Running Head: EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT

Early Childhood Development in the Lifespan

Matthew McClelland, Courtney Brewer, Daniel Weston, Brittaney Young, and Danielle Rogers
Markham District High School

EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT

Abstract
Early childhood development is a stage of remarkable development during the lifespan
that involves children aged two to five. It is a critical period for childrens physical, cognitive,
and socio-emotional development. The physical development of a child develops in many areas
including their appearance, motor development and internal bones and muscles building their
overall body image. The health progression for this stage is very crucial in living a proper
lifestyle immune from many diseases and staying fit. In early childhood, children are also
developing cognitively where they are progressing mentally. In cognitive development, children
are creative, imaginative, and their mental grasp of the world improves. Socio-emotional
development in early childhood is a key stage because it develops the child with emotions,
morals, as well as the discovery of who they are and how they act. Children who have divorced,
single, or working parents are impacted in ways that are usually very hard to deal with. The
aspects of play, peer interactions and television/media provides insight into how children in the
early childhood stage of development grow through social, emotional, intellectual, physical, and
creative stages of play and grow in relationships with others. Focusing around the central idea of
television being a negative influence on children, within are the effects of television on the brain
and body of a young child. In early childhood, all aspects of a childs development emerges and
there is a significant amount of growth that occurs.

EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT

Early Childhood Development in the Lifespan

Physical Development
Physical development is a very important factor during early childhood between the ages
two and five. Many parents are eager and excited to watch their child grow. Although there are
many developing factors that must occur before their child initially grows to its proper level of
stature. Parents can become impatient and concerned if their child is not developing at the rate
as to what is expected. There are multiple reasons why a child could not be physically
developing at a proper rate. Most children between the ages two and five grow at a steadier
pace. If a child is not developing properly it may be caused by health concerns or the
environment the parents have exposed them to. You cannot make development happen; you
can only support it by creating the right environment for each child as he reaches a particular
point on the developmental continuum [Strickland, (n.d.)]. For example if a child is exposed to
multiple toys they will develop more skills as they interact with the object. These interactions
with toys and other objects can develop into advanced skills later in life. The early childhood
stage goes by very quickly. The need for parents to properly give their child all the developing
experiences to ensure perfection is very pressuring. All children grow at their own rate, there is
no exact time a child should require all physical development requirements.
Physical Growth Factors
The physical growth factors of a child are the most noticeable changes in the
development categories. It is more likely to distinguish if a child gained more weight or grew
than if a child has become shy. After infancy, the growth of a child starts to slow down during
the first two years of the early childhood stage. A child will physically grow and gain strength
starting with the head down to the feet. On average young children can expect to grow 2 to 3
EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT

inches in height per year [Oswalt, (n.d.)]. As children start to grow, their larger muscles develop
before there smaller muscles so they are capable to improve their basic motor development

skills. During this time most parents start to focus on the importance of their son/daughters
growing habits. Children are encouraged to be taken to a doctor regularly to find out of their
child is growing properly throughout their body. Although not all children are the same so the
rate of growth will be different. Their growth is correlated to their body image and the size of
their parents. For example if their parents were both tall and thin then there is a good chance he
will have multiple growth spurts and match their appearance. If the child was experiencing
weight problems or growth deformities then the child may not match their parents image as an
adult. During early childhood the speed of their growth rate will correlate with the age they stop
growing during their teenage years. For example if a child has a slow growth rate around the
ages two and five they will eventually reach their maximum height at the age of 20 but if they
experience a fast growth rate they could stop growing at the age of 16 [Landers, (n.d)]. There is
a chart which demonstrates the height/weight relation between girls and guys through early
childhood (appendix 1). Around the ages of two and three children begin to eat less decreasing
their daily calorie intake which effects their weight. Many parents see this as a concern but it is a
natural response to the human body at this age. Losing so much weight gets rid of the childs
baby fat. Between the ages of four and six the average weight gain for children is
approximately five to seven pounds [Landers, (n.d)]. The human brain grows very fast during
the early childhood stage. Children at the age of three have grown about 75% of their brain
weight. During early childhood the brain forms and refines a complex network of connections
in the brain through synaptogenesis, pruning, and myelination [Better Brains for Babies, (n.d.)].
These connections that grow throughout the brain continue to function and improve throughout
EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT
their entire life.
Motor Development
As a child grows older they are able to accomplish many more tasks with the

