Definition

Contemporary
Insights about Importance to
Child and Literature
Adolescent
Development
Applying Theories in
Pre-Birth to Preschool Children's Literature

Pre-Birth to
Preschool
 “Child development”, or “child and adolescent
development” refer to the process of growth
Child and and maturation of the human individual from
conception to adulthood.
Adolescent
The different aspects of growth and
Development development that are measured include
physical growth, cognitive growth, and social
growth. 

Child development focuses on the changes that

take place in humans as they mature from birth
to about age 17.
Importance of Child and Adolescent Development In Literature
 Children are engaged in a continuous process of
learning about themselves and their world. As they
mature, that world expands from the their home and
parents to siblings to peers and, eventually, to people
and places they know about but may never actually
see. In order to function successfully in society,
children must learn to know themselves, to achieve
self-identity. They must also learn about social
interaction and recognize ways in which they are like
as well as different from others. Those are psychosocial
ways of thinking. At the same time, children are
experiencing tremendous growth in cognitive abilities
and in motor skills. Development continually goes on in
all three of those areas: thus childhood is a crucial
stage of life.

 There are several ways to breakdown child

development. Children’s literature reflects these
models. Each model can assist parents, family, and
educators in choosing children’s literature that will
appeal to a child at each developmental stage. Writers
of children's literature can also benefit from
  Erikson’s Theory of
Psychosocial Development
Applying  Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral
Developmental
Judgement
Theories to
 Maslow’s Hierarchy of
Children's
Literature Needs
 Piaget’s Theory of
Development
 Social Learning Theory
 Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial
Development Initiative vs Guilt
Trust vs Mistrust Autonomy vs Doubt Industry vs InferiorityIdentity vs Role confusio

 from birth to  this stage  occurs  ages of seven  when a child

eighteen occurs from between the to eleven reaches
months. eighteen ages of three  Children at adolescence.
this age
 At this stage months to and six.  Children at this
understand
children must around three  This is when a the concepts age struggle with
develop trust of years. child of success their own identity,
their caregivers.  At this stage determines and both culturally and
 They like stories children start to their own inferiority. socially.
about parents explore their responsibilitie  Stories that  Books that help
and children. independence s and an help to children to learn
and overcome understanding develop a about themselves
Books like
better
 Tales Of Peter doubts of what of conflict. and others are
understandin
Rabbit they are  Books for this g and good for this
 Bambi capable of stage include acceptance of stage. Adolescent
 Alice In doing stories that themselves children want
Wonderland  Imaginative help children and others books that are
books that have to understand are good for open and honest
capable their emotions this age while offering
characters are and roles. group. stories about
 Preconventional level
Kohlberg’s Theory
of Moral Judgment Conventional level
Postconventional level

o Preconventional occurs up until around seven years old. At the youngest

ages children react to the immediate consequences of
level
their actions.
 punishment/obedience orientation stage. This is when a child learns to avoid
punishment.
 instrumental/relativist orientation stage. This is when a child learns that good
behavior is rewarded.
 Children’s literature that reinforces these ideas is good for this level.
o Conventional level occurs between the ages of seven and eleven. At this
point children learn the value of family, friend, and
community.This is when children conform for the approval
 interpersonal concordance orientation.
of
others and to avoid disapproval.
 “Law and Order” orientation. This is when a child conforms to avoid disrupting the
social order.
 The final level is the postconventional
level
The first stage is the contractual/legalistic orientation
when a child recognizes the value of social contracts and rules to
Kohlberg’s Theory of promote the common good.
The second stage is the universal/ethical/principle
Moral Judgment orientation when a child understands the concepts of choosing
ethical principles and possibly defying laws if the laws are
considered to do more harm than good.
Stories about social values and difficult social realities, such as
gang violence and corruption, can be understood by children who
have reached this level.
 Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs for Life and in Literature
Physical and Safety Needs (level 1 & 2)
Physical security begins in mother's
and father's arms, includes eating and
sleeping and expands to what
individuals need for comfort and well-
being.
Material possessions and physical
setting can include symbols of security
Stories that tell of people with enough
food and clothing. Tales of brightly
burning fires, feasts, rich clothes,
glittering jewels, and splendid palaces.
The lack of security is one of peoples
most pressing needs, very often it is
central to the plot, motive for acting,
or the theme of the story.  belonging and strengthening their idea of
Love and Belonging Needs (level 3)
Need to be loved: all human beings want
to love and to be loved. In literature this
need may also be met by animal substitutes
or material possessions.
Devotion to people, animals, grandparents,
parents, children, or material possessions.
Need to belong: to be part of a group, For
young children this starts as an egocentric
desire or part of self-love. Children say with
pride MY mama, papa, brother.
Stories about family, neighborhood,
community, and school.
When a child wishes they could know the
characters, help them, or be with them,
they are widening their awareness of
community and acceptance of others who
may or may not be similar to them.
 Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs for Life and in Literature
Esteem, Recognized, and Self-actualization Needs (level 4 & 5)

