Early Childhood Development Assignment Report

Running head: EARLY CHILDHOOD
Early Childhood
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author’s Note

Question 1
Montessori theory is the approach or strategy for learning, which is developed by Maria
Montessori, and the main principles of this theory are Observation, Absorbent Mind,
Independence, Following the Child, Prepared Environment and Correcting the Child. The
foundation principles, concept and approach are applied over all ages (Lillard et al., 2017).
Followings are the beliefs and goals, which Maria Montessori held for educating the children.
Theory Principles of Montessori
 Observation: Observation the child is very easy for the parents to do. Spending time for
watching the children in the play school is very much important for the teachers. This is
the simple method to learn about the children and child development hypotheses have
been established (Rathunde & Csikszentmihalyi, 2014). Without preconceived ideas, she
found what helped the children develop resources they wanted and were involved in.
Observation is also how parents are able to learn about the needs of the child.
 Absorbent Mind: Montessori discovered how, without someone teaching them,
the children learnt the language. This prompted her absorbing mind idea. Kids under
three years of age do not need lessons to learn, they only comprehend everything in the
world by seeing it and being part of it.
 Independence: In the classrooms, making the child independent and being able to do
things is always the aim of the Montessori education (Lillard, 2013). This is done by
giving the opportunities to kids. Opportunities for traveling, dressing up, deciding what to
do, and managing the activities of parents.

 Following the Child: Follow the child, it is showed what they should to do, what they
require for developing in themselves, and where they require for being challenged.
Follow them in what they should do from what it is observed from the children's actions
(Montessori, 2013). The children should be provided the chance to ascend in a safe way
if they want to climb.
 Prepared Environment: The first duty of the teacher is to watch over most of the
environment, which predominates over everything else. Its power is subtle, but if it's not
handled properly, there will be no significant and lasting effects of any kind,
physiological, mental or religious. Learning from parents is the bond for a child
(Montessori, 2013). Rooms are child-sized with success-oriented tasks that require
freedom of movement and selection. For the child to discover openly, the atmosphere has
to be healthy. For the kids, the setting must be ready and lovely, so it encourages them to
work.
 Correcting the Child: Kids will make errors. They can spill something, unintentionally
drop food, and so on. Throughout cases like these, no need to lift the voice. Then, gently
consider the mistake (Lillard, 2013). This is a chance to ask the kid to do some legitimate
practical work. It should be remembered that the kids enjoy cleaning up as they see it as
adults do. There is no need for pointing out plainly the error of a kid; there is a way
for making them know it.
Question 2
Jean Piaget was one of the most prominent psychology investigators of the 20th century.
He trained in the fields of philosophy and biology and was a conventional epistemologist (Brown

& Desforges, 2013). He had keen interest to know that how children progressed in the analysis of
learning via their growth. The hypothesis was based on the idea of mental constructs being
developed by the developing child. Through his infant experience, Piaget realized that
innovations were being generated by boys. Children were not restricted to parents or teachers
acquiring information; children were actively building their own awareness. The research of
Piaget provides the basis on which building ideas were based. Constructionists claim that
information is created, and when children produce products or items, education happens. This
is believed that when these objects are relevant personally and significant, students are more
likely for being involved in reading. Piaget identified four main phases in the research of the
mental development of children and adolescents: sensorimotor, pre-operational, practical
functional and structured process. Piaget claimed that all kids should progress through these
processes towards the next level of cognitive growth (Beard, 2013). Children show new
intellectual skills and increasingly difficult knowledge of the world on each stage. Stages cannot
be missed; this series is always accompanied by intellectual development. The rates are the
levels at which kids advance through the stages, they differ with each children's culture and
context. A child can show the characteristic behaviors of multiple stages at any given time.
Maslow's theory's most important drawback is its approach. By pursuing a statistical
method called biographical research, Maslow proposed the traits of self-actualized people. He
looked at 18 people's biographies and works which he described as self-actualizing. From these
references he built a list of attributes that, as contrasted to humanity in general, appeared typical
of this particular group of people. Maslow's incentive philosophy is also named centralized
requirements theory (Lester, 2013). There has been a major contribution to education and the
administration of classrooms in universities. Maslow explores an individual's entire physical,