improvement of their motor development. The two types of motor developments are Gross
motor skills and Fine motor skills. Most children will adapt to Gross motor skills before they
develop full fine motor skills. Gross motor skills are developed faster as their muscles are
developed during the amount of physical activity the child will receive each day. Motor
development is linked between the connection from your brain and muscles. Depending on the
brain development a child may be able to adapt these skills sooner than others. The basic stages
of gross motor skills develop from crawling, walking, running, jumping and throwing. The
importance for gross and fine motor skills becomes very serious during school and sporting
events. Failure to master these basic movement patterns presents proficiency for children that
reduces their potential for leaving more advanced sports skills (Ignico, 1991). For example if a
child cannot run and kick a soccer ball at the same time the chances of him being able to
participate become very slim. The demand for impressive motor skills from parents can be very
overwhelming to their son/daughter. From the early childhood stage many kids are brought into
sports which their parents want them to strive in that develops a challenge to develop these
abilities over time. With plenty of practice and experience these gross motor skills will improve
over time. Fine motor skills take more practice and time to develop the acquired skills needed
for certain tasks such as writing, tying your shoes, doing up a button and cutting something.
Opposite to Gross motor skills, fine motor movements involve the coordination of small
muscles in the hands and fingers [School Sparks, (n.d.)]. Without having these skills it can lead
to many difficulties in school work and assignments. If a child is unsuccessful in developing
EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT

these skills in school many solutions are being provided with a computer or having someone who
writes for you. This is possible because research using bran scan data (fMRI) has shown that
handwriting and typing use separate processing systems since there is activity in different brain
pathways for letters learned by writing instead of typing (City Parent, November 2013).

Although learning to write should be a skill all children should learn to have which can benefit
them throughout their academic life. As children start to work there fine motor skills they will
remotely use one hand more than the other distinguishing there dominant hand from their nondominant hand. As children encounter many different shaped objects multiple types of grips are
established which best suit the most comfortable handling of the object. These grips will guide
them through from experience and practice to perfect many objectives later on in life such as
cursive writing, turning pages of books and turning dials.
Health and Wellness
The health of a child is one of the most important factors that can affect their entire life.
There are many areas that can affect their health such as eating habits, sleep and the amount of
physical activity obtained each day. If a child is developing any health concerns it would be due
to a lack of one of the three categories or a family related concern passed down from the mother
or father. The importance for developing a proper healthy lifestyle at this stage is essential
which they will grow from and maintain throughout the rest of their life. The World Health
Organizations estimates that more than 200 million children fail to meet their full potential
because many of their basic needs arent met [(Braeuner, (n.d.)]. During this stage is when
most children start to develop an eating habit. The amount of food a child eats and the types of
food a child eats will become the basis of their regular meals what they will crave for. These
eating habits are influenced everywhere the child spends most of their time including at home,
EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT

childcare/daycare, and school. For example a parent may have a high demand for their
son/daughter to eat fruits and vegetables but if that child is given sugary snacks at another
influential environment then the child will have a higher need for these snacks. Children must
develop a healthy lifestyle since it is critical to build body muscles and bone structure. If these
requirements are not met then it may cause an interruption in the childs developing process. If

there is a concern in the developing process in the childs body and immune system this could
lead to various diseases and infections to breakout and spread. A very common health concern
children are struggling to face worldwide is obesity. Throughout the years obesity has increased
severely in percentage which is way it is such a sever concern demonstrated in the Childhood
Obesity Epidemic chart (Appendix 2). During this time the child has switched from breast
feeding or drinking formula and is capable of eating more solid foods due to the improvement of
their fine motor skills allowing them to pick up and bite their small pieces of food. During these
ages is when most kids become quite picky with their foods which can raise a problem. If a child
is refusing to eat the healthy foods provided then they are not in taking the required nutrients
needed for their body to grow. A child may reject their foods due to bad previous experiences
such as pain; a child may also reject their food due to the quality such as taste, texture, smell,
temperature or appearance as well as environmental factors, such as the setting, the presence of
others and the anticipated consequences of eating or not (M. Black, M. Hurley, September
2013). Staying clean and healthy is very vital to ensure the child is not exposed to any
sicknesses and viruses going around. Many children during these stages learn through
experience how to stay clean and avoid bacterial infections. Some of the major lessons children
are taught is to cover their mouth when they cough, wash their hands frequently. The health
concerns of many children vary in severity throughout the world. Where as many developed
EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT

countries have the supplies and abilities to live a healthy life style while other developing
countries lack the supplies and nutrients needed for children to reach the health standard. These
developed countries have it a lot easier with the necessities to ensure they can fix any issue or
health concern that is brought upon them. Although for developing countries many diseases
spread and cannot be cured in time to save these children. According to Plan USA research
(n.d.), there has been significant change in survival rates:

Globally over the last two decades, the number of children surviving beyond their fifth
birthday has steadily improved. From 1990 to 2007 the mortality rates for children under
the age of five declined from 93 deaths per 1000 live births to 67. However despite
efforts, 9.2 million children still died in 2007 before their fifth birthday most from a
disease or combination of diseases that could have easily been prevented or treated
The health of a child is a very significant factor which should be treated as soon as possible so
their issues do not become any worse than they already are.

