Have you ever noticed how an infant smiles at a familiar caregiver? Or, have you ever seen a child figure out how to pick up a rattle and shake it to make a delightful sound? Adults are often captivated when an infant or toddler figures many firsts in their development, such as how to stack blocks to form a tower.  Adults treasure when a preschooler hugs a friend for the first time who is feeling sad. These small moments in a child’s life provide adults with glimpses into human behavior and help us to understand what particular aspects are developing within a child. These areas of development are referred to as developmental domains. Developmental domains specific areas in which growth occurs – physical, cognitive, emotional, and social] are specific areas in which growth occurs. There are four main developmental domains in child development:

1. physical
2. cognitive
3. social
4. emotional

These domains are not stand-alone categories of development. They interact and overlap in important ways. Development unfolds through interactions between the child, the people around them, and their environment. The child’s environment is the context of the home, school, place of worship, neighborhood, society, and all the interactions a child has with people on a regular basis. Children require certain triggers from their caregivers and their environment in order to develop. For instance, to develop language, a child needs to be listened to and spoken to by an adult. To learn how to walk, a child needs space, safety, and freedom of movement. Development unfolds both naturally and with a thoughtfully planned environment designed by adults.

Attributions

1. Figure 4.1: Untitled by andreas160578 is released under Pixabay License