EDUC 11044 Case Study: Child Development and Healthy Growth

This case study, prepared for EDUC 11044, examines the key factors contributing to healthy child development. The assignment begins with a discussion of significant ideas, including the importance of good parenting, nurturing relationships, and providing adequate playtime, and how these factors relate to the ELECT (Early Learning for Every Child Today) continuum of development across various domains such as social, emotional, literacy, cognitive and physical development. The study then presents a child profile of James Trudeau, a six-week-old baby, and explores his experiences at different developmental stages (0-1 year, 1-3 years, 4-6 years, and 7-11 years). It details how specific experiences, such as parental attention, daycare attendance, kindergarten activities, and school-age learning, align with the ELECT continuum and are crucial for optimal development. The study emphasizes the importance of early intervention, social interaction, structured learning, and physical activity in shaping a child's academic, social, and physical well-being, ultimately preparing them for future success.

Running Head: Child Development 1
Child Development
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Course
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Answer One: Significant Ideas to Healthy Child Development
Healthy child development in the early years, for instance, from birth to the age of
three, can determine the child’s long-term outcome (CDC, 2020). Some of the aspects include
educational performance, lifelong health, being a responsible citizen, and future parent,
among others. Several factors determine healthy child development. They include good
parenting and adequate playing moments.
Good parenting involves having open relationships with the child (O'Connor et al.,
2018). Children are born when they are ready to form relationships. The relationship with the
environment in which the child develops plays a big role in determining the child's brain
development. A child's brains integrate the social, physical, linguistic, and emotional status
of the child. In this manner, it governs the child's capacity to learn, how they behave, among
other aspects such as emotional health (Allen et al., 2015). Therefore, good relationships with
the parents and other adults shape the child's characteristics. Good relationships include
playing games with the child, being available to them, for instance, in emotional situations
and teaching them how to read and write simple stuff.
Adequate playing gives the child the chance to explore their environment, thus
enhancing their learning capabilities (Whitebread et al., 2017). playing also enhances the
child's physical health development; for instance, e the child learns how to play with things
such as balls and get to learn new stuff such as singing. Joining in a child's song and playing
with them instruments enhances their musical skills. Also, encouraging outdoor playing such
as ball games develop them physically.
Answer Two: How the Ideas Relate to ELECT Continuum.
Early Learning for Every Child Today, helps in improving consistency and quality in
initial childhood development settings in Ontario. Continuum is a predictable sequence

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within broad domains of development. The ELECT continuum of development is organized
into domains, indicators, and interactions. My ideas of good parenting and relationships, as
well as the adequate-play time, fit into the ELECT continuum of development, as shown
below.
Good parenting and relationships fit into the social, emotional, literacy, and cognitive
continuums of development. The idea of good relationships fit in the social continuum. For
toddlers aged 0-24 months, the domain of social interest is indicated by the child's ability to
smile and respond to gestures such as smiling and is achieved by playing with the kid at their
physical level. The idea also fits into the emotional continuum of children of up to 3 years in
the expression of feelings domain. The skill is indicated by the child showing self-
consciousness, such as embarrassment, and achieved by the adults being emotionally
available for the child. This idea also fits into the literacy continuum of the child up to 8
years. For example, in the domain of reading skills, indicated by the child reading for
pleasure. This is achieved by, for example, inviting the child to retell stories (Bertrand, 2007).
Adequate playing fits into the ELECT’s physical continuum. For instance, for
children aged 2.5 to 6 years, the auditory skills and music domain, which is indicated by the
child's ability to use musical instruments to produce some pattern is achieved by an adult
joining the child's initiated playful events such as singing. The idea also fits into the physical
continuum of children aged 5-8 years. The child achieves gross motor skills indicated by
increased balance, speed, and coordination while running. The skill is achieved by
encouraging the children to play dodge ball and also joining them in the activity (Bertrand,
2007).
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Answer Three: Child Profile
My child was born at the local maternity hospital. I named the baby, James Trudeau.
James is currently a 6-week old male with gorgeous blue eyes and chocolate-brown hair
color. Baby James weighs 5.5 kilograms and has a height of 59cm. He has an easy
temperament in that he can get along with almost every person. James is very alert and is
easily awaken by even slight sounds. Sometimes he is happy and bouncing, which can
change immediately, and he gets intensely bored or angry. The good thing is that he can be
cooled down easily.
Baby James has been born into a close-knit family with two other male and female
kids aged four years and eight years, respectively. The father is a Biochemist and lecturer at a
local college while the mother runs the family’s retail business at the local shopping Centre
assisted by several workers. Malia, the eldest daughter, is in grade 3 at the local public school
while the brother Lewis is in Kindergarten. As a family, we like going out during weekends
for picnics. The community is also very accommodating with regular get together. Most
children attend school and play together at the local park during their free time.
Answer Four: Child’s Experiences, how they Relate to ELECT Continuum, and
Importance at the Developmental Stages.
Year 0-1
During this period, the child will experience unrelenting attention and nurturing love.
His mother will attend to his needs full time. The brother and sister will play simple games
with him when they get from school. The idea of giving James extra attention relates to
ELECT’s imitation and sense of self domains (Bertrand, 2007). Showing the child's attention
and love at this stage makes him feel a sense of security and prepares his brain for the next