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References

Better Brains for Babies (n.d.) Early and Middle Childhood. Retrieved from
http://www.cfw.tufts.edu/external.asp?
url=http://www.bbbgeorgia.org/index.php&prev=http://www.cfw.tufts.edu/?/category/infa
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Braeaner, S (n.d.) Issues that Affect Children in Early Childhood Development. Global Post.
Retrieved from http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/issues-affect-children-early-childhooddevelopment-1605.html

Black, MM. Hurley, KM. (September 2013) Helping Children Develop Healthy Eating Habits.
Encyclopaedia on Early Childhood Development. Page 5. Retrieved from
http://www.child-encyclopedia.com/pages/PDF/Black-HurleyANGxp3-Eating.pdf
Ignico, A (1991) Effects of a Competency Based Instruction on Kindergarten Childrens Gross
Motor Development. Vol. 48, Issue 4. Retrieved from
http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=7&sid=9e14ccf0-0071-418e-a8eb15788861cb82%40sessionmgr113&hid=123&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d
%3d#db=hxh&AN=22485248
Landers, C. (n.d.) The Talking Page Literacy Organization. Retrieved from
http://www.talkingpage.org/artic012.html
LeBreton, S. (November 2013). Why is handwriting important for my child? City Parent,
Volume 20, Issue 11.
Oswalt, A. (n.d.) Seven Countries Services, Inc. Retrieved from
http://www.sevencounties.org/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=12754&cn=462
Plan. Promising Futures, Community by Community. (n.d.) Improving Survival Rates of
Children Under the Age of Five. Retrieved from
http://www.planusa.org/contentmgr/showdetails.php/id/1123765
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References

School Sparks. (n.d). Fine Motor Development. Retrieved from

http://www.schoolsparks.com/aaaaaaearly-childhood-development/fine-motor
Siegel, B. (Director). (February 17, 2012). Childrens Health Minute: Early Childhood Obesity.
Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vpett4FbDe8
Strickland, E. (n.d.) Physical Development: Strength and Coordination. Scholastic Teachers.
Retrieved from http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/physical-developmentstrength- and-coordination

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Cognitive Development
During early childhood in the ages of two and five, a drastic amount of mental
development and cognitive abilities appear. Cognitive abilities associated with memory,
reasoning, problem-solving and thinking continue to emerge (Cognitive Development in Early
Childhood, 2006). The cognitive world to the preschool child is creative and free. They have
extremely big imaginations and their mental grasp of the world improves. The knowledge on
early childhood cognitive development would not be present today without the help and expertise
of psychologist, Jean Piaget. Jean Piaget created the four stages of cognitive development

throughout the lifespan. Piagets preoperational stage, that falls between the ages of two and
seven, explains how children begin to represent the world with words, images, and drawings and
they form stable concepts and begin to reason (Jean Piaget, 2009). During this stage, young
children are able to think about things symbolically (Piagets Preoperational Stage, 2012). With
the help of Piagets theory and the knowledge known about cognitive development of preschool
children, we are able to understand their language development, early childhood education, the
theory of their mind, and their memory.
Language
Children in early childhood experience a huge amount of growth and development in
their language. The four stages of language development that children go through during this
period are babbling, single words, two words, and multi-word sentences. A childs first words
may have different meanings than the adults around them. Children may overgeneralize their
first words to refer to items beyond their usual scope of application, for example, A child might
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call all men daddy, or all animals doggie" (Jill De Villiers, 2001). A childs vocabulary also
depends upon their age. (Appendix 3). As children age, they continue to learn more words
everyday and by the time they enter school around the age of five, children typically have a
vocabulary of 2,000 words or more (Stages of Language Development, 2006). As children learn
more about their language, they acquire it in certain ways. People are introduced to language
before they are born by hearing it from inside their mothers womb, however it is in early
childhood where there is a rapid improvement. A childs language develops drastically during
early childhood because their parents and caregivers work on teaching them and they observe
how other humans speak. Not only do children learn by imitating others around them, they also

sort out themselves the rules of their language (When and How Language is Learned, 1998).
We see this when children attempt to speak in the past tense, for example, when they say things
such as I goed there before. The rule systems that children learn include: morphology, which is
the meaningfulness of parts of words, syntax, which is how words should be ordered in a
sentence, semantics, which is the meaning of phrases and sentences, and pragmatics, which is the
rules of conversation. Language development is one of the childs most natural and impressive
accomplishments (Language Development in Children, 2011).
Education
Since a childs cognition is developing so much in early childhood, it is a great time to
begin school and their education. Their brain is developing the vast of its neurons, their at their
most receptive learning, and the intake of new information is critical to the formation of neural
pathways (Importance of Early Learning, 2000). One of the most emphasized and important
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part of early childhood education is play. Play enables children to make sense of the world,
problem solve, and plan mentally (The Importance of Play, 2010). Early childhood education
also helps a childs reading and writing improve. Children are moving on from preschool to
kindergarten in early childhood. The average child is learning five to six new words a day when
theyre in kindergarten (Ready for Kindergarten, 2013). The average child is also reading
picture books with short sentences in kindergarten and are learning how to spell words.
Psychologist, Lev Vygotsky came up with the theory that children learn through their
surrounding culture. This theory states that the cognitive development of children is enhanced
when they work in their Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and to reach this, children need
the help of adults or more competent individuals to support them as they are learning new things

