Physical Development Physical Development carries two key perspectives, nature and nurture. Both perspectives can be supported in many mays. Arnold Lucius Gesell was an American psychologist and paediatrician and professor at Yale University, known for his research and contributions in the field of child development. Gessell was one of the first theorists to identify developmental milestones – he called them ‘Gessell developmental schedules’. He developed the maturational theory, which suggests that children’s development is due to their biological makeup and that environment has only a small influence. His research led him to three principles of physical development which are:- • Sequence – Gessell suggested that all physical development …show more content…
Once control has been gained of this part of the body, babies will then gain control of other parts of the body moving downwards (i.e. arms then legs etc) • Gross motor skills moving onto fine motor skills – Gessell suggested that it made sense for children to master control of their whole arm movements before they would be able to control their fine movements i.e. fingers (holding a pencil etc) Friedrich Froebel was a German scholar born in 1782 who did a lot of work on child’s play and how children use nature in their development. Although one of the early theorists (1782–1852), Froebel’s theories are still relevant today. He stressed the importance of play and recognised that the outdoor environment is vital to children’s learning and development. Each child should be allowed the time and space to play and develop through play activities. Maria Montessori was born in Italy in 1870 and influenced childcare massively in the 20th century. Montessori believed that children learn best through using their hands. She felt that one of the main factors that contributed to the child’s development was the ‘prepared’ environment. Children learn through exploration and the adult’s role is to create an environment where they can do …show more content…
Steiner identified three essential developmental ages of childhood, the first being 0–7 years, which he considered an important stage, sees the development of the physical body. Children at this stage live in a dreamy consciousness connecting them to the spirit worlds, and they are mainly characterized by their will. The second stage begins at age 7. The loss of baby teeth marks the beginning of this stage. Children of this age are mainly ruled by their emotions. The third stage begins at age 14. The transition to this stage is signalled by puberty. Only after entering this stage are children able to think rationally. He believed that children learn through imitation and doing. Steiner believed that the environment was central to a child’s learning and development. Susan Isaacs was a Lancashire-born educational psychologist and psychoanalyst. She published studies on the intellectual and social development of children and promoted the nursery school movement. Isaacs stressed the importance of children’s play in their development and learning. She discouraged desk-based learning and advocated that children should have space and freedom to
The Child Development Center of College of San Mateo provides early care and educational programs for children between the ages of 3 to 5 years old. Children are divided into classrooms with a “master” teacher, a “regular” teacher, and two or three “associate” teachers. Klara attended Classroom, “A,” a stimulating and well-resourced classroom. Klara was observed for two hours on Monday from 9 am to 11 am and for two hours on Wednesday from 9 am to 11 am. During these two hours, classroom activities consisted of “free time,” “story time,” and an outside “play time.” A “master” teacher, a “regular” teacher, and two “associate” teachers were present during observations. Additionally, a total of eighteen children were in attendance during the observed days.
In the Washington Post dated September 1, 2015 an article entitled The Decline of Play in Preschoolers-and the Rise in Sensory Issues written by Angela Hanscom, was published. The article depicted a story about the Hanscom’s oldest daughter and her success in pre-school. Hanscom enrolled her daughter in a preschool whose focus on the child’s academic enrichment was similar to her own. In addition to enrolling her daughter in the school, Hanscom increased the number of organized play dates with children her own age, enrolled her daughter into music and dance lessons, and took her on trips to local museums. Hanscom even partnered with other parents and neighbors for “enrichment classes to practice sorting, coloring, counting, numbers, letters, and to practice sitting (Hanscom, 2015)”. While the efforts of preparing her daughter to thrive academically succeeded, Hanscom’s found out later that her child would be decline in other areas.
Infants do not have full control over their hands; however, two and three year olds are developing their fine-motor skills. Children at the age of two and three can manipulate three toys because they have more control of their hands. At two and three children play putting clothes on and dressing up. Infants cannot put their own clothes on because they have not developed their fine-motor skill; and the two and three year old they need a little help getting ready. “With a little help, two-year-olds...
Motor development is the sequential, continuous age-related process whereby movement behavior changes (Payne & Isaacs, 2008). It can be divided into gross motor development, which specifically considers the development of movements made by larger muscle groups, and fine motor development, which includes more precise movements performed by small muscle groups (Payne & Isaacs, 2008). Additionally, motor development can be broken up into fundamental locomotor skills, including walking, running, and jumping, as well as object control skills such as catching, throwing, kicking, and punting. There are also several theories that surround motor development. For example, the maturational theory suggests the maturation of different body systems, most importantly the central nervous system, is the main force that drives motor development (Payne & Isaacs, 2008). This theory proposes that genetic inheritance is the most importa...
