Unique Children Essay

Unit 1: A Unique Child
I will be discussing how every child is unique and how they learn and progress. I will explain the benefits of meeting individual needs and how a practitioner can promote children’s physical and emotional wellbeing within an early years setting. I will then describe how principles of anti-discriminatory practice can be applied and why it is important to plan activities to meet individual needs.

A unique child
Every child has individual and unique needs which need to be met for the child to develop. Ways in which a practitioner can meet these needs are by,
• Understanding and observing a child’s development and learning skills. Progress can then be assessed and next steps can be planned to ensure the child keeps on developing.
• Supporting babies and children in developing a positive view of themselves and their culture.
• Identifying needs for additional help.
• Keeping children safe and secure.
• Valuing and respecting children and their families equally.
There are three factors that interconnect a child’s development and these are growth, development and learning. These factors can be influenced by a child’s experiences, environment and genetic factors.
Children develop at their own rate and children of the same age will not necessarily develop the same knowledge and skills. The Early Years – Development Matters document informs practitioners of children’s development from birth to 60+ months. This document is for practitioners to understand the age and stage of development and will help to identify a child whose development is delayed.

There are some factors that can affect development these are, pregnancy or birth difficulties, disability, illness, environment and stress.
Premature babies will not...

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...fety in the kitchen. Activities can be planned for children to learn about their bodies.

In this unit, I have described how important it is for every child to be treated as an individual. A child will learn, be confident and self-assured if they feel safe, happy, valued and accepted. It is important that every child has their individual needs met so that they are able to progress in their development. I have explained how important a key person’s role is in an early years setting in supporting children and their families. Activities should always be differentiated so that all children including children with disabilities and impairments are included in all activities. It is important that children are kept safe and secure to promote their physical and emotional well-being. All these factors put together are important when viewing every child as a unique individual.