Effective Childcare and Development Stages

Introduction

The knowledge about effective ways of childcare is required to offer a positive influence on the development of the child from the birth to the growing years. In order to execute it, detailed knowledge is regarding the growing stages of the child in order to develop potential skills for effective childcare. Thus, in this assignment detailed information about the growing stages of the children are discussed along with the data about the learning theories and way of managing the child’s significant life events.

Task 1

1.1 Explaining the expected child development from birth to 5 years

Children are seen to show rapid development from birth to 5 years in all aspects like physical, social, cognitive and others. The different expected development in children is as follows:

Birth to 1 year:

Physical development

The child is going to show reflexes along with changing patterns of crying to indicate their nature of needs. Moreover, rapid development of the body parts are seen along with increased ability to walk and move around. The child is also going to show fine motor skills and emergence of self-help skills when encouraged (Burge et al. 2017).

Cognitive Development

At the birth, they are going to develop senses for their ability to interact with individuals and environment around them. Later they are going to show is prone to watch and explore new thing out of curiosity.

Emotional and Social Development

The infants are going to express the feeling through facial expression and often show anxiety towards the caregivers. The children in the nine to 12 months may show less anxiety with increased preference as well as affection towards caregivers (Zelazo, 2017).

1-2 years

Physical development

Initiate to crawl or teeter within small space Walk with feet as well as arms apart at the end of 2 years

Cognitive Development

The child becomes able to recognise and differentiate between things Better memory development and working out things accordingly They try to communicate through words (Mueller et al. 2015)

Emotional and Social Development

The child is curious as well as energetic in nature They initiate to enjoy playing games with the caregivers Develops cooperativeness and ability to feed self (Mueller et al. 2015)

2-3 years

Physical development

Increased muscle strength in hands and legs Improved grip to hold objects as a result of increased release of growth hormone and development of cell growth (Zelazo, 2017)

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Cognitive Development

Develop efficiency to remember faces to recognise They initiate to talk and is efficient to develop meaningful sentences (Burge et al. 2017)

Emotional and Social Development

Develop imagination regarding the way people are going to feel about their activities Has the hardship to make choices They initiate to copy the caregivers or adults

3-4 years

Physical development

Development to stand, climb and run on tiptoes (Burge et al. 2017) Balancing to walk efficiently as well as buttoning up clothes

Cognitive Development

Interested in making friends and better recognition to differentiate between things Have the ability to form meaning interaction and they develop preferences at this stage for the nature of things (Zelazo, 2017)

Emotional and Social Development

Develop efficiency to share things and follow simple rules Show attachment towards certain individuals (Burge et al. 2017)

4-5 years

Physical development

They develop efficiency to show detailed movement such as climbing, running, walking and others They develop speed to run and jump over objects (Zelazo, 2017)

Cognitive Development

Imitate in creating sounds and develop efficiency to play with words Recognise names and develop full ability to study (Burge et al. 2017)

Emotional and Social Development

Develop potential friendship Enjoy playing games and express awareness regarding other people’s feelings

1.2 Explaining the expected child development from 5 to 8 years

The expected development in children from 5-8 years includes:

Physical development

The child is able to effectively throw, kick, pull and catch objects with efficiency. They develop effective structure of bones and muscles which allows them to perform effective daily activities like sitting, swimming, running and others (Moore, 2017).

Cognitive Development

The children at this stage are seen to be more enthusiastic in nature and they develop understating regarding the various aspects of the environment with improved development of senses (Black et al. 2017).

Emotional and Social Development

The child is expected to develop stronger bonds with one of their parents more than the other along with developing social bonds with friends and caregivers. They are seen to work in a synergetic way and they are able to effectively adapt themselves to different surroundings and environment (Black et al. 2017).