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stage of life. Child development at this stage is crucial for the development of a child's brain,
thus determining their lifelong outcomes.
According to Perry (2017), when a child at this stage gets no attention and love, his
brain cortex develops a certain pattern that blocks future development. For instance, if James
is neglected in the next stage, he will find it difficult to associate with other toddlers at the
daycare. This is because his mind is not used to getting attention and being shown, love.
Keeping James from the screen will help him to associate more with animate objects and
improve his self-control abilities in the future.
Years 1-3;
During this period, James will be admitted to daycare services as his mother gets back
to work. For the first time, James will have more experience, love, and attention outside his
family. At the daycare, James will learn how to socialize by playing with toddlers. Taking
James out for daycare is imperative because he will learn such things as having self-control
and acknowledgment of other peoples' feelings. James learning how to socialize is consistent
with ELECT’s social interest domain (Bertrand, 2007). Gaining a social interest will help
James know how to imitate peers through observation, learn how to play, and engage in brief
group activities. It is important to enroll a child in this age group with a daycare facility
because they develop a sense of self, spatial problem-solving skills, increase memory and
achieve gross motor capabilities through playing (Vandenbroeck et al., 2018). At this stage,
James will undergo a balanced social, literal, cognitive, emotional, and physical development
that will prepare him for success in school, community, and work. James' experiences at the
daycare, will ensure a smooth transition to Kindergarten.
Years 4-6;
James will join Kindergarten, where he will experience doing activities with rules.
The activities include structured learning and plays. These experiences are consistent with

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ELECT's Cognition domain of problem-solving and logical reasoning and games with rules
(Bertrand, 2007). At this age, James' thinking capacity will increase and can transfer rules
from one situation to another. The ability to create rules-based situations will show improved
problem-solving skills. Social skills develop as he learns how to make new friends based on
his preferences. Learning how to play and learn with rules will develop his judging
capacities, such as judging others in unfair play (RCN, 2020). James will learn how to say his
full name, age, copy simple letters and shapes as well as reading simple pictured books. The
importance of this stage is that James will get ready to learn complex things in school.
Years 7-11;
James will experience intense learning and physically active life both at school and at
home. These ideas relate to ELECT's reading, writing, memory, and gross motor skills
domains of school-age children (Bertrand, 2007). The ability to read will be depicted by his
ability to search for information, critical thinking on the reading's content reading, and
retelling stories, among other indicators. His ability to write narratives, take dictation, and to
write with increasing complex will indicate his writing domains. Increased running speed,
vertical and horizontal jumping as well as kicking accuracy and speed will be indicators of
his gross motor skills domain. The experiences at this will mold James academically,
socially, and physically (Naudeau et al., 2010). Therefore, in later years he will easily learn
how to choose friends and do extreme physical activities such as football as well as excelling
academically.

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References
Allen, L., Kelly, B. B., & National Research Council. (2015). The Interaction of Biology and
Environment. In Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8: A Unifying
Foundation. National Academies Press (US).
Bertrand, J. (2007). Early Learning for Every Child Today: A framework for Ontario early
childhood settings.
Center on the Developing Child (CDC), Harvard University, (2020). What Is Early
Childhood Development? A Guide to the Science. Retrieved from;
https://developingchild.harvard.edu/guide/what-is-early-childhood-development-a-
guide-to-the-science/
Naudeau, S., Kataoka, N., Valerio, A., Neuman, M. J., & Elder, L. K. (2010). Investing in young
children: An early childhood development guide for policy dialogue and project preparation.
The World Bank.
O'Connor, A., Nolan, A., Bergmeier, H., Williams-Smith, J., & Skouteris, H. (2018). Early childhood
educators’ perceptions of parent–child relationships: A qualitative study. Australasian
journal of early childhood, 43(1), 4-15.
Perry, B. (2017). Early Brain Development: Reducing the Effects of Trauma. Retrieved from;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hp6fZrzgiHg
Raising Children Network, RCN, (Australia). (2020). 4-5 years: Preschooler development
retrieved from; https://raisingchildren.net.au/preschoolers/development/development-
tracker/4-5-years
Vandenbroeck, M., Lenaerts, K., & Beblavy, M. (2018). Benefits of Early Childhood Education and
Care and the conditions for obtaining them. European Expert Network on Economics of
Education, 32, 1-86.
Whitebread, D., Neale, D., Jensen, H., Liu, C., Solis, S. L., Hopkins, E., ... & Zosh, J. (2017). The role of
play in children's development: a review of the evidence. LEGO Fonden.

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