Exploring Early Childhood Essay

Infancy

Physical Changes

During infancy, the physical structures of the baby develop rapidly. Babies increase weight and the length of their bodies. Developments in lengths and increase in weight also affect the body proportion of the baby. The infant’s head develops and matures earlier than other parts of the body. Hands, legs, trunk, and torso also grow rapidly. These changes affect other developmental factors like emotions, cognitive, and motor (Bayley, 2005).

Physical features of the infant’s brain also grow fast. Although babies have nearly all neurons required for a normal brain, the size of the brain increases due to the formation of myelin substances in areas of the neuron. Myelin is useful for neuron activities. This increases the physical growth of the brain. Some parts of the neuron also develop into synapses, which increase the weight of the brain.

Cognitive Changes

These changes include developments in memory, reasoning, symbolization, and conception of ideas. Cognitive changes influence how infants perceive their environments and psychological well-being. Piaget argues that at birth, infants lack a mental framework. However, infants begin to construct concepts of their environments as they experience such environments. At this stage, infants develop sensorimotor intelligence based on actions and perception of their immediate environments.

Piaget notes that newborns have not developed a concept of themselves or objects. They only possess rudimentary schemata for experiencing their environments.

Some studies have shown that infant memory and abilities to imitate others or things develop their representational abilities. For instance, infants would imitate the actions of adults without necessarily knowing their own actions.

Socioemotional Changes

Infants use their emotions to communicate and achieve their goals. One can observe joy, anguish, fear, anger, surprise, and other forms of emotions in newborns. Infants can smile after six weeks. Others can also express distress when handled by strangers at seven weeks. They develop other forms of complex emotions within the second year (Lefrançois, 2012).

Infants can notice changes in the emotions of their caregivers. At the age of two months, babies can notice facial expressions and vocal changes. Infants can apply social referencing (use emotional expressions of others) to control their emotions at the age of ten months.

Infants also display different levels of temperament and attachment styles to different people. An infant’s attachment depends on various experiences.

Early Childhood

Physical Changes

Although the growth rate at this stage has declined relative to the infancy stage, infants still experience high rates of physical growth. Children develop muscles in their arms and legs. They also learn how to walk as a part of “developing gross motor skills” (Bayley, 2005). Children then learn to perform fine motor skills like drawing and writing.

The body muscles develop “rapidly than those around the hands and feet” (Bayley, 2005). Usually, the head develops and matures earlier than other parts of the body. Between the age of five and eight, children’s physical growth gradually slows down. However, children develop fine motor skills as the body becomes refined in proportion. Body features become apparent than at the infancy stage.

Cognitive Changes

At this stage, children grow their cognitive abilities. Children develop skills that would allow them to interact with their environments. They gain skills for processing, evaluating, recalling, and retaining information from their environments. Children also learn cognitive skills from the world around them.

Piaget notes that cognitive developments in children take place in stages. At a preoperational stage, “children develop language skills” (Bayley, 2005). They can rely on descriptions, symbols, and words to relate to their surroundings.

Children can think symbolically and create mental images of objects. They can play, imitate, and scribble symbols. At the same time, children also develop intuitive abilities. They begin to ask questions and reason primitively.

Socioemotional Changes

This stage is critical for influencing the child’s socioemotional development, cognitive, and physical developments. Caregivers have the opportunity to enhance socioemotional growth in children at this stage.

Caregivers should promote positive experiences for children at this stage. Any negative experiences can affect the child’s socioemotional development, particularly mental growth. This could impair the child’s cognitive, socioemotional, and behavioral developments.

Positive social experiences and well-developed minds in a supportive environment affect children’s emotional maturity. The environment and family are two critical aspects that influence socioemotional development in children at this stage. Environmental factors have long-lasting impacts on the development of children. They influence the personality, socioemotional well-being, and emotions of children later in adulthood.

Middle Childhood

Physical Changes

Major physical developments in children at this stage are both biological and neurophysiological. Children begin to refine their motor and perceptual skills and improve their physical health. They also improve diet and physical exercise. Children experience rapid growth in height, weight, and other body features. This is a period of rapid hormonal changes. The stage marks the threshold of puberty in children. The average ages for girls and boys vary, but girls experience puberty at “11 years while boys at 13 years” (Wolman, 1998). One can also note changes in behaviors and physical appearances. For instance, hair color may change and voice may become deep.

They also acquire fine motor skills and discover how to perform complicated tasks. For instance, children will learn some acts of balancing and coordinating tasks, but these fine motor skills improve with further practice.

Cognitive Changes

In this stage, children develop their language and intellectual abilities. In addition, they also improve memory capacities. Children develop their logical reasoning slowly. They tend to use examples, recall, and use different learning strategies. At this stage, children may consolidate skills of writing, reading, and using computers.

This is the stage of ‘Concrete Operational’ in thinking as Piaget referred to it. Children can consciously, proactively, and critically engage in different activities. They become logical in their thinking styles and are able to master the addition and subtraction of numbers.

Children develop concrete mental operations based on actual events, people, and places.

Socioemotional Changes

Children acquire social and interpersonal skills. They also develop ethical and moral skills and establish close associations with their peers. Children develop similar understandings for families and peers. They deepen their relationships and want fairness.

At this stage, influences from peers are common. The effects of peer pressure could affect the choices that children make at this stage. Self-awareness and self-esteem are critical as children begin to compare themselves with others. They become aware of their physical appearance too. As they develop complex relationships outside the family, children begin to yearn for their independence. Adolescents in this stage yearn for recognition and acceptance. They also care about other people, especially members of the same sex (Wolman, 1998).

This stage requires positive socioemotional growth. This would enhance social relationships, cognitive and mental development, and a healthy psyche later into adulthood.

References

Bayley, N. (2005). Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (3rd ed.). Oxford: Pearson Assessment.

Lefrançois, G. R. (2012). Children’s journeys: Exploring early childhood. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Wolman, B. (1998). Adolescence: Biological and Psychosocial Perspectives. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.