(Vygotsky, 2006). There are several different education programs across Canada such as full-day
and half-day kindergarten. Full-day kindergarten programs can help increase academic
achievement while reducing the probability that children will be retained in the early elementary
grades and half-day kindergarten has more parent involvement and is a better match for the short
attention span of typical five year olds (Full-Day Versus Half-Day Programs, 2004). Another
approach to education is the Montessori approach. The Montessori approach is designed to help
children with their task of inner construction as they grow from childhood to maturity and it
succeeds because it draws its principles from the natural development of the child [Montessori
Approach, (n.d)]. No matter what education system the child is in, the information they are
learning is critical to their development.

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Theory of the Mind

Children in the early childhood stage tend to often ask why?, and this is because of their
curiosity of the world. As they progress through early childhood, they develop the ability to not
only understand how things work and why things are the way they are, but they also develop the
ability to understand why people act they way they do. The theory of the mind is the ability to
attribute mental states to oneself and others, and to understand that others have different beliefs
and desires (Theory of the Mind, 2003). It enables one to realistically consider what another
person may be feeling, thinking, and how they might behave. Although children gain this ability
in early childhood, it continues to increase as they mature. The theory of the mind forms a basis
for a childs acquisition of language and the development of appropriate social behaviour and

skills (The Theory of the Mind, 2003). This ability that begins in early childhood causes a child
to become more understanding of others, their empathy develops, and their character builds.
Memory
During the development of the mind, a childs memory is also evolving. A childs
memory, like all humans, is the information they hold on to over time and may even be
remembered for life. The memory development of a child is shown when they follow directions
or patters on simple tasks. For example, brushing their teeth before bedtime. Since their memory
is just developing they can only follow simple tasks but need more guidance on bigger tasks that
require more information and thought put into them. Between the ages of two and five, longterm memory also begins to form, which is why most people cannot remember anything in their
childhood prior to age two or three (Information Processing, 1955). Even though a childs
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memory is evolving as the mind develops, some adults still do not have any memories from early
childhood. This is because, Our most vivid memories are associated with intense emotions and
the emotional changes associated with that experience. Since very early childhood is usually
marked by a relatively limited emotional movement, and the emotions occur at a relatively slow
rate of change, some people believe that this lack of emotional range is responsible for a lack of
most childhood memories [Explanation of Memory Development, (n.d)]. The beginning of
memory development in early childhood is an amazing time because the ability to remember and
have memories is such a wonderful gift humans have.

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References

Cognitive Development in Early Childhood. (2006). In An Overview of Early Childhood

Development. Retrieved from http://psychology.about.com/od
aaaaaaadevelopmentalpsychologys/early-childhood-development_3.htm
Explanation of Memory Development. (n.d). Retrieved from
https://www.boundless.com/aaaaaaapsychology/human-development/infancy-and-earlychildhood/explanation-of-memory- aaaaaaadevelopment/
Full-Day Versus Half-Day Programs. (2004). In Kindergarten: Full Versus Half-Day.
Retrieved

from http://www.naspcenter.org/assessment/kindergarten_ho.html

Importance of Early Learning. (2000). In Why is Early Learning Important. Retrieved

from

http://web.jhu.edu/CSOS/early_learning/

Information Processing. (1955). In Child Development and Parenting: Early

Childhood. Retrieved from http://www.bhcmhmr.org/poc/view_doc.php?
aaaaaaatype=doc&id=12760&cn=462
Jean Piaget. (2009). Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/piaget.html
Language Development in Children. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.education.com/aaaaa
aaaaaaareference/article/Ref_Young_Childrens_Oral/
Montessori Approach. (n.d). Retrieved from http://www.montessoriami.org/montessori/aaaaaaaapproach.htm

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References

Parents and Language Development. (2009). In The Role of Parents in Promoting

Language

Development. Retrieved from

http://www.education.com/reference/article/parents-role-aaaaaaapromote-language-development/
Piagets Preoperational Stage. (2012). In Piagets Stages of Development. Retrieved
from
http://children.webmd.com/piaget-stages-of-development
Solid Oral-Language Skills. (2013). In Ready for Kindergarten. Retrieved from
http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/article/what-to-expect-grade/readyaaaaaaakindergarten
Stages of Language Development. (2006). In An Overview of Early Childhood
Development.

