Developmental Skills

Lecture 4
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 Development in
Children
§ Foundation for lifelong learning, behaviour and health
§ The early experiences of a child helps to shape their
brains as they grow.
§ Positive interactions helps to build strong foundations
in the child
§ Serve and return ‒ for example, a preschooler
initiates reading a book with and adult, the adult
reads the book.
§ Stress can affect brain development of children
§ Toxic stress
§ Tolerable stress
§ Positive stress
§ Self regulation can help alleviate the stress in children
allowing the brain to develop in a healthy manner
Stress in
Children
 • Transitioning into a new classroom
• Learning how to ride a bike
• Going to the dentist

• Experiencing a natural disaster

• Death of a family member or friend
• Injury

• Physical/emotional • Exposure to violence

abuse • Poverty
• Chronic neglect
• Caregiver substance
Centre on the Developing Child Harvard University, 2022 abuse or mental illness
Cognitive Development
Problem Solving Memory Number Recognition Classification Questioning Spatial Awareness

• Collect and • Learning daily • Singing along to • Sorting different • Asking ʻwhyʼ • Following and
organize routine, songs, simple number shapes, colours, questions to identifying
information stories songs likes ʻFive sizes etc. determine cause, directions (up,
• Investigate • Remembering Little Monkeysʼ • Grouping objects or reason. down, left, right)
• Work together names, faces. • Matching • Comparing • Asking ʻwhyʼ to • Exploring the
with other numbers to sets objects clarify their space around
children to solve of objects understanding them and the
• Counting in and their physical aspect of
meaningful ways observation the environment
during play that
makes sense to
them
Example: Example: Example: Example: Example: Example:
• Sink or Float • Matching games. • Using counters • Label baskets • Listening to the • Providing
• Repetitiveness of to count and bins with childrenʼs directions for
routines • One-to-one photos of questions and children to follow
correspondence materials for responding to • Fill and dump
• “How many children to sort find the answer activity
friends are here them
today?” • Matching games
or activities

ELECT Document pg. 52-57

Social Development
Making Conflict Resolution and Helping Skills Co-operating Interacting with Empathy
Friends Social Problem-solving Adults
Skills
• Invite others • Expressing their wants, • Offering to help • Exchanging ideas • Seeking adults for • Sharing emotions,
to play needs, feelings etc. with • Sharing/being and materials comfort and with adults and
• Exchanging others generous • Listening to security peers
ideas, • Regulating their others speak etc. • Engaging in • Sharing
materials, emotions in social during group activities experiences
and ideas settings to solve times etc. • Asking adults for
with others conflicts • Engaging in group help and other
• Playing with • Identifying solutions to activities, resources to help
others co- problems discussions etc. solve a problem
operatively • Taking part in
following the
rules, and inviting
others to play
Example: Example: Example: Example: Example: Example:
• Engaging • Supporting children in • Encouraging • Engaging children • Providing • Providing books
children in handling conflicts with children to help during group and meaningful and about empathy
group play others set the table, clean circle time interesting and having
the classroom etc. activities with the children share
children their emotions in a
social setting

ELECT pg. 43-45

Emotional Development
Self-Concept
• Identify what they can
and cannot do
• They define
themselves in
concrete terms
(Strong, smart, etc.)
• Noticing their own
abilities (“I can do it”)
• Expressing joy in their
own individuality
• Expressing curiosity
Example:
• Making a collage of
their favourite things
• Self-portraits
• Books about ʻMeʼ
Self-Esteem Regulating Attention, Emotions, and Positive Attitudes towards
Behaviour Learning
• Setting goals for • Identifying how they are feeling • Asking for help
themselves • Expressing negative emotions in a way that • Expressing themselves when
• Seeing themselves as is healthy (walking away when upset etc) they complete an activity
members of the • Using self calming strategies • Taking on challenges
group/classroom • Avoiding distractions • Trial and error approach
• Becoming confident and • Attempting to master a skill
doing this independently
Example: Example: Example:
• Making playdough and • Breathing strategies to regulate emotions • Allowing children to
encouraging children to • Building vocabulary to express themselves experiment with certain skills
help • Practicing putting their coats
• Dressing themselves on etc.
• Encouraging them to ask
teachers for help
• Positive reinforcement
ELECT pg. 46-47
Communication, Language
and Literacy
Using Verbal and Vocabulary Using Descriptive Listening to Others Enjoying Literacy Phonological
Non-Verbal Language to Awareness
Communication Explain, Explore and
Extend
• Using gestures to • Using new • Use sentences to • Understanding • Spending time • Identifying
communicate words that describe objects, and following with books sounds in the
• Using facial they learn or events etc. directions • Making environment
expressions to hear • Listening with connections with (animals, traffic
match the tone • Defining attention and the stories they etc.) and
• Sharing songs, and simple words little to no read attempting to
stories by its uses (ex. distraction • Requesting sound it out
A bike is specific songs • Sound games
something you and stories and mimicking it
ride) back

Example: Example: Example: Example: Example: Example:

• Include books that • Introduce new • Responding to • Listening to • Providing books • Musical activities
will allow children words that children using routine and around their • Singing activities
and teachers to be relate to the descriptive and upcoming interest • Rhyming songs
expressive interest of narrative language transition changes • Reading large and books etc
• Allow children to children to keep • Document • Singing a picture books
express themselves them engaged children's transitional song
in their own way, (trucks, bikes, communication to before outdoor
engaging in Ball etc.) help them revisit play
communication their thoughts and
ideas extending
their learning

ELECT pg. 48-51

 Physical
Development
Gross Motor Skills Fine Motor Skills Auditory Skills and Music Increasing Levels of Activity, Endurance and
Variation in Types of Activity and Skill

• Walking • Dressing • Identifying fast, slow, loud • Climbing

• Running themselves soft • Stretching
• Jumping • Eating • Using musical instruments • Bouncing a ball
• Hopping • Tool use • Kicking an object
• Throwing (Scissors, • Hand-eye coordination
• Riding stringing beads
• Movement and body etc. )
expression • Drawing
Example: Example: Example: Example:
• Providing bikes • Getting ready for • Playing instruments fast, • Building an obstacle course
• Running activity outdoors and slow, in a pattern etc. • Kids yoga
dressing • Musical activities (freeze
themselves dance)
• Lacing beads
• Cutting

ELECT pg. 58-60

 Early Learning for 2 014
Every Child Today
A framework for Ontario
early childhood settings

How Does
Learning Happen?
Ontario’s Pedagogy for the Early Years

A resource about learning through relationships for those who

work with young children and their families

Best Start Expert Panel on Early Learning

•
January 2007