1.3 Explaining the importance of child’s holistic development of

a) Speech, language and Communication

The language and speech skills are important for the children because it allows them to effectively communicate their emotions, feelings and desires to others. Moreover, the ability to effectively communicate is important for the child to allow them to learn different skills in life from the caregivers or the parents. The communication is also important for the child to let them develop effective relationship with different people in the surroundings through the sharing of thoughts and emotions (Pelto et al. 2016).

b) Personal, social and emotional development

The development of personal, social and emotional skills is important for the children because it allows them to seek help while executing any challenging task to take effective action to accomplish it. The skills are important to allow them to make good decisions in life portraying positive behaviour. Moreover, the skills are important to allow the children to develop effective relation or bonding with others in the society and make friends. It is important to make them develop empathy and the ability to think from other's perspectives to take the best decision while making choices (Dowling, 2014).

c) Physical development

The physical development is important in children to allow them to develop a healthy body with improved muscular strength as well as immune system (Britto et al. 2017). It is important to let the children develop proper blood flow through the body with better functioning of the heart, lungs and bones. Moreover, the physical development of children is needed to help them learn fundamental movement according to their age and develop improved mental well-being. The physical development is also important to let the children develop effective balancing of the body with proper coordination and reaction time (Donnelly et al. 2016).

1.4 Analysing the way children’s learning and development is influenced by

a) Personal factors

Age

The children in growing age show improved muscular activity with stronger bone density and better immune system which influences them to develop better mental and physical health (Black et al. 2017). Moreover, the children with increasing age are seen to experience different circumstances which led them to learn different lessons helping them to develop emotionally, socially as well as physically.

Disability

The children with effective mental health are seen to learn and develop more efficiently in comparison to the children who have any form of disability. This is because the disability acts as barrier for the child to develop emotionally and intellectually.

Parental Support

The children show effective development and learning with better self-confidence and decision-making ability with proper support from the parents. This is because the parents act as their educator and guide to learn things and develop accordingly to live a better life (Lippold et al. 2018). The children without the assistance of the parents develop poor learning because they are unable to get guide regarding the way to manage the challenging situations experienced in their everyday life.

b) External factors

Poverty

The children who encounter poverty do not have adequate resources required for their effective development and learning. This is because the poverty makes the children have less healthy diet which affects their development process. Moreover, they lack effective finances to support their education due to which they are unable to learn proper ways to get quality life and better career in future (Hair et al. 2015).

Education

The children who are provided proper education are seen to have enhanced knowledge regarding their surrounding environment and way to manage everyday life. The education leads the children to develop better perception about life with improved ideas, thoughts as well as cognition for efficiently dealing with future problems (Radesky et al. 2015).

1.5 Describing the way atypical development may affect on the development in children

The Atypical development means that the children have faster or slower learning rate in comparison to others or they are experiencing a physical impairment. The child who is growing at a faster or slower rate are often thought by their peers to be different than other which is going to negatively influence their social as well as emotional development. The adults require ensuring that this nature of influence is properly controlled so that child’s health status remains at an improved state. The children with physical impairment are often seen to experience issues with coordination or mobility along with sensory development like vision and hearing. This is going to lead the children develop low self-esteem and self-confidence and thus the parents require providing positive support in such cases (Hanson et al. 2017).

1.6 Analysing the way children’s learning and development is influenced by their stages of development

The children’s development and learning is influenced by their stages of development they have reached. They are required to pass different milestones in sequences which are although not necessary to be passed exactly at the determined stage (Bjorklund and Causey, 2017). In case a child completes a developmental stage sooner than their peers, the child is likely to continue development in a quicker way which is going to affect their other learning process to be developed faster. For instance, the child who is 2 years old in case has spent more time with adults and older children are likely to develop actions and nursery rhymes in a faster way than their peers. This is going to promote their conversation as well as communication skills along with boost their self-concept and self-confidence to be grown in a better way.