Retrieved from

http://psychology.about.com/od/developmentalpsychology/ss/early- aaaaaaachildhooddevelopment_5.htm
The Importance of Play. (2010). In Why Is Play Important: Cognitive Development.
Retrieved

from http://www.education.com/reference/article/importantance-play-cognitive-

language/
Theory of the Mind. (2003). In Cognitive Development in Children. Retrieved from
https://www.boundless.com/psychology/human-development/cognitive-development-inaaaaaaachildhood/theory-of-mind/
Vgotsky. (2006). In Vgotskys Theory of Cognitive Development. Retrieved from
http://voices.yahoo.com/vygotskys-theory-cognitive-development-34415.html

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References

Villiers, J.D. (2001). Language Development. The Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology,

p.368-376.

Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?

aaaaaaasgHitCountType=None&sort=RELEVANCE&inPS=true&prodId=GPS&userGroupNam
aaaaaaae=mark74960&tabID=T001&searchId=R1&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&contentSeg
aaaaaaament=&searchType=BasicSearchForm&currentPosition=7&contentSet=GALEaaaaaaaaa
aaaaaaa%7CCX3406000376&&docId=GALE|
When and How Language is Learned. (1998). In Young Childrens Oral Language
Development.

Retrieved from http://www.readingrockets.org/article/383/

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Socio-Emotional Development
Socio-emotional development in Early Childhood deals with Emotional and Personality
Development with children from 2-5 years of age. As the child leaves infancy and begins to fall
under the category of Early Childhood, they start to develop as well as acquire the finding of who
they are. A child starts to acquire more emotions, share more emotions, develop thoughts,
feelings, determine what is right or wrong, and lastly learn gender identity and influences that are
featured in the childs lives.
Moral Development

A child develops the ability to know what is right and to know what is wrong as well as
make the right choices in life. As a child in early childhood is developing his or her morality,
many influences can determine their sense of what is right and what is wrong. Those influences
consist of the childs natural environment, as wells as their physical, cognitive, emotional, and
social skills (Betty Hardwick Centre, 1995). When the child develops further in moral
development, they start to show morally based behaviours and different beliefs. For example,
here is a quote explaining a scenario where a child shows his morally based behaviour: Tasha
may see Juan take the blocks out of Tyler's hands and say, "Juan! You're gonna get in trouble!"
(Early Childhood, Angela Oswalt). Children in Early Childhood development also develop
empathy based guilt when they know they have broken the rules (Betty Hardwick Centre, 1995).
The following quote gives an accurate example of an empathetic guilt. Juan from

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the above example sees Tyler cry because his blocks were stolen, Juan might start feeling
somewhat bad that he hurt Tyler's feelings (Early Childhood, Angela Oswalt). Since the child
was young in the example, he would only feel bad if he was punished for taking the blocks rather
than making some other child sad (Betty Hardwick Centre, 1995).
Emotional Development:
Shyness
Shyness is one of the most important character traits in Early Childhood Development
because it is said that 20-48% of people have shy personalities (Health and Parenting, 2013).

Being the tendency to feeling awkward, worried or tense during social encounters (American
Psychological Society, 2012). A shy child is usually anxious in situations where there are social
interactions. In situations where the child is either presenting or is on show they will start to
develop nervous tics. Shyness is most common with children in the preschool years where they
get intimidated by other preschool students; as well not having their mother around them (Armer,
2005). Children are naturally shy between the ages of 2-5 years of age because they are very
unfamiliar to their surroundings causing them to be shy and seem neglected. Because of that, the
shy child is usually more comfortable being totally out of the picture then being in the picture at
all.

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Aggression
As children will grow older in the stage of Early Childhood, they will soon develop
aggression. Aggression usually appears in the early years of preschool at the age of 4. Aggression
can sometimes turn problematic for younger children because they develop Instrumental
Aggression (Early Childhood Emotional and Social Development: Aggression, 1995).
Instrumental Aggression involves hitting, kicking, or shouting to get what they want
(Appendix 4). Aggression that involves middle preschoolers is known as Hostile Aggression.
Hostile Aggression takes two forms: Open aggression, which is harming someone through
threatening or physically injuring them. The second form of Hostile Aggression is Relation
Aggression, which is when the aggression harms the other childs relationships. A good example

of relation aggression is rumour spreading or social excluding (Early Childhood Emotional and
Social Development: Aggression, 1995). With the appropriate treatment of aggression, the older
preschool child later learns to regulate and include others, and grow out of the use of
instrumental aggression to get what they want. Unfortunately, the forms of Hostile Aggression
increases instead of decreases as the child moves through preschool. Not surprisingly, boys use
more of open aggression where girls will use more relation aggression. Eventually children will
move past using aggressive behaviour to get what they want and learn more effective ways to
deal with conflicts. However, some children may still use physical and verbal aggression,
causing trouble in school and or at home.

