Lesson 2: Stages of Growth and Development

As we grow up, we go through the di erent stages of

development. We develop both physically and mentally.
Each stages, the physical and mental development
determine how a person will interact with others and
with the environment.
In this lesson deals with the developmental stages of
growth of individual, the di erent problems related to
growth, and the factors a ecting growth and
development of individual.

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Di erent Stages in Life
There are six stages of growth that a person goes through:

Infancy Childhood Adolescence

Early Childhood Late Childhood Adulthoood

 Developmental Changes in
di erent growth
stages
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1. Infancy - from birth to eighteen months of old.

A. Physical changes
- Body organs and systems are not fully developed
- Bones are still so and exible
- learns to sit, crawl, stand and walk.
- has baby teeth and can slightly chew
solid food
B. Mental Changes
- Brain nerves are ready for more coordinated movement.
- Can recognise parents and siblings
-. Gets what it needs by crying

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2. Early Childhood- from eighteen months to three

years old.
A. Physical Changes
- Learns how to climb, to pull and push - Learns to walk
and talk
- Arms and legs get longer
- Physical coordination improves
B. Mental Changes
- Learns to assert oneself and manipulate objects like
toys
- Learns to use the toilet
C. Social Changes
- Not ready to share or play interactively with other child

Childhood- from three years to six years old.

A. Physical Changes
- the muscles grow and energy level is high - it begins to lose baby teeth
B. Mental Changes
- the communication skills advance rapidly - they learn to behave in a
group
C. Social Changes
- they learn to play interactively and to make friends
- they spend less time with parents, but more time with their peers.
D. Emotional changes
- the physical contact becomes less frequent

Late Childhood- from the age of six up to eleven years of age.

A. Physical changes
- They masters all sorts of physical activities
- their bones begin to grow faster, mostly in the legs - their appetite increased
B. Mental changes
- they acquire high-level thinking skills
C. Emotional changes
- lessens being self-centered
- they learn values like honesty and fairness
- they choose best friend of the same sex
- they need loving guidance, encouragement and
respected.

5. Adolescence - the period of slow change from childhood to

adult the period of lifebetween childhood and adulthood.
A. Physical changed
- rapid physical growth
- puberty begins and the body becomes physically able to produce
- the pituitary gland signals the ovaries or testes to begin produce
hormones
- the pituitary gland also increases its production of growth hor -
the growth hormones are chemical messengers that stimulates
- the body starts to look more like an adult

B. Mental changes
- their way of thinking begin to change ; predicting consequence
- the ability to think is stronger and memory also improves
- they start to enjoy participating in adult conversation
- begins to question oneself
C. Emotional changes
- their feelings vary quickly from being happy to being lonely -
sees people as having needs like his or hers
- they begin to feel a desire to spend time with the opposite sex
D. Social changes
- their friends’ views are become more important

 6. Adulthood- the period from twenties onward

A. Physical changes
- a slow weakening of the ve senses
- a slow loss of calcium in the bones
- bones become brittle
- sti ening of joints and weakening of the muscles
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Checking Your Learning

Direction: Give the physical changes of the following stages

of human growth:
1. Infancy
2. Early Childhood
3. Childhood
4. Late Childhood
5. Adolescence
6. Adulthood

 Activity
Direction: Using any online application make an
illustration showing the Erikson’s Eight stages of
development.