Need to achieve competence: Need to know: child's constant curiosity

begins with the infants
exploration of talking,
crawling, walking, and
continues to the athlete,
mathematician, artist,
musician, or scientist.
Need to interact effectively
with the environment is a very
strong motivating force.
The important factor of book
heroes is the unique feats
they performed on their own.
and why questions. Need to
investigate, to know for sure, a hunger
for knowledge.
All non fiction books
Legends
Need for beauty and order: music,
dance, drama, story, painting,
sculpture. The child seeks aesthetic
satisfaction and the development of
ones tastes by enjoying one piece of
literature after another.
Beauty in Literature the interplay of the
elements of literature and multiple
themes organized in a fascinating story
of intrigue and character development.
 Piaget’s Cognitive Theory of Development
1.The first stage is the sensorimotor period which is from
infancy to about 2 years old.
 Children in this stage are egocentric and understand only
what they are currently experiencing through their senses.
The idea of object permanence does not apply at this point.
Children’s literature at this stage offers a pleasant experience
with books and story time.
Tactile books and books with rhythmic sounds can be
entertaining to children in this stage .
2. The Second stage is the preoperational stage with is between
two and seven years old.
 This is a stage where children start to develop logic,
although they are incapable of understanding generalizations
about the physical world such as reversibility, assimilation, or
accommodation
Children at this stage do not understand abstract concepts
well, but they do understand rudimentary concepts, such as
colors , shapes, and sizes.
Stories enjoyed at this age include books talking animals and
animated machines.
3. The third stage is the period of concrete operations
between the ages of seven and eleven.
At this stage children can understand rudimentary
logic, begin problem solving, understand time and
spatial relationships, and become aware of the people
around them and their role in society.
Children at this stage can appreciate more complex
stories about family and friend relationships as well
as some historical stories.
4. The final stage is the period of formal operations.
This stage occurs during the ages of 11 to 15.
By this age children understand formal logic,
exchange of ideas, the viewpoints of others, and roles
in society.
Children at this age can read books about complex
problems, including works about difficult problems
in society and relationships.

how a child relates to others.
Bandura and Vygotsky
describe human learning as
Social a social event of observing,
modelling and interacting
Learning with others. Mirror neurons
provide a powerful basis for
humans to imitate and learn
Theory behaviours' from others
even with out reward or
other person may motivate a
punishment.
apply the behaviors will affect
Learning is also affected by
Relating best to others who
are similar to their personal
view of them self. This being
related to each person's
cultural identity, racial
identity, sexual identity, and Books are a window into life
the various roles each child
choses. We look at people in
where students may view
many interactions, identify
these relationships as role them as positive and
models and the more
prestigious the model is, the
negative, and make choices as
to which may be worthy for
greater the impact may be.
The desire to be like this
them to try in their life.
person to act, however the
ability to understand and
success and continued
motivation.