mental, personal, and cognitive characteristics and how they influence education. There are
obvious applications of Maslow's hierarchical needs theory to the teacher's work in the
classroom. Before the mental requirements of an individual can be fulfilled, they first have to
satisfy their specific physiological needs. For starters, it will be hard for a hungry and tired
student to concentrate on studying. For progressing and reaching the full potential, the students
have to feel physically and emotionally protected and embraced within the classroom. Maslow
believes learners need to be shown to be appreciated and accepted in the classroom and a
positive atmosphere should be established by the educator. Before their self-esteem is improved,
students with low self-esteem will not grow academically at the best rate. The humanistic
approach to education will create individuals who are stronger, happier, and would take more of
their life into their eyes. With maximized personal responsibility for anyone's personal life and
the rational value set for guiding someone's choice, people would start for actively changing the
society they lived in.
Question 3
Play-based learning has many benefits in the initial years, including increasing
intellectual skills, perception, and encouragement. Play-based learning is a term embraced as part
of their teaching methods and training by teachers of many early years. Work has discussed the
value of playing for the general development of a child and it can be recognized that playing is
closely linked to improving intellectual skills, cognition and encouragement (Ebbeck &
Waniganayake, 2017). The Early Years Education Framework describes play-based learning as
the education framework through which the children coordinate and make sense of their social
environments while they engage actively with people, artifacts and representations. Kids should

play on their own and discover various materials. This can also be played together and
used materials to depict certain things. This type of play, known as conceptual play, has great
value in the growth of cognitive abilities, creativity, and social skills. It is essential to keep in
mind that it is appropriate to choose play freely and to offer children happiness. Education by
play produces a brain that has strengthened flexibility and expanded later life education capacity
(Barblett, Knaus & Barratt-Pugh, 2016). Play-based cognitive is widely viewed as an important
tool for early years learning and teaching, as it significantly encourages kids to acquire essential
life skills.
Clearly, children learn by practice, so this concept must be central to the development of
any teaching program for young people. The Early Childhood Education Department explains
how play is integrated into the classroom for providing the effective learning and fun. The
learners should take into consideration the environment of classroom and their positions as
educators in order to plan and create a play-based program, and the students should be taken into
account what the students teach and the field of creation, whether it is mathematics, science,
music, culture, or a language. It is necessary for a good practice to be able to create an
environment conducive for playing and learning. Therefore, the students learn that the primary
responsibilities as educators is to provide scaffolding to kids; a welcoming and secure
environment, where they are free in exploring and experiencing (Fesseha & Pyle, 2016). There
are teachers to monitor and react. And while the kindergarten class can seem like the organized
chaos to some, for encouraging the natural learning by play is often the product of hours of
meticulous event scheduling and classroom readiness. The child education aims to encourage
learners throughout the curriculum and supports the point that one goal for the future teachers
will be to keep encouraging others. Students studied the various learning experiences at various

schools. What made a particular impression were large play areas and behavior of the
teachers towards any need for play (Pyle & Bigelow, 2015). The art enhancement program,
organized in cooperation with the non-profit making foundation for children, provides
the students with the sustainable opportunity for learning more about the play design and
planning as the additional element in the training session of the student. It was a curiosity for
kids that guided the teachers to a profession in this area and a desire for helping them.

References
Barblett, L., Knaus, M., & Barratt-Pugh, C. (2016). The pushes and pulls of pedagogy in the
early years: Competing knowledges and the erosion of play-based learning. Australasian
Journal of Early Childhood, 41(4), 36-43.
Beard, R. M. (2013). An outline of Piaget's developmental psychology. Routledge.
Brown, G., & Desforges, C. (2013). Piaget's theory. Routledge.
Ebbeck, M., & Waniganayake, M. (2017). Play in early childhood education: Learning in
diverse contexts. Oxford University Press. 198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016.
Fesseha, E., & Pyle, A. (2016). Conceptualising play-based learning from kindergarten teachers’
perspectives. International Journal of Early Years Education, 24(3), 361-377.
Lester, D. (2013). Measuring Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Psychological Reports, 113(1), 15-
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Lillard, A. S. (2013). Playful learning and Montessori education. NAMTA Journal, 38(2), 137-
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Lillard, A. S., Heise, M. J., Richey, E. M., Tong, X., Hart, A., & Bray, P. M. (2017). Montessori
preschool elevates and equalizes child outcomes: A longitudinal study. Frontiers in
psychology, 8, 1783.
Medcalf, N. A., Hoffman, T. J., & Boatwright, C. (2013). Children's dreams viewed through the
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