4.1 How Development Unfolds
Angela Blums, Ph.D.
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:
- physical
- cognitive
- social
- 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.
Myth vs. Fact
Myth: Infants need lots of fancy toys and products to help them learn.
Fact: The best resource that infants have to help them learn is an attentive caregiver. While many toy companies lead caregivers to believe that battery-powered toys can help infants learn language and gain knowledge, these products can often hinder language development, and there is no evidence that they promote learning. Face-to-face interactions, singing, and playing with household items and simple basic toys (such as blocks and balls) are best for helping infants learn (Dombro et al., 2020; National Association for the Education of Young Children [NAEYC], n.d.).
Attributions
- Figure 4.1: Untitled by andreas160578 is released under Pixabay License
Specific areas in which growth occurs – Physical, Cognitive, Emotional, and Social.