1.7 Evaluating the way intervention is able to promote positive development

The children with development and growth would undergo checks at various times (Taylor et al. 2017). For instance, the progress check which occurs at the age of 2 that takes place between 24 to 36 months are seen to offer child’s development in three primary areas which are physical; personal, social and emotional and language and communication. The checks are designed to offer parents and caregivers a clarified vision of the development of child so that they are able to identify which areas are developing faster or slower than expected. The observations received from the checks are often referred to the specialists (Britto et al. 2017). The specialists according to the information advises the teaching staffs as well as informs parents regarding the way they can use opportunities and service provisions available for supporting their child. In this way, the targeted interventions are able to provide positive development in children by putting appropriate support to the children.

Task 2

2.1 Explaining the way babies and children develop and learn

The development and learning of babies and children are a continuous process which includes various factors which are interlinked and incorporates different developmental aspects.

Use of sense and exploration

The babies as soon as they are born they use senses for exploring the new world. They are seen to intake a large amount of information and are always alert as well as looking and listening to their surroundings while they are awake. This leads them to gradually learn and develop by the influence of the experiences from the surroundings (Haimovitz and Dweck, 2017).

Interaction and communication

The continuous communication and interaction with the babies by their parents and caregivers is seen to stimulate communication development among the babies and children. This is because the interaction allows them to learn the rules of communication such as making eye contact while speaking, using facial expression and others (Kirkorian et al. 2016).

Play activities

The play activities lead the children and babies to develop socialisation and explore the environment through interaction and coordination with others.

Guidance and Support

The babies and children require support as well as guidance to develop and grow. This may be done through different ways such as appraisal and encouragement of the child through demonstration, establishing training programs and others (Shneidman and Woodward, 2016).

2.2 Evaluating theories and models of child development

There are different theories and models related to child development which influences and informs the way approaches are made to work with children.

Sigmund Freud

According to Freud’s theory, the personality is made up of three parts which are id, ego and superego. In the children, each of the parts develops according to the experiences and events faced by the child in their childhood (Freud, 2018). The Freud’s theory is seen to focus more on the relationship between instinctive parts of the child’s personality (id) and the conscience (superego) which is seen to develop in the later stages of childhood. The benefit of Freud’s theory is that it is related to effectively explain real-life circumstances. However, the drawbacks are that the theory does not support any scientific method as the data received is qualitative in nature and the results are specific to the individuals due to which they cannot be used for explaining generalised development and growth of all children (Cervone and Pervin, 2015).

John Bowlby

The Bowlby theory informs that early attachments act as a crucial step for the development of a child and they are related to the key factors which are responsible for building relationship with them. The theory is presently regarded as outdated and thus it cannot be used in an effective manner to explain child development and growth (Briere et al. 2017).

Reggio Emilia

The Progressive model by Reggio Emilia informs that children would follow their personal interests that are developed and fostered by the support of parents, teachers and wider community. Thus, the theory informs that different children are likely to express different thoughts out of which all are required to be nurtured (Edwards and Gandini, 2018). Thus, this approach allows the children to develop deeper thinking level as they are allowed to execute regarded in which they are interested (Hong et al. 2017). However, the approach is quite challenging as loss of control is going to create negative developmental consequences for the children.

2.3 Explaining the way theories and models of child development is applied to support development in children

The Sigmund Freud theory can be applied to create effective child development by observing the way the children show different personality in different situations (Freud, 2018). Thus, planning of the future needs and progress can be developed through the theory for the children by observing them effectively. The Bowlby’s theory can be used in child development on the aspects of building effective communication. This is because the theory informs about the way confidence develops in children regarding others and the way they relate to it for developing effective interaction. The Reggio Emilia progressive approach can be used in using environmental resources for the development of the children as it emphases on the way early year foundation framework is to be established for the children’s development.

2.4 Evaluating the way evidence-based practice informs own practice

The evidence-based practice makes a person aware of the change as well as advances to be made which are going to positively affect their planning and decision-making for own practice (Rousseau and Gunia, 2016). The evidence-based practice helps to inform about the way interventions are to be managed through proper data for supporting child development. It also indicates the risk to be encountered while executing certain practices so that effective safety procedures are considered while personally executing such practices.

