Stages of Child Development
As educators, it is critical to understand how children think, grow, process and learn in order for our students to be successful in the classroom. Much like snowflakes, children are all unique individuals who develop at their own rates. Although development does occur relatively sequentially, there are many factors which contribute to a child's individual growth.
For instance, where one child may excel physically upon entering grade 4 and demonstrate a natural ease in regards to body awareness another child may struggle until grade 7 to adjust to these same physical changes. Further, some children may develop highly refined fine motor skills at the age of 5 while others may take a while longer to develop the control and refinement associated associated with good handwriting. Therefore, it is dangerous to blindly draw comparisons between young children and thereby completing dismissing room for individual development. However, with that, in our classrooms we do need to posses a deep understanding of the developmental patterns in which children grow in order to appropriately plan and care for our learners.
Onchwarie et al. write, "theories have long been used to inform and guide practice" (2008, p. 268). These time-tested theories have been built around a framework in which child development is viewed through various domains including: physical development, social/ emotional development, cognitive/ intellectual development, and cultural/ environmental development.
References
Onchwari, G., Onchwari, A., & Keengwe, J. (2008). Teaching the immigrant child: Application of child development theories. Early Childhood Education Journal, 36, 267-273.
For instance, where one child may excel physically upon entering grade 4 and demonstrate a natural ease in regards to body awareness another child may struggle until grade 7 to adjust to these same physical changes. Further, some children may develop highly refined fine motor skills at the age of 5 while others may take a while longer to develop the control and refinement associated associated with good handwriting. Therefore, it is dangerous to blindly draw comparisons between young children and thereby completing dismissing room for individual development. However, with that, in our classrooms we do need to posses a deep understanding of the developmental patterns in which children grow in order to appropriately plan and care for our learners.
Onchwarie et al. write, "theories have long been used to inform and guide practice" (2008, p. 268). These time-tested theories have been built around a framework in which child development is viewed through various domains including: physical development, social/ emotional development, cognitive/ intellectual development, and cultural/ environmental development.
References
Onchwari, G., Onchwari, A., & Keengwe, J. (2008). Teaching the immigrant child: Application of child development theories. Early Childhood Education Journal, 36, 267-273.