PRINCIPLES OF

CHILD
DEVELOPMEN
T
 K W L
What I What I What I
Know Want to have
know Learned
The study of child development
helps teachers in fundamental
ways:
 Child development helps teachers
understand the changes they see as
children grow and develop.
 Knowing and understanding how
children learn at different ages and
stages of development can guide
teachers in many curriculum
decisions they need to make.

Community of Learners
 Studying child development
helps teachers explain individual
variations in rate of
development of their students.
 The study of child development
helps teachers understand how
children influence their
environment and in turn, how the
environment influences them.
 Child development is a process of
change in which the child learns
to handle more complex levels of
moving, thinking, feeling and
interacting with people and
objects in the environment.
Developmental changes have
three characteristics:

1. Orderly - They occur in a

sequence.
2. Directional - It is cumulative.
Each change in a sequence builds
on the results of the preceding
changes.
3. Stable - Children’s behavior is
reasonable stable over time. It
implies that early behavior and
personal characteristics are good
predictors of later development.
Development is wholistic. It is
often divided into four categories
that makes it easier to observe and
understand children’s behavior.
All are interwoven in a child’s life and
develop simultaneously and synergistically.

Physical Dimension - the ability to move and coordinate

Intellectual/Cognitive Dimension - the ability to think and
learn
Social Dimension - the ability to relate to others
Emotional Dimension - the ability to develop a positive
concept of self and others
The Cephalocaudal principle – development starts from
the head down to the toes.
Ex. infant – face movements first, then learns to life himself using
their arms then learns how to crawl, walk or stand.

The Proximodistal principle – involves the belief that

development starts from the center of the body going outwards
The principle of maturation
Maturation – sequence of development involving biological
change

Highly influenced by the development in the nervous system

and primarily the brain

Developmental milestones cannot be attained until the different

parts of the body mature
 Development in the brain occurs from simple to more complex
tasks.

 Physical development starts from the development of general

skills before specific skills.

Ex. child will simply start to grasp toys using his

hands. Later on, he will be able to pick toys using his
fingers.
Every child is a unique person with
a unique temperament, learning style,
family background, and pattern and
timing growth.
While sequence is the same, the RATE of development
may varies from child to child. Rate and quality of
development is influenced by: physiological maturity,
heredity, environmental factors; together these factors
account for the tremendous range of variation in
children’s development
Children’s development is cumulative in nature and not necessarily
progressive.
Early attention to child’s development =
less problems will be encountered in later development and learning
There are limits to what can be achieved if intervention comes later
Laterintervention must have to be intensive to have a positive
impact.
 A child’s development begins in the
womb but learning begins at birth.
Development and learning occur
as a result of the child interacting
with people and objects in his or
her environment.
Children live within a context-
family, community, culture and
their needs are most effectively
addressed in relation to that
context.
 THE EARLY YEARS
The first eight years of a child’s life form the foundation for all
later development; early attention to the child’s needs is critical.

* In the early years, the child develops all the basic brain and
physiological structures upon which later growth and learning
are dependent.

* Early support  benefits of intervention are greater

The early years – from birth through age eight - are critical
because they are the formative years when growth and
development are the most rapid

* brain growth – unmatched by any other

developments that occur during the life

span; age 6 -70% of the adult brain weight

 TIMING OF
EXPERIENCE
Timing of experience can be critical.

- periods in life when the brain is particularly

open to new experiences

- negative experiences or the absence of good

or appropriate stimulation are more likely to
have serious and sustained effects
 WINDOWS OF
OPPORTUNITY
Window for Optimal window Next best Further
opportunity rewiring possible
EMOTIONAL 0-24 mos 2-5 years any age
INTELLIGENCE
MOTOR 0-24 mos 2-5 years Decreases with age
DEVELOPMENT
VISION 0-2 years 2-5 years
EARLY SOUNDS 4-8 mos. 8 mos-5 years any age
MUSIC 0-36 mos 3-10 years any age
THINKING SKILLS 0-48 mos 4-10 years any age

SECOND 5-10 years any age

LANGUAGE
ACQUISITION
There are certain critical periods that are conducive to developing specific skills.
References:
•Wilson,Donna, “Flourishing in the First Five Years”
•Shiller,Pam, “Start Smart:BuildingBrain Power in the Early Years
•Galinsky, Ellen, “ Mind in the Making”
•Healy, Jane, “ Your Child’s Growing Mind”
•Evans,Judith, “Early Childhood Counts”, (The International Bank
for Reconstruction and Development)
•Brazelton, T.BerryM.D. and Greenspan, Stanley M.D, “The
Irreducible Needs of Children: What Every Child Must Have to
Grow, Learn and Flourish”