Child Development Theories and Practices

This assignment delves into the multifaceted aspects of child development. It analyzes various theoretical perspectives on cognitive, linguistic, and socio-emotional growth, highlighting influential figures and concepts. Furthermore, it explores practical applications in early childhood education, emphasizing the role of caregivers, teachers, and play-based learning in fostering healthy development.

Running head: EDUCATION
Education- child development
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

1
EDUCATION
Table of Contents
Discussion Topic 1: Essential needs................................................................................................2
Essential needs of young children...............................................................................................2
What happens if the essential needs are not fulfilled?.................................................................2
Discussion topic 2: Attachment and social behavior.......................................................................3
Connection and attachment in children development..................................................................3
Discussion topic 3: Development domains......................................................................................4
Discussion Topic 4: Language acquisition theories........................................................................5
References........................................................................................................................................6

2
EDUCATION
Discussion Topic 1: Essential needs
Essential needs of young children
Young children need nourishment, care and attention for attaining a proper
development. Here, the parents are responsible for fulfilling these needs of their children. This
reflects the parent children attachment, which forms a crucial component in the developmental
process (Ranson & Urichuk, 2008). From the birth, the struggle of the parents starts in terms of
looking after the needs of their children. From the time, the children take birth; the parents are
filled with the thoughts regarding how to look after the needs of the children. As a matter of
specification, for the newborn, timely feeding, changing nappies, ensuring that the baby gets
enough sleep are the major responsibilities of the parents.
What happens if the essential needs are not fulfilled?
Now-a-days most of the parents are working. The past paced life has filled the mothers
and fathers with stress and tiredness. After a hard day’s work, the parents do not even get time to
say hello and cuddle the baby. This inability can be considered as the negation of the biological
bondage between mother and child, which the destiny has written. This is depriving the child
from the basic love, care and attention, which is one of the major obstacles in its development
(Ranson & Urichuk, 2008). Although the caretakers and babysitters are performing this duty as
the substitute of the parents, the babies are not getting the love, care, nourishment and attention,
which the parents can give. Herein lays the appropriateness of the aspect, “emotional
attachment”.

3
EDUCATION
Discussion topic 2: Attachment and social behavior
Connection and attachment in children development
During the infant stage, the infant is emotionally, physically and socially attached to its
parents. Societal interaction is minimal, only laughing and crying at the things happening in its
surrounding. Evaluation of these surrounding events is also according to the self conception
(Hamlin, Wynn & Bloom, 2008). This is also applicable for the toddlers, the only difference is
that for the toddlers, maturity and understanding of the right and wrong actions starts to develop,
although it is in raw stage. Delving deep into the act of evaluation, it acts as a detachment from
the attachment. Viewing the aspect of development, dependence is natural at the stage of
infancy. However, for the attainment of proper development, the parents need to experiment
whether the child can do the basic things independently. Constant supervision is crucial in terms
of averting the unwanted accidents, which would delay the proper development at the right stage.
Along with the parents, the teachers at the play schools need to test the toddlers for assessing
their capability to learn the basic methods of doing the fundamental activities (Berger, 2003).
Caregiver is the substitute of the parents, who attempt to provide the much needed care,
attention and love to the child. This process results in the development of emotional attachment,
which if not controlled can strain the biological bond between parents and children. This fissure
is one of the major obstacles in the child’s development. However, owing to the busy life of the
parents, caretakers are important in the child’s life. The needful in this case is supervision by the
parents in terms of assessing how perfectly the caretaker is performing the allocated duties
(Berger, 2003).

4
EDUCATION
Evaluation of the behavior exposed by the child helps in understanding the influences,
which forms cornerstone in behavioral development. As a matter of specification, infants
evaluate others’ behavior in terms of their own wish fulfillment. Instead of evaluation,
perceiving is the right word for the actions performed by the children for developing their social
behavior (Gillespie & Hunter, 2008). Taking the example of 6 month old child, it expresses
surprise and a blank look if someone gives a toffee. After the confirmation from the mother to
take the toffee, it takes the toffee and the first expression is dropping the toffee on the ground
and laughing. At this stage, help, support and guidance from the parents are needed for
safeguarding the baby from the accidents. As he baby attains maturity and penetrates into the
age group of 2 years, they need to be given practical examinations for assessing their grasping
power in terms of attaining development in an efficient and effective manner (Smidt, 2013).
Discussion topic 3: Development domains
For the first two months, biosocial domain plays an important role in a child’s
development. This is because in these two months, parents are the people, with which the child
becomes familiar. Peers, relatives and neighbors attain second position. Caretakers and
babysitters are also included in this parameter, as they play the role of the mothers and fathers in
their absence. This merges the biological and social parameters, as the caretakers and babysitters
are outsiders in terms of the biological relationship with the child.
The type of care, love and attention, which the child gets from the parents and caretakers,
laid is the foundation for the child’s development (Greenfield, 2014). As a matter of
specification, teachers in the preschool are also important in terms of levying the basic and
fundamental education to the children. Using the play way method for this generates an interest

5
EDUCATION
among the children to learn. Maintaining consistency in this pedagogy provides the children with
an easy grasp over the fundamentals, regular practice of which is a slow yet gradual progress
towards development. Apart from this, it also merges the other parameters into the biosocial.
Grasping the fundamentals makes the children aware of the right and wrong actions. This
awareness gradually brings control over their emotional expressions.
Discussion Topic 4: Language acquisition theories
In case of the infants, babbling is the only form of communication, which is their self-
expression for the needs, demands and requirements. Therefore, this babbling can be considered
as self teaching the worldly language. Theoretical approach in this direction enhances the clarity
in terms of linguistic development of the children. Cognitive learning theory can be considered
as the starting point of social interactionist theory (Kail, 2015). Hearing different kinds of
sounds helps the child to learn and produce them. Regular hearing of a particular sound enables
the child to associate the sound with the thing from which the sound is coming. Herein lays the
linguistic communication and connection of the child and the society. Motivation is a medium
for the child to produce the sound among the familiar people. Praises generates curiosity within
the child to explore many other things related to the sound. These praises is assistance in terms of
learning new things, which leads to the mental development of the child (Smidt, 2013). Here,
societal influences might be of help, however, most of the times, influences and suggestions
deviate the focus of the child. Therefore, the parents need to expose cautious approach for gifting
proper development to their children.

6
EDUCATION
References
Berger, K. S. (2003). The developing person through childhood and adolescence (6th ed.). New
York, NY: Worth Publishers.
Gillespie, L. G., & Hunter, A. (2008). Emotional flooding: Using empathy to help babies manage
strong emotions. Young Children, 63(5), 46–47.
Greenfield, P. M. (2014). Cross-cultural roots of minority child development. Psychology Press.
Hamlin, J. K., Wynn, K., & Bloom, P. (2008). Social evaluation by preverbal infants. Pediatric
Research, 63(3), 219-219.
Kail, R. V. (2015). Children and their development. Pearson Higher Ed.
National Scientific Council on the Developing Child (2005). Excessive stress disrupts the
architecture of the developing brain(Working Paper No. 3). Retrieved from:
http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/resources/reports_and_working_papers/
working_papers/wp3/
Ranson, K. E., & Urichuk, L. J. (2008). The effect of parent–child attachment relationships on
child biopsychosocial outcomes: a review. Early Child Development and Care, 178(2),
129-152.
Smidt, S. (2013). The developing child in the 21st century: A global perspective on child
development (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.