Task 3

3.1 Explaining theories of attachment

According to the Ainsworth's Theory, there are three main attachment styles which are anxious-avoidant, securely-attached and anxious-resistant. In anxious-avoidant, the baby is seen to ignore the parents and plays with little distress when they are left alone. In the anxious-resistant style, the baby shows intense attachment with the parent due to which they show high-level of distress and actively resists any stranger’s attempt to comfort them apart from their parents to play or execute other activities. In the securely-attached style, the baby plays efficiently while the parents are around but shows some extent of distress when they are left alone but shows some extent of comfort with intervention from a stranger (Grossman et al. 2016). According to Main and Solomon’s attachment theory, the child behaviour in mixed in nature towards their caregivers which is caused by parents as they both comfort as well as frighten the child (Steele, 2018).

3.2 Explaining the reason behind importance of positive attachment for children

The positive attachment of the child towards the parents or caregivers is important as it leads to their development. This is because positive attachment creates a sense of security in their mind while living around their parents (van der Voort et al. 2014). This is later going to help the child develop self-esteem and confidence for exploring objects for themselves and develop personal sense of competence. The positive attachment leads the children to develop a secured and stable attachment with the parents which leads them to develop a positive as well as non-threatening view of the world.

3.3 Analysing the impact on children on not forming positive attachments

The children who are unable to form positive attachment are seen to experience damaged social and emotional development. In case their carer has failed to offer them security then an unreliable attachment is formed which leads to develop negative traits within them (Jewell et al. 2016). The lack of positive attachment leads the children to experience a negative view of their surrounding environment and world, develop low self-esteem and self-affirmation, anxiety, shows developmental delay and lack of awareness as well as trust towards strangers.

3.4 Analysing strategies to promote positive attachment

The strategies that can be used for promoting positive attachment include:

The parents require ensuring that they properly communicate with the children on a regular basis without any form of judgement in order to effectively communicate and maintain openness in interaction (Bierman et al. 2015). This is going to develop positive attachment as the children feel they are listened without judgement and are valued being their own way.

The parents require reacting to the children according to their different traits in order to build positive attachment (Kinniburgh et al. 2017). This is because in this way the children would feel that their individuality is respected orienting them to develop positive relationship and attachment with the parents.

Task 4

4.1 Identify the communication development needs of children

In order to develop language, speech and communication, the children need proper carers who can interact with the children and help them to improve their communication through speaking and responding.

4.1a -Birth to 2 years:

From the earlier stage, the adults and the carers should try to interact with the children by saying and facial expression which is helpful for the children to communicate with the adults. The babies need to be stimulated and they have the interest to interact with the adults around them (Lamsal, Duttonand Zwicker, 2018). The adults try to interact with the children aged from o to 2 years through various forms of interactions such as voices, songs, rhymes and facial expression which helps the children to communicate with the adults.

4.1b -2 to 5 years:

As long as the children are growing, they have the interest to interact with others through open conversation where the adults also show their interest for improving communication of the child. The children are able to look the books and try to learn the speech and language from the adults and the carers who are the mentor for the children to improve their speech, language and communication. The children try to show interest in different objects and they try to write through using pencils and read the books which are beneficial for them to improve their communication.

4.1c -5 up to 8 years:

The children at this stage try to share their feelings with the adults and the carers and they try to listen to the adults actively and they have the interest to respond and discuss their activities. This is the way through which the adults and the children interact with each other which in turn helps in improving the speech, language and the communication of the children (Ninio, 2018).

4.2 Explain early intervention criteria

The adults and the social carers try to diagnose the speech and communication as well as language development of the children in order to support them for improving their communication in near future. After diagnosis, the specialist and the adults try to collaborate with the children and help them to interact so that the speech and language of the children can be improved. Proper guidance, standard support and interactive communication skill are helpful for the children to develop speech and language (Trevarthen, 2017).