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Social Development:
Influences
The most common influences for children aged two to five are the childs parents,
siblings, and media on the television they watch. Obviously the most influential person in a
young childs life is going to be their mother or father because of the amount of contact the child
has with them and their trust for them. The second most influential guardian in a young childs
life is their older siblings. The reason why the older sibling is a great influence on young children
is because the young child usually has a very strong bond with them. The older sibling acts like
another parent to the child when the Childs parent is not present. Media from the television can
either be a good or bad influence for young children. According to Debate.org, 79% of adults
think television has a positive influence on children. The positive influence of television is that it

can help educate children. There are many educational programs like sesame street that help
young children learn how to say there ABCS as well as count to 10. Also, much of children
programming can help stimulate childrens imaginations, leading them to think creatively. The
fighting concept of why television is a bad influence on young children is that television tends to
leave children with short attention spans (Does television have a positive influence on children,
2013).
Gender
In this stage of Gender, children at the ages of two to five years of age will start to find
out if they are a female or a male. The two different genders provide differences between them
by overlooking what their interests, dislikes, and likes are. As the child develops, in most cases,
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they naturally lean towards the gender they are more comfortable with, which is the same gender.
However, some children may lean towards the opposite gender. Whatever the child may choose,
that could be the beginning of their first social group. Because there are two different gender
groupings, that does not mean they cannot do the same activities; both genders can do the same
activities.

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References

Abedin, S. (2013). Tips to Parent Your Shy Child. Retrieved from

www.webmd.com/aaaaaaparenting
Better Health Channel. (2013). Shyness and Children. Retrieved from
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from

www.psychology.about.com/

Debate.org (2013). Does Television Have a Positive Influence on Children. Retrieved

from

www.debate.org/opinions

Lussier, P. Healey, J. (2008). The CRACOW Instrument: A New Framework for the
Assessment of Multi-problem Violent Youth. Retrieved from
www.publicsafety.gc.ca
Moyne, L. (2007). Early Gender Socialization. Retrieved from
www.unicef.org/earlychildhood
Oswalt, A. (1995). Early Childhood Emotional and Social Development:
Aggression.

Retrieved from www.bhcmhmr.org/poc/view

Tracy, B. (n.d). (2010). Self Concept. Retrieved from www.youtube.com/watch

Windell, J. (2012). The everything child psychology and development book. Avon,
MA: Adams

Media

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Divorced, Single, and Working Parents

Divorced Parents
Playing, eating and exploring is the daily life for kids in early childhood. This is the age
where kids rely on their parents the most and since there are many different types of families and
parents, it creates more of a diverse population of children at that age. Having divorced parents
does not only have an impact on the parents, but it has the biggest impact on the children in the
unfortunate position. Studies show that children who have divorced parents are likely to have
more psychological issues than children with deceased parents, lower marks in school and are not
as pleasant to be around. A study was done in 1991 that found that even after all that time, these

children tended to be lonely, unhappy, anxious and insecure. (Children Divorce Statistics, 2013).
As a child, its hard for a child to feel the best that it possibly could. They wish for more
involvement because without it they sometimes feel like they are not loved or important. 4 or 5year-old needs more of an explanation and can handle words like separation and divorce if
theyre defined simply. Divorce is a life changing experience whether your 2 or 25, the way its
dealt with is the most important part of coping with this knowledge.
Working Parents
At this young age, children need their parents to help them develop, and are not familiar
to their common faces being gone for long periods of time. They are used to seeing them
everyday, getting fed by them, playing with them and doing their daily routines, and once parents

EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT

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start to work it changes the whole dynamic of it all. Parents are forced to get child care for their
children and at around age 4, are they placed into school. Many of the hardest changes happen in
this time frame and this change is sometimes positive and other times are unfortunately negative.
Children who do not have enough time with their parents are often at risk of living a life feeling
adrift, not connected in a positive relationship in a way that lends itself to productive behavior.
Important time together includes bath and bedtime for the younger child as well as meals
together with the children. 10% of children wish that their mothers would spend more time with
them and 15.5% say the same thing about their fathers. (SheKnowsParenting, 2007). In this
article it states that children do wish for their parents more and that working parents do have an
impact on their children especially at that prime young age.

Single Parents
There are so many different factors that lead to single parent homes. Death, divorce,
separation are the most common in todays society, but the real question is, do they have negative
or positive impacts on children? There are so many children who live with only one parent and
studies show that its not much different than other two parent families. "It's part money, part the
quality of the parenting, part, maybe, their general access to support," McLanahan said.
(BOOTIE COSGROVE-MATHER, 2003). This statement is most accurate because every family
is different and it cant just be blamed on the single parent alone, most of the time its the hardest
for this family because theres only one source of income trying to support you family instead of
two and it should not be blamed for trying to do their best. Every factor will contribute to your
EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT

27

childs life it just depends on how you take action, and how the child takes it. Its hard to
understand at this age, but children who are 2-5 do understand more than we give them credit for
and at the end of the day it comes down to this: each family may be different but its how you
overcome the struggle thats most important.

