Intro to Child Development

Development – the gradual process through which babies become adults◦ Begins at conception and continues until

death

Child Development – the scientific study of children from conception to adolescence

Why? ◦ To learn more about how children grow

What is Child Development?

Physical Development – involves growth of the body and the development of both large and small motor skills

Intellectual Development – includes how people learn, what people learn, and how people express what they know through language

Social-emotional Development – concerns interactions with people and social groups, disposition, and emotions

They constantly interact

Domains of Child Development

How children’s bodies grow and mature How children’s large muscle’s develop and

aid movement How children’s motor skills aid perception

and vice versa (called perceptual motor development)

Physical Growth and Development

How children learnWhat children learnHow language skills develop

Intellectual Development

How children develop and sustain relationships with others

How children develop a sense of self How children become dependable How children develop morals and character

Social Development

How children identify and understand their feelings

How accurately children can read the emotional states of others

How children manage strong emotions and express their feelings in constructive ways (called self-regulation)

Emotional Development

Heredity – includes all the traits that are passed to a child from blood relatives

Environment – includes all conditions and situations that surround and affect a child (can be called Nurture)

The way these factors combine makes children different from one another

Factors that Influence Growth and Development

Genes – sections of the DNA molecule found in a person’s cells that determine his or her individual traits

Carry inborn instructions that help make you who you are

Often called the structural genome Genetics – the study of the factors

involved in the passing of traits in living beings from one generation to the next◦ Meaning – the study of heredity

Almost every physical, intellectual, and social-emotional trait is affected by genes

Heredity

Genes affect some parts of growth and development more than others

Genes determine body features◦ Blood type, facial structure, color of hair/eyes/skin

Other traits such as intellectual ability are influenced by genes and environment

Some genes determine whether or not a person will have a trait◦ Example: whether someone is considered albino

or not (white skin, almost white hair, and pink eyes)

Heredity continued

People live in both a physical and social environment

Environment

How would the environmental impact be different in the home if parents…

How would the environmental impact be different in child care programs and schools if they…

How would the environmental impact be different in the community of peers if children…

How would the environmental impact be different in health care if staff members…

How would the environmental impact be different in the community if agencies…

How would the environmental impact be different in the mass media if children…

How would the environmental impact be different in the parents’ workplace if the job…

Environmental Impact on Growth and Development (page 11)

Genes control height potential, but a proper diet is needed to reach this height

Potential intelligence is inherited, but physical factors (nutrition and rest) and the quality of experiences determine whether the potential will be reached

Basic social-emotional traits are inherited, but greatly affected by experiences

Heredity and Environment Combined