4.3 Explain how multi-agency teams work together to support speech, language and communication

The multi-agency teamwork is necessary for the children who need speech, language and communication development where the team members try to recognise the requirements of the children and help them to improve their speech and language so that they can interact with others successfully. The professionals are involved in child communication development and they try to work as a team and interact with the children for understanding their language and communication needs. The team members try to share information and give advice to the educational staff members and the parent of the children to encourage communication among the children. Thus, it is a partnership working practice where the professionals, educational staff and the parents are involved to improve the speech, language and communication of the children.

4.4 Explain systematic synthetic phonics associated with reading

Synthetic phonics is the process of teaching the link between the letters and the sounds and it is crucial for the children to learn how to pronounce the letters. this is effective for improving the speech and communicative patter of the children where they try to pronounce the letters appropriately (Waisbord, 2018). The sounds to pronounce the letters further helps to improve the spoken power of the children through which the children gradually become more fluent reader. Hereby, the synthetic phonics is associated with the reading of the letters where the children can improve their pronunciation and spoken power further.

4.5 Evaluate strategies for developing early literacy and mathematics

The strategies of learning and reading as well as writing continuously are effective for improving the listening and speaking power of the children where the children can develop their learning abilities through reading and writing (Freud, 2018). Developing the literacy is therefore dependent on the writing and learning abilities of the children speaking and listening as well as reading and writing are important to expose the children and encourage them for successful literacy and mathematics development.

4.6 Explain how play and activities support speech, language and communication development

Playing and other activities at home and school are important to enhance the reading and writing abilities of the children and the adults and the carers play crucial role in improving involvement with the children which are effective for learning development (Roshanfekr et al., 2017). Body language and facial expression, as well as communication during playing, are also beneficial for the children to teach how to express and how to communicate with others. gesture to express, pointing to the objects as well as games, pictures songs and rhymes are also important for the children to improve their speech and language (Camaioni, 2017).

Task 5

5.1 Analyse the potential effect that transitions, and significant events have on children

There are many events that raise the chance of transition in the lives of the children such as moving to school, family breakdown, moving to daycare centre, birth of siblings, loss of significant people and living outside of the home and these situations have significant impacts on the children where the children fail to understand the changes int heir lives. This may give rise to frustration; anxiety and depression among the children which further have serious impacts on the upbringing of the children as well as living standard of them. Emotional outbursts, anxiety and loss of interest in other things in lives are also some of the crucial impacts among the lives of the children which are the results of the transition phase (Ansell, 2016).

5.2 Explain how to prepare and support children through transitions and significant events in their lives

It is the responsibility of the adults and the carers to support the children during the transition phase where open communication and discussion with the children are important through which the adults can support the children and prepare them to cope up with the unstable situation during transition. Encouraging questions and stable relationship between the children and the parents are also another way to support the children during transition. Involvement and quality time spend with the children are also beneficial for the parents where they can handle the children and help them to cope up with the transition phase (Saxton, 2017).

5.3 Explain the effect on children of having stable relationships during periods of transition

During the period of transition, stable relationship is important for the young children that help to bring consistency and reassurance among the children where the children may feel safe during the transition (Bishop, 2014). The children will feel less anxious about what is happening during the transition and in the situation of transmission; the stable relationship is helpful where the children may feel secured. The children are less likely to feel anxious and they are able to cope up with the unstable and unexpected transition in their lives of there is stable relationship.

Conclusion

The above discussion informs that the child development from birth to eight years is crucial as during this phase all the essential attributes require to live a quality life is developed. The theories and models of child development are to be applied by analysing the child’s surrounding and aspects to be covered. The theories of attachment are essential in building positive attachment with the children so that they develop security, self-esteem, trust, positive view of the world and others. Communication is one of the crucial parts under Child development, where the adults and the carers play important role in developing speech, language and communication of the children through playing, learning, reading and writing as well as body language and facial expression which helps the children to express their feelings and communicate with others appropriately.

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