Principles

of
Child Development:
Looking at the Whole Child

Agenda

February 7, 2015
February 28, 2015

Looking at the Whole Child

Child Development Milestones
Its All in One: Heart, Muscle and Brain
The Three Child Developmental Domains
The Importance of Play in Development of
Young Children

Outcomes
Participants will:
Understand the development of the whole child
Explore the three child developmental domains:
cognitive, socio-emotional and physical
Examine how the environment impacts child
development
Understand how play impacts development

Child Development Milestones

At your tables determine what should

be expected for a child to accomplish
by their developmental age.

Child Development Milestones

Newborn to 6 months
7- 12 months
12 months 2 years

2 years

3 years

4-5 years

Developmental Domains

Developmental Domains
The physical domain focuses on the body,
large and small muscle development and motor
coordination.
The social-emotional domain focuses on selfconcept, interpersonal relationships, feelings
and emotions.
The cognitive domain focuses on intellectual
development, thinking and ways of learning

The Three Domains of Child Development:

Cognitive, Socio-Emotional and Physical
Domain

Physical
Development

Refers to:

Cues:

Changes in the nervous and

brain structure affects
physical and motor
development:

A small or large shift in

a childs demeanor,
facial expression in
regard to using their
bodies.

Increases in bodily size

Increases in bodily strength
Ability to control small
muscles (fine motor skills)
Ability to control large
muscles (large motor skills)

Look, I can
I want to ride the
I wrote my name.

The Three Domains of Child Development:

Cognitive, Socio-Emotional and Physical
Domain

Refers to:

Cues:

How children feel about,

themselves, other people and
the world and how children
relate to other people

A shift in a childs
demeanor, facial
expression, or entire
body language. This
could be subtle or a
blatant appearance of
any emotion.

Establishing a sense of self

separate from others

Socio-Emotional
Development

Establishing a sense of self

regulation
Learning to distinguish
different feelings
Learning to express feelings in
culturally acceptable ways

Sounds associated with

emotions: sighs, giggles,
moans, grunts, short
inhalations of breath.
Ms. Nitashe wont
or
He just (wrote) on

The Three Domains of Child Development:

Cognitive, Socio-Emotional and Physical
Domain

Cognitive
Development

Refers to:

Cues:

How children think/learn:

Children are active learners
Interacting with
environment, objects and
other children
Learn by doing: using their
bodies and senses
Growth in memory,
attention, reasoning, problemsoling strategies, language
abilities and creative
expression.

Curiosity, confusion, or
focused interest in a
childs facial expression
or body language.
Why does?
What doesmean?
Look! See what Ive
made!
Ms. Nita, I found that
thing you were talking
about!

Activity

Planning for Three Developmental Domains

Think about a child in your care.

Discuss and plan how you would address the
three domains for the child.

The Three Domains of Child Development:

Cognitive, Socio-Emotional and Physical

Physical
Development

Socio
Emotional
Development

Cognitive
Development

Painting
Reading
Math
Dramatic Play
Blocks
Housekeeping
Science (Nature)
Outdoor Play
Water Table

Ac
tiv
ity
/A
rea

Debrief Questions
What was it like planning for the three
domains?
What made it easy or difficult? Why?
Did the domains overlap?

Some things to Remember

The development of one domain is influenced by the
development of other domains.
The domains overlap and intertwine.
Some activities lend themselves more to one domain
than the others.
Careful planning, questioning, and prompting will help
the children develop.

The Impact of Environment

on Child Development
When we create a caring and supportive environment we
encourage (socio-emotional)
When we create an intellectually stimulating environment,
we encourage (cognitive)
When we create a physically challenging and safe
environment, we are supporting (physical)

Design a Center Activity

 The best way for young children to develop across

domains is through
PLAYFUL LEARNING!

