much longer attention span. E Let children att out srovvstions C and opposites, T Plan longer group activities u A i Should You Rush or Push Children? NOI NO! NO! There isa tendency in early childhood education these days to do too much, too soon, too fast. Many parents and teachers are falling into the competitive Further, if one area of development is sacrificed for another, such as academic skills mney seaativity children may suffer the consequences in the future and seh gifts may remain neglected. One of the best reasons for not ‘Pushing children is that it doesn’t always work. No matter how hard you try, there is very little you can do to force a three-year-old to read or ride a two-wheeler. There is an optimum time for learning various tasks, ang children will larn them in their own way at their own time thee, provide them with the appropriate environment and experiences,Children a How Do Children Learn? Children are natural learners—they are curious, interested, and enthusiastic about learning new things The best way to teach children is to build on play and their natural learning styles. CHILDREN LEARN THROUGH PLAY. Play is what children do best and enjoy the most. For children, play is their work. Play fosters total development and should be integrated into everything children do. CHILDREN LEARN BY DOING. Children learn through active involvement with concrete objects. They need many firsthand experiences with real things, such as science experiments, construction, art projects, dramatic play, and field trips I HEAR AND I FORGET. I SEE AND I REMEMBER. IDO AND I UNDERSTAND. Chinese Proverb CHILDREN LEARN THROUGH THEIR SENSES Children learn by seeing, hear- ing, touching, tasting, and smelling. Think of each of the senses as a pathway to the brain; the more senses or pathways involved, the more likely learning will occur, Sensory learning also emphasizes the need for a variety of media and materials to stimulate children’s senses CHILDREN LEARN THROUGH LANGUAGE. Children need to talk about their experiences and to verbalize what they are thinking, Teachers can foster language by describing what they are doing, labeling objects, clarifying children’s thoughts, and asking and answering their questions CHILDREN LEARN BY MOVING. Children seem tobe in constant motion. They have a limited attention span and cannot learn sitting quietly pushing a pencil. Direct their energy with whole body experiences where they can move and use their hands, feet, heads, and bodies to learn. CHILDREN LEARN BY BEING MOTIVATED. Motivation is a key ingredient to learning, Interesting materials and a stimulating environment will spark children’s curiosity and inspire them to learn. Pleasing parents, teachers, praise, rewards, and other personal reasons further motivate children to learn. CHILDREN LEARN ON THEIR OWN LEVEL. Assess each child's background and skills so you can build on their past experiences If activities are too easy, children will be bored, but if they are too difficult, children will be frustrated. Break down difficult activities into small steps so each child can succeed and move from simple to more complex activities CHILDREN LEARN THROUGH PRAISE AND REINFORCEMENT. “Nothing succeeds like success” Positive experiences and praise encourage children to learn more while building their confidence. Give children constant reinforcement with smiles, pats, and verbal encouragement. CHILDREN LEARN THROUGH IMITATION, Children learn by observing others and then imitating what they see and hear. Children also imitate values and attitudes that they see in parents, teachers, and peers.2 Children CHILDREN LEARN THROUGH REPETITION. Children build knowledge through repetition and through accumulated experience. The amountof time that is spent on activities is another significant factor in learning. CHILDREN LEARN BY EXPERIMENTING. Children need the freedom to experiment, explore, try things out, and to make choices. Since they learn through trial and error, accept their mistakes and offer feedback and support. CHILDREN LEARN THROUGH EXPOSURE. Children are like sponges, learn- ing more in the preschool years than any other period. They need to be stimulated with a wide variety of materials, activities, and subject matter. CHILDREN LEARN THROUGH INTERACTING WITH FRIENDS It is amaz- ing how much children learn through talking, watching, and playing with their friends, siblings, and others Peer teaching is a meaningful way of learning that should not be overlooked. CHILDREN LEARN IN A POSITIVE ENVIRONMENT. Children need to feel loved, safe, and secure in order to learn. An atmosphere of warmth and accept- ance is much more conducive than one that is competitive or threatening. CHILDREN LEARN WHEN THEIR PHYSICAL NEEDS ARE MET. Children who are hungry, sleepy, or under stress will have a difficult time learning. Make sure children receive good nutrition, proper rest, and emotional support. CHILDREN LEARN THROUGH WHOLENESS. Learning is not isolated, but should be connected and integrated in all areas of the curriculum. Learning should also focus on the whole child by meeting their physical, social, emotional, and intellectual needs When the above guidelines are followed, children will become independent learners who are excited about school and are enthusiastic about learning. They will have a strong foundation, confidence in their abilities, and lifelong skills thet will help them continue to