A newborn child’s physical and motor development is an evident progression throughout their first years and later in life. A child’s motor development is more of a slower progress, from going to gross motor skills to more fine motor skills in a few months while physical development is an apparent process. The environment affects children in their physical and motor growth, as they learn and adapt to new stimuli everyday as they develop. Separately, these developments start at different times, but function hand in hand as a child grows. Physical development is apparent at conception, early childhood, middle childhood, and adolescence; while motor development
One of the knowledge base of DAP takes into account the different ages and stages of individual children. Steiner’s theory of child development outlines that each child goes through three fundamental growth stages. Each stage lasts approximately seven years; each has its unique learning capacity and strategy. Teachers allow children to be active during the class time which makes learning more fun. Children develop a love of learning through child-friendly classroom activities which helps in attaining academic goals in older grades. The program for first three years is focused on will oriented physical activity, then on imaginative play in the middle years of early childhood and later more cognitive approach towards learning. Waldorf philosophy believes in planning the activities depending upon the interest of children, which makes the activity, DAP. They emphasizes on both indoor and outdoor play where they develop their physical growth, cognitive, emotional and social learning. The teachers in the school are dedicated to generate an inner enthusiasm for learning within every
With the success of working with these children she was asked to open a school in a housing project in Rome, which was opened on January 6 1907, which was called Casa dei Bambini or Children’s House. Montessori was focused on teaching the children how to develop their own skills at their own rate, which was a principle Dr. Montessori called “spontaneous self-development”. [Early Childhood Today, p. 74.] Montessori discovered that children’s innate power for learning worked best when the children were able to be left alone in a safe, and a hands on environment. When the children were given furniture, equipment, and supplies they were able to work by themselves, they were also self-motivated to explore experiment and reach new understandings. Montessori found self...
As children grow towards adolescence they go through many stages of development. Child development refers to the stages of physical, cognitive, emotional, social, and language growth that occurs from the birth to beginning of adulthood. All aspects of a child's development may be affected by many different factors, including a poor learning environment, lack of social interaction, cultural background differences, abuse, and loss of a parent. All of the before mentioned examples can affect the child's maturation, "a biological growth process that enables orderly changes in behavior, relatively uninfluenced by experience" (Myers 172). Children grow and mature at very different rates, some faster than others, which is why it is necessary to understand the importance of the different types of child development. Though all parts of child development are important, it is probably language learning that is most important to a child's development as a whole.
My Philosophy about Child Development Works Cited Missing A child's development affects how they learn. All children don't fit the norms of development but not all children should be looked down on because of this. The development of the body and mind leads to the development of skills a child learns in life. Teachers need to help the child expand their skills and the knowledge to do the skills well. "Virtually everything a young child does is affected if physical development is delayed" (Charlesworth, 2000).
Maria Montessori was the founder of the Montessori educational method. Maria Montessori graduated from the University of Rome Medical School and was working with “mentally deficient” children (Scotty, 2009). She always had a great aspiration to help children. The Montessori methods came about from her observations while working at the Casa dei Bambini (a daycare center in Rome). She saw how children learn naturally by things around them. Maria Montessori believed that children learned best by doing things individually and teaching themselves (Lewis, 1992). In Montessori schools children learn to deal with real life problems and how to overcome life’s obstacles. The teachers provide the children with freedom and independence.
Physical and motor development are two similar but different areas that describe child development. Physical development encompasses all of the various changes a child's body goes through. Those changes include height, weight, and brain development. Motor development is the development of control over the body. This control would involve developing reflexes such as blinking, large motor skills like walking, and fine motor skills like manipulating their fingers to pick up small objects like Cheerios. It is important to objectively study physical and motor development in children to gain knowledge on what characteristics are considered typical for each age and stage of development. This will enable me to be aware of when a child or children are developing at an irregular pace, and devise recommendations or find experiences and other resources that can aid in stimulating their development and to work towards closing achievement gaps. This particular assignment was to observe the selected child and reaffirm the importance of studying physical and motor development, and to develop ideas on how to involve it in my work as an early childhood professional.
From preschool into early elementary school, children have begun to develop their gross motor skills. They have developed a “mature pattern of walking” and are ready to test their physical abilities to the limits. Also fine motor skills have begun to develop, however more slowly. Along with motor skills children are developing their visual, tactile, and kinesthetic senses. A child’s sensory skills are helpful in learning language.
Child growth and development is a process that consists of some building blocks, which are components that combine in an infinite number of ways (Cherry, n.d.). As a result of the variations of building blocks in a child’s development, educators, psychologists, and philosophers have been constantly engaged in the debate of nature versus nurture debate. Many researchers agree that child development is a complex interaction between his/her genetic background (nature) and his/her environment (nurture). In essence, some developmental aspects are strongly affected by biology whereas other aspects are influenced by environmental factors. From the onset of an individu...
During this stage of development, children continue to develop gross motor skills but most of the development is with their fine motor skills. During this stage children are beginning to learn how to color, use scissors, write, and possibly tie their own shoes. Children will develop hand eye coordination as well as the ability to manipulate objects to accomplish what they want. My development was especially slow in this area. I did not begin to write legible words until I was five almost six years old. I still to this day, cannot cut a straight line and I could not color in the lines until I was about ten years old. I have always struggled with hand eye coordination and anything requiring the ability to manipulate a small object.
In the study of child development, nature and nurture are two essential concepts that immensely influence future abilities and characteristics of developing children. Nature refers to the genetically obtained characteristics and abilities that influence development while nurture refers to the surrounding environmental conditions that influence development. Without one or the other, a child may not develop some important skills, such as communication and walking. The roles of physiological and psychological needs in a person’s life are also crucial for developing children. Humanistic psychologist, Abraham Maslow, suggested that humans don’t only aim towards survival, but also aim towards self-actualization (Rathus, P. 94).