As a part of the development community plan, it is proposed to organize an infant room, early childhood room, and adolescent room in the social center. The infant room will be mainly equipped with devices for comfortable interaction between parents and children. Early childhood room will focus on the development of cognitive abilities, creativity, and social skills. The adolescent room will offer equipment for teamwork to build social connections. The development of children at each stage requires addressing special needs in order to provoke competent psychosocial development.
Infants under the age of a year do not have significant social skills. During this period, children go through a stage of trust and distrust, which are completely based on a sense of security (Kesavelu et al., 2021). If a person successfully overcomes this stage of development, it will be easier for them to build trust in the future. According to Kohlberg’s concept, children at this age accept the prescribed rules as an absolute, so it is important to present them clearly (Mathes, 2021). To encourage psycho-emotional development, the infant room in the center will be equipped with many toys, books, and musical accompaniment. Reading aloud, playing simplistic hide-and-seek with one object in sight, and picking up the sounds of music will contribute to solid skill development. According to Erikson’s psychosocial theory, children at this stage of development first need to build connections with the outside world with the help of a trusted adult (Kesavelu et al., 2021). The proposed activity will facilitate the establishment of connections through sounds and tactile sensations.
At the stage of early childhood development, a person goes through several important stages that lay the foundation for the further successful development of the psyche. At this age, the number of physical skills increases significantly, children try to become more independent (Mossler, 2015). During this period, children can dress themselves, learn to run and jump. Soon the child will begin to learn to build social interactions, which is especially important in the framework of psycho-emotional development (Mossler, 2015). According to Kohlberg, at this age, children begin to question imposed rules and gravitate toward individualism (Mathes, 2021). For children of this age, the proposed activity should involve great mobility, while encouraging interaction between peers. In the early childhood development room, children will be offered safe sports equipment, as well as simple games aimed at developing teamwork, such as collaborative puzzle solving or small role-playing story games. According to Erikson’s psychosocial theory, increasing independence is most important at this age (Kesavelu et al., 2021). Therefore, the proposed activity will contribute to development by provoking social interactions in isolation from parents.
In adolescence, awareness of one’s own identity becomes much more significant. At this age, children learn to understand themselves and others, and encouraging social development is especially important (Burnett & Blakemore, 2009). According to Kohlberg, the stage of adolescence is associated with the acceptance of social norms and finding one’s own place in the worldview (Mathes, 2021). Teenagers learn to understand the differences between people, build an understanding of the social hierarchy, and develop empathy (Kesavelu et al., 2021). Activities for teenagers should aim to encourage social interaction and demonstrate individualism. The teenagers’ room will offer board and computer team games. According to Erikson’s psychosocial theory, at this age it is most important to develop a sense of commitment to a group and build an understanding of social roles (Kesavelu et al., 2021). These skills can be developed in team interaction, and this encouragement becomes the basis of the proposed activities.
In conclusion, the guidance of Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development formed the basis for the set of activities appropriate for each age group. Starting from the stage of early childhood development, the greatest attention is paid to the promotion of social skills, which are most easily developed in team play interaction. Addressing the needs and requirements of the child at each psychosocial stage, children’s rooms will make a significant contribution to the development of social adaptation.
References
Burnett, S., & Blakemore, S. J. (2009). The development of adolescent social cognition. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1167(1), 51-56. Web.
Kesavelu, D., Sheela, K., & Abraham, P. (2021). Stages of psychological development of Child: An overview. International Journal of Current Research and Review, 13(13), 74-78. Web.
Mathes, E. W. (2021). An evolutionary perspective on Kohlberg’s theory of moral development. Current Psychology, 40(8), 3908-3921. Web.
Mossler, R.A. (2015). Child and adolescent development (2nd ed.). Zovio Inc.