Play is essential to the cognitive, physical, social and

emotional well-being of children.
American Academy of
Pediatricians, 2006

 The highest quality early childhood programs are

characterized by PLAYFUL ENVIRONMENTS in which
children have strong relationships with caregivers and
are engaged in active, playful learning. Galinsky, 2005
This is true for ALL children, regardless of location,
nationality or economic status.

Without Play
Children lose out on meaningful learning
Today, many young children (even toddlers!) are engaged in drilland-kill activities rather than playful, meaningful learning.
This includes flash cards, worksheets and workbooks
A recent study by Fisher-Price found that parents now
consider flashcards a kind of play.
Fisher, Hirsh-Pasek & Golinkoff, 2008

We often confuse learning with memorization and test scores with

success

Through Play Children Can Develop

Creativity
Problem Solving Skills
Concepts
Language and Literacy

Play provides opportunities for learning in a

context in which children are at their most
receptive. During play with others and with
materials and equipment in their environment,
children will become immersed in activities
through which they learn about themselves and
explore the world.
The Kindergarten Program Ministry Document

The Adults Role in Play

Create a developmentally appropriate environment to
facilitate childrens exploration and interaction with the
environment
Promote active engagement between the children and
between the children and the environment
Provide scaffolding if needed
Promote independence
Ensure children are playing at an appropriately
challenging level and adjust the amount of support you
give based on their abilities
Observe!

The Importance of Observing Your Children

It is important that adults develop an understanding of
how children learn through play by observing and
analyzing their play.
This will allow you to plan productive play activities that
have specific learning goals and to provide appropriate
toys, resources and support.
Adults should monitor play and be ready to assist or
extend activities where appropriate.

Play and Cognitive Development:

Exploratory Play
Children should be able to explore materials and
environments
Develop a sense of accomplishment and independence
Do something repeatedly until they have mastered it and
feel good about their newly acquired skill.
Examples of exploratory play:
Pounding play dough
Running fingers through sand or water
Mixing paint to create new colors
Children are more likely to learn when they are able
to be involved in hands-on learning!

Play and Cognitive Development:

Constructive Play
Child uses objects or materials to create a
representation of something
They use symbolic thinking and elements of pretend
Constructive play is HANDS ON
Examples:
Building with blocks
Building a sand castle
Repurposing other toys to create something new

Play and Cognitive Development:

Dramatic Play
Child uses objects, actions and language to create
imaginary roles and situations.
There should be a connection between real and pretend
Dramatic play is an emotional outlet, creativity
development
Examples:
Playing house
Re-enacting stories
Using puppets

Play and Social Development:

Solitary Play
Teaches children to be creative and amuse themselves
Its the earliest form of play
Helps develop independence
Examples:
Puzzles
Dolls
Shape sorters/ring stack

Play and Social Development:

Parallel Play
Children use similar toys or engage in similar activities
but dont play together.
A child will notice what another is doing and may mimic
what they see
Eventually a child may be able to work their way into the
other persons play.
Example:
Children sitting side-by-side building separate
structures with blocks

Play and Social Development:

Associate Play
Children engage in similar, somewhat organized activity
May talk to each other about what they are doing and
ask questions
Children will not engage in joint efforts
This teaches children to share and ask questions
Example:
Children sitting side-by-side building separate
structures with blocks, one child asks to borrow one
of the other childs toys and each continue on with
their own play

Play and Social Development:

Cooperative Play
Two or more children interacting with one another toward
a common purpose
Children learn to work together, share roles, cooperate,
compromise, etc.
Examples:
Two students working together on a puzzle
A group of students completing an large art project or
science experiment
Children playing house and assigning roles to each
person

Play and Physical Development:

How do activities help children?

The Importance of Free Play

Not all play should be initiated by an adult.
Children need opportunities to engage with their peers in
play they have created, where they can express
themselves and explore things of special interest to
them.
Free Play allows children to
Learn decision making skills
Learn about themselves and others
Concentration skills
Rationalizing

Article: The Importance of Play in Early

Childhood Development