Physical, Intellectual, Emotional and Social Development of Children Ages 0-8 Years

Physical, Intellectual, Emotional and Social Development of Children Ages 0-8 Years

Works Cited Not Included

Physical development

When the baby is picked up, the head falls backwards. This is because

the neck muscles are not strong and developed enough to support the

head. This is why the head always needs to be supported when the baby

is lifted.

When a newborn baby is held in a sitting position, they appear to roll

up into a ball. The back curves over and the head falls forward

because the muscles in the neck and back are not very strong. When a

newborn baby is held upright with its feet on a flat surface, they

automatically make walking movements. This is known as the walking

reflex and will disappear after a few months.

A newborn baby keeps its hands tightly closed for most of the time.

The baby also shows a ‘grasp reflex’- if anything is put in the hand,

it is automatically grasped tightly. This reflex disappears after a

few weeks.

At such a young age, the baby is only aware of vague shapes, darkness,

light and movement. Newborns are very short sighted because their eyes

have a fixed focus of about 20-25 cm. They therefore see most clearly

those things within this distance, with objects further away being

blurred.

“Your baby will try to focus on anything which is moving, for instance

a mobile which is brightly coloured. However, your face will be the

most interesting object in his whole life, so make sure that he sees

that often and close.”

(Stoppard, 1990)

Not only is their sight developing, but also their hearing. The b...

... middle of paper ...

... share and even take turns in play. The

child shows ‘ownership’ over a toy by saying, "That is mine!" which

helps establish the sense of self. Although children of this age like

independence, they still need their parents nearby for security and

support; for example, they may walk away from their parents when they

feel curious only to later hide behind their parents when they are

scared. At

3 to 5 years of age, many children become interested in fantasy play

and imaginary friends. Fantasy play allows children to safely act out

different roles and strong feelings in acceptable ways. Fantasy play

also helps children grow socially; they learn to resolve conflicts

with parents or other children in ways that will help them vent

frustrations and maintain self-esteem.