Question

1a) Describe each domain of development (language, cognitive, physical and social/emotional) for a child who is 2 years of age.

1b) As an adult working with this child create an age appropriate activity for each domain of development (1 for language, 1 for cognitive, 1 for physical, and 1 for social/emotional) that would support the child’s growth.

1c) What is the adult’s role during the activities to promote optimal learning?

Please help! Thank you!

Answer 1

1.a. This is the period between birth and the age of six years. This is the period when there is a gradual progress from complete dependence on the mother to the beginning of independence.

1. Physical development – In infancy there is a rapid physical development. At the age of one month the child can hold up its head, it can sit at the age of six months, walk at the age of one year and run at the age of eighteen months. He learns to eat, drink, wear clothes, communicate with others and develop simple motor skills. The brain develops faster than other parts of the body. The lungs too develops fast and the capacity for breathing is increased. The heart grows and its action is strengthened. The pulse rate also drops.

2. Mental development – During this stage the infants behave instinctively and their most predominant instinct is to seek food and pleasure. Their concept of quantity and time is naive. They have strong instincts of curiosity and self-assertion. This period is marked by an absence of shame, self-discipline and self-respect; physical pain is the only deterrent to conduct.

Imagination and memory are very strong and active. They are fond of make-believe play, day-dreaming and fairy tales. The child imagines himself in various roles, like those of the teacher, car driver, father and so on. This imagination helps him to compensate for the harsh realities of life. The great drawback at this stage is that the infant is unable to distinguish between memory and imagination. As a result, to an adult it may seem as though the child is telling lies or untruths.

Young children love repetition. The same story may have to be told over and over again. Children have sharp memories and will at once spot any omission in the narration. They also repeat common movements and sounds. They love songs and nursery rhymes. The ability to think also develops. In the beginning the child thinks with the help of images. An image is a mental picture of what has taken palace.

The mastery over language develops rapidly from around the age of one. Up to the first eight or ten months, the child can only babble and coo. From experimental studies it has been found that on an average a child can utter two words at the end of the first year. By the end of the second year he can utter two hundred and seventy words. By the end of the third year his vocabulary increases to one thousand words. By the end of the fourth year it reaches fifteen hundred words, and by the time he becomes fourteen he can utter ten thousands or more words. In the beginning the child communicates through single words, then gradually they are replaced by short and simple sentences, and still later, by larger and more complex ones.

3. Emotional development – In the beginning the infant’s emotions are simple in nature. They have absolutely no control over their emotions. There is no sense of inhibition. Emotions may be easily aroused and their nature changed as easily. For example, the shrill cries of a child may be instantly changed to laughter by producing a toy. From around the age of four the child learns gradually to inhibit his emotions due to the pressure exerted by those in his social environment.

4. Social development - An important feature at this stage is egoism. He likes to be the centre of all attention. The child is also very much dependent on his elders and craves for their affection.

1.b. For the physical development there should be sufficient space where child can walk or run. The child should be provided various types of toys for fine motor development and gross motor development.

For mental development and language development the caregiver should have good attachment to the child. The caregiver should speak as much as possible. She should respond to the sounds of the children. Various sound making toys should be provided. Besides, the child should be familiar with the animals and birds that are available surrounding us.

For the social and emotional development the child should be allowed to communicate wit others in its own ways. The other children should be allowed to play with the child.

1.c. The adults must provide nutritious food and sufficient safety to the child. The adults must ensure all types of stimuli the child needs. The attachment must be as much as possible. The adult must create a good environment for the child.