learn. How Do You Nurture a Positive Self-Concept in Children? Self-concept incorporates all the feelings and perceptions that children have about themselves. Children are not born with a self-concept; it develops from the way people talk to them, respond to them, and treat them. In addition to parents, teachers have a strong impact on children’s sense of self.Children 13 Sometimes teachers create barriers for children and chip away at their selfesteem without even realizing it. How do you think stereotypes and labels such as “baby.” “lazy;’ and “trouble” make children feel? Put-downs, comparisons, criticisms, and over- protection can further handicap children. Here are some simple strategies to help children in your classroom feel good and develop a positive self-concept: 1. Accept children for who they are and what they are. Your acceptance will lead to feelings of self-acceptance in the child. 2. Set clear, reasonable rules and expectations of behavior. When children have boundaries and know what behavior is expected of them, they tend to develop higher self-esteem. 3. Encourage autonomy and independence in children. Know when to “let go”” 4, Give children freedom to enjoy themselves—to explore, to be creative, and to laugh. Allow your students to make decisions and accept responsibility. 6. Provide a secure environment where children can feel safe and freely express their feelings and opinions. 7. Show respect for all children in your classroom, regardless of their race, sex, religion, or ethnic background. 8, ‘Try to provide as many experiences as possible in which children can be successful. 9. Encourage children to try new things and to take risks. 10. Have realistic expectations for your students. Know what they are develop- mentally capable of doing. 11. Replace discouraging remarks and criticism with encouragement and compliments, 12. Help the children you teach see how they are unique and special. Discuss different physical attributes, personality traits, talents, and interests. 18, ‘Talk toyour students about being multidimensional. For example, “I'm pretty good at singing, but I still need to work on my writing” Point out the things that children do well. 14. Don't expect children to be perfect. Show them its O.K. to fail and help them learn how to deal with their mistakes and learn from failure. Donot make insulting or negative remarks about children in their presence, and don’t allow them to downgrade themselves or others. 16. Be enthusiastic and optimistic about life. Think positive thoughts about yourself, your children, and your situation. 17. Praise and reinforce children to let them know that you recognize their worth. ‘These are some words and phrases to help you: 15, fantastic super great terrific wonderful good try thank you for... fabulous much better all right4 Children great effort Tm proud of... Wow! you're doing better. Iknew you could... neat that's right way to go very good perfect 18. Give children lots of smiles and positive reinforcement. ‘These activities will also encourage a positive self-esteem: * Ask children to look in a mirror and say one thing they like about themselves. * Have a “star student” each week. Make a poster about the child with their picture, favorite activities, pets, etc. ‘* Let each person in the room tell you one positive comment about the special friend and write it on the poster. ¢ Frequently tell children to hug themselves and tell themselves how nice they are. * Encourage children to draw pictures and dictate stories about their feelings. © Take photographs of children and save them in a “class book.” * Let each child make an “All About Me” book. Have them draw pictures of their family, home, friends, school, likes, dislikes, ete. Ask children to complete this sentence, “I’m special because. . .” Have children dictate words that describe themselves. Make “I Can” posters. Let children draw pictures or dictate sentences about all the things they can do. can. ag | * Line children up in two rows facing each other. One at a time let « child walk we down the aisle as the others gently touch them and say positive things to them. PZ steieyele | *° Make copies of the noteson page 15 and give them to your students. Personalize them with the child’s name and a specific positive comment. Ina supportive environment where there is warmth, respect, and positive rein- forcement, children will fee! lovable and worthy. A positive self-concept may be one of the most lasting gifts you can give the children you teach! ABCs for Happy Children CHILDREN NEED: A ~ Acceptance B ~ Balance of activities C — Creative experiences in art, music, drama D - Desire to learn and positive attitudes about school E - Exercise and nutritional food to eat F -Fun! Play! G - Group experiences H - Handson learning I - Independence J - Jobs and responsibility K - KindnessChildren 15, | | Three cheers for. You are WONDERFUL! . \! ae ZF SUPER | 7\N STAR! |16 Children L - Limits and rules M - Manipulatives and tools N ~Nature exploration - Outings and field trips P — Praise and positive reinforcement Q - Questions and language R — Rest and relaxation S - Stories, stories, stories T -Time to talk, explore, discover U ~ Understanding adults V - Variety of materials and experiences W - Work that is meaningful X —Xylophones and music Y - “Yes” environment where they can be successful, Z ~Zat’s not all! What else can you add to this list? ABC’: for Ha ' Chi ea