Child Development

The Importance of Child Development and Psychology

Definition of child development Child development is about the

biological, psychological and emotional changes that take place from infancy up until the end of adolescence .

Difference between growth and development

It is important to know the difference between growth and development.

Growth refers to the physical changes in a child’s size, height, weight, face, shoe size, length of arms and legs and body shape.

Development refers to the continuous progression whereby a child gains more complex knowledge.

Important facts about development

Developmental milestones are a set of functional skills or age-specific tasks that children in general can perform at a specific age.

Developmental milestones are age related, but every child reaches the stages at his/her own rate.

The stages of development are closely integrated with one another. Each stage will greatly affect the next stage.

Different Stages of Development Developmental Milestones

Gross Motor Skill Development

Fine Motor Skill Development

Cognitive Development

Social and Emotional Development

Speech and Language Development

Gross Motor Skill Development

Gross motor skills are the use of large muscles in arms, legs, feet and torso.

The muscles are used to sit, stand, walk, run, change positions and balance.

Fine Motor Skill Development

Fine motor skills are the use of small muscles in the fingers, wrists, toes, lips and tongue.

The muscles are used to pick up or hold objects,for example, holding a spoon to eat or a crayon to draw.  

 Cognitive Development

Cognitive Development refers to skills such as learning, reasoning, remembering, understanding and problem solving

Social and Emotional Development

Social and emotional development involves skills such as self-awareness, forming relationships with primary caregivers, interacting with other people, responding to feelings and learning self-control.

Speech and Language Development

Speech and Language development involves gaining skills needed to understand and use a language. This includes spoken words as well as body language and gestures.

The Importance of Child Psychology

 A child’s behaviour is shaped by his/her environment.

As a parent or caregiver, it is important to understand the reason behind a child’s behaviour. Thus as primary caregiver you can help your child adapt to situations.

The Importance of Child Psychology

Child psychology is closely related to the healthy development of a child

Thus a stable, safe and nurturing environment will influence a child's development positively

All about Childcare

 There are many courses that you can study to help

you gain knowledge and skills related to childcare.

New parents, caregivers, and those in charge of day care centres can all benefit from these courses.

Studying Childcare Courses

Take a course in Childcare to learn more about child development, psychology, day care or first aid!

You can simply give us a call

Or you can visit our website

www.skillsacademy.co.za