CHAPTER 5 – DEVELOPMENTAL AGES AND STAGES
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Learning Objective Identify the unique developmental ages and stages of young children and the practices that best meet the developmental needs. |
NAEYC STANDARDS
The following NAEYC Standard for Early Childhood Professional Preparation addressed in this chapter:
Standard 7: Promoting Child Development and Learning
Standard 8: Building Family and Community Relationships
Standard 9: Observing, Documenting, and Assessing to Support Young Children and Families
Standard 10: Using Developmentally Effective Approaches to Connect with Children and Families
Standard 11: Using Content Knowledge to Build Meaningful Curriculum
Standard 12: Becoming a professional
PENNSYLVANIA EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATOR COMPETENCIES
Child Growth and Development
Families, Schools and Community Collaboration and Partnerships
Curriculum and Learning Experiences
Assessment
Professionalism and Leadership
Communication
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE EDUCATION OF YOUNG CHILDREN (NAEYC) CODE OF ETHICAL CONDUCT (MAY 2011)
The following elements of the code are touched upon in this chapter:
Section I: Ethical Responsibilities to Children
Ideals: 1.1 – 1.4, 1.10, 1.11
Principles 1.1, 1.2, 1.7
Section II: Ethical Responsibilities to Families
Ideals: 2.2, 2.4, 2.6, 2.7
Principles: 2.6
Quotable:
“Babies are such a nice way to start people.” – Don Herald
PREVIEW
This chapter examines the child as a whole or what we commonly refer to in Early Childhood Education – “the whole child.” The whole child refers to and addresses all areas or domains of the child – physical, cognitive, language, social-emotional, and spiritual. These domains of development are both collective and individual. Children have similar characteristics at different developmental ages, but they also are individuals with their own – “me-ness” that is important for us to consider when supporting all children in our early learning programs.
THE WHOLE CHILD – DEVELOPMENTAL DOMAINS/AREAS
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Pause to Reflect When you think about young children, what images emerge for you? How do you see them? What are some words that you may use to identify them? |
When thinking about children, what comes to your mind? Is it the way they engage with you? Is it their sense of adventure? Is it watching them try to climb a ladder? Is it trying to figure out what they may be thinking about when they have a certain look on their faces that they are not yet able to articulate? Is it their obvious curiosity and imagination? This is how we begin to think of the child as a whole, complex being. An integrated, interrelated series of parts that become the “whole.”
Figure 5.1 – Does an image like this come to mind when you think of children?xlix
In the field of Early Childhood Education, we identify these areas of development as domains. These domains (areas) are as follows:
Physical Development
Physical or physical motor development includes large or gross motor development, fine motor development, and perceptual-moto