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References

http://www.children-and-divorce.com/children-divorce-statistics.html
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/children_divorce.htm
http://www.fisher-price.com/en_US/playtime/parenting/articlesandadvice/articledetail.html?
article=tcm:169-20455-16&parentcategory=family+matters&subcategory=divorce+
%26+separation
http://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/2838/what-children-think-about-working-parents
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/single-parent-kids-more-at-risk/

EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT

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Play, Peer Relations, and Television Media

A young child around the age of 2-5 years old is constantly observing their surroundings
and are exposed to new environments, ideas and people everyday. Exposure to play, new
individuals and television/media all shape the child in the future. A childs early years play the
most important role as at this age children learn about the world around them and learn skills that
will help with their growth and development. A big aspect of childhood is play. As a child, the
stresses are minimal and it is considered the optimal time for learning.
Play
For children aged 2-5 years old, the recommended daily amount of play ranges from
around 30-60 minutes including a mixture of both indoor and outdoor play (physical). There are
5 main areas of development that come along with play. These include: social, emotional,
physical, intellectual and creative skill development. To begin, a childs social development
during play occurs as they interact with other children. Often children learn to respect others and

co-operate with others through play. Children will often share ideas with one another, talk to one
another and problem solve through play. Places for play create an environment with many
opportunities for children to work together and better understand each other. Children are always
growing emotionally and play has a large part in the development of feelings and emotions,
Early Childhood Educators provide reassurance to children as they experiment and become
familiar with their emotions. Children experience a wide range of emotions. Providing children
appropriate words for their emotions helps children to understand, acknowledge and accept their
feelings. This also provides the foundation for developing the appropriate response to their
EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT

30

feelings. (Early Childhood Educators- Start With Play, 2013). During play, comes rejection, the
development of love and hate (towards the game or the individuals participating with the child)
and anger from others hogging toys. This really opens up the doors for children to start playing
with new emotions such as anger, happiness and sadness. Play of course includes much physical
movement. From sports, to playing house or even just playing with play dough, children are
always in motion developing their motor skills. By constantly being in motion, children develop
stronger muscles and learn their limits through experimentation. Children test their safety by
jumping, leaping, climbing and playing sports. By providing safe indoor and outdoor
environments for children to begin to play, they will begin to test their limits and ultimately be
open about their fears and allow them to face them and grow. As children play, the brains neurons
begin to stimulate and develop connections which ultimately brings upon intellectual
development. Play promotes intellectual development as it enhances the efficiency of the brain's
function. Creative games not only strengthen memory, but they also improve the child's
reasoning and social understanding. Play generates positive emotions, which in turn boost the

child's level of coordination and balance. [How Does Play Promote Intellectual Development,
(n.d.)]. Children further develop creatively through play. Imagination is key in games such as
playing house, drawing or building blocks. The goal to achieving creativity is launched
through individuals problem solving skills through conversation and questioning techniques.
Encouraging children to answer questions as they play often encourages them to create endless
possibilities. This engages the childs use of symbols and encourages them to make believe and
stimulates curiosity. Nearly 50 years ago, Sigmund Freud (1958) suggested that every child at
EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT

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play behaves like a creative writer, in that he creates a world of his own, or, rather, rearranges
the things of his world in a new way which pleases him...The creative writer does the same as the
child at play. He creates a world of phantasy which he takes very seriouslythat is, which he
invests with large amounts of emotion (Why is Play Important, 2006).
Peer Relations
Children often begin to form friendships and connections with other children at a young
age. Most children around this age gravitate towards individuals they are familiar with. Someone
they see on a regular/daily basis may be of interest to them and they want to see them more
frequently. Much like the frequency in which they see people, they are often drawn to things that
are not changing often, for example having a preference for play activities with particular peers,
playing particular games. Most often, children of this age will be most comfortable with routine.
Seeing individuals on a regular basis (such as neighbors or family members) will make them
more drawn to them. There is however, much diversity with interactions with peers in this age
group. To begin, a lot is based on experience. Research shows that children who may have had
exposure to prior social experiences may find it much less difficult to begin socializing with

others compared to children who have been held back from meeting new individuals (for
example, if they did not attend pre school). Another researched factor in order to better
understand why its easier for some children of the ages 2-5 to make friends and socialize
compared to others is the temperaments which differ from one child to another. Some children
can often be uptight, aggressive, anxious or high strung which usually occurs around the age of

EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT

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two (linked to why the toddler years are considered the terrible twos based off a self obsession
and wanting everything
to be about them) which makes it much more challenging for children to open up to new
individuals and form bonds/relationships. Children who are easy going and open minded tend to
be more able to develop friendships because of their ability to open up to individuals of all
different races, personality types and from many different environments (examples include
school, neighborhood and daycares).
Television/Media
Obviously like many things, television has negative and positive affects on young
children. A new study of more than 1300 Canadian children has documented wide-ranging and
long-term negative psychosocial, behavioral, and cognitive consequences from increased
television exposure in early childhood. (Medscape Medical News, May 13 2010). Many parents
may plop their children in front of a television to keep them entertained and believe that it is
benefiting the child in an educational way. However, television is not recommended for children
especially before they are 2-3 years of age. Any child watching television for more than 4 hours a
day is where it begins to get harmful. Short term effects include vision problems for young

children, often glasses will be worn by children who are exposed to the screen often. Another
major concern regards the correlation being discovered between television and attentiondeficit/hyperactivity disorder. Television in young childhood effects memory, especially shortterm memory loss. Reduced academic achievement in the future is also a large problem regarding
children and television. Multiple areas regarding academic flaws and television exist including
EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT

33

effected reading recognition, effected numerical memory and slows down the acquisition of
language skills by replacing the interaction between parent and child with the television instead.
Television cannot provide social interaction, according to Gwen Dewar, an anthropologist and
developer of the website Parenting Science. According to Dewar, television slows down the
acquisition of language skills because it replaces conversational interactions between parents and
children. When babies and children watch television for extended periods, it can delay language
development (Global Post, 2013). One of the largest contributors to obesity and health issues in
young children is watching television. The more television a child watches, the more likely they
are to be obese (appendix 5). Television promotes laziness and unhealthy eating.

EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT

34
References

Developmental Trends: Peer Relationships at Different Age Levels. (n.d.). Education.com.

Retrieved November 25, 2013, from http://www.education.com/reference/article/developmentalpeer-relationships/
Medscape Log In. (n.d.). Medscape Log In. Retrieved November 24, 2013, from
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/721742
Social. (n.d.). Early Childhood Educators of PEI. Retrieved November 23, 2013, from
http://earlychildhooddevelopment.ca/startwithplay/
The Impact of Television on Early Childhood Brain Development. (n.d.). Everyday Life.
Retrieved November 26, 2013, from http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/impact-television-earlychildhood-brain-development-5577.html
Why is Play Important? Social and Emotional Development, Physical Development, Creative
Development (page 3). (n.d.). Why is Play Important? Social and Emotional Development,
Physical Development, Creative Development Page 3. Retrieved November 24, 2013, from
http://www.education.com/reference/article/importance-play--social-emotional/?page=3

EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT

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Appendix 1

Height and Weight Chart for Boys and Girls

http://www.google.ca/imgres?
imgurl=http://www.merckmanuals.com/media/home/figures/PED_height_weight_boys_girls.gif
&imgrefurl=http://www.merckmanuals.com/home/childrens_health_issues/preschool_and_schoo
laged_childphysical_development.html&usg=__ngZhI85YjeeZdonoTAQwkFoMIyU=&h=518&
w=476&sz=124&hl=en&start=15&zoom=1&tbnid=8r4fAgaJx_ItxM:&tbnh=131&tbnw=120&ei
=KWKSUuWlJaTt2wXAxIHoBw&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dearly%2Bchildhood%2Bweight
%2Bchart%26hl%3Den-CA%26gbv%3D2%26rlz%3D1R2ADBS_enCA341%26tbm
%3Disch&itbs=1&sa=X&ved=0CEUQrQMwDg

EARLY
EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT

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Appendix 2

Childhood Obesity Epidemic

http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/meetings/workshops/childobesity/chart1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/meetings/workshops/childobesity/&usg=__RQQvVui6CsT_XJmH_NAR5Re6m0w=&h=360&w=480&sz=28&hl=en&star
t=7&zoom=1&tbnid=Bl0z_QJ9cd1HAM:&tbnh=97&tbnw=129&ei=ofGTUtv1A8uMyAGp1YD
ACg&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dearly%2Bchildhood%2Bhealth%2Bgraph%2Bstats%26um
%3D1%26sa%3DN%26hl%3Den%26gbv%3D2%26rlz%3D1R2ADBS_enCA341%26tbm
%3Disch&um=1&itbs=1&sa=X&ved=0CDUQrQMwBg

EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT

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Appendix 3

Average Size of Vocabulary Compared to Age

http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?
sgHitCountType=None&sort=RELEVANCE&inPS=true&prodId=GPS&userGroupName=mark
74960&tabID=T001&searchId=R1&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&contentSegment=&search
Type=BasicSearchForm&currentPosition=7&contentSet=GALE
%7CCX3406000376&&docId=GALE|

EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT

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Appendix 5

Prevalence of Obesity in Children by Hours of TV Per Day

http://www.positivechoices.com/blog/2011/07/fixing-childhood-obesity