Basic Principles of Child Development

BASIC PRINCIPLES

CHILD DEVELOPMENT

INTAN MAISARAH BINTI BONASIR
1 PISMP TESL 1

DEVELOPMENT IS A CONTINUOUS PROCESS

Individual self-development occurs continuously from the stage of fertilization to the
end of life.
As a child develops, he or she adds to skills that they have already learned and the
new skills become the basis for further achievement and mastery.
The continuation of development can easily be seen in children as they mature from
age two to age twelve.
For example, speech development proceeds from gurgles and coos to chattering, then
to words, then phrases, and finally, sentences. Sentences become paragraphs and
stories, both oral and written.
In order for children to write or draw, they must have developed the control of their
hands and fingers to hold a crayon and pencil. Holding a pencil develops into writing
and drawing.
Children build new knowledge and skills based on past knowledge and experience
(Faridah et al, 2014).

1

DEVELOPMENT PROCEEDS AT DIFFERENT RATES

Each child is different and the rates at which individual children develop are different.
Although the stages of development are generally the same for all children, the pace
at which they reach each stage will be different.
Every child is unique and tends to grow and develop as per his or her own rate and
characteristics.
The rate of development is asynchronous, it varies due to the different of types of
development.

• Rates of development are not uniform within
a single child.

• A child’s intellectual development may
progress faster than his emotional or social
development.

• There are also children who have a high level
of intellectual development compared to the
level of physical and emotional maturity.

DEVELOPMENT OCCURS IN A RELATIVELY ORDER AND SEQUENTIAL

People develop abilities in a logical order.
The sequence of growth and development is the same in all individual cases.
Children need time to proceed through the sequence.

2

While the sequence is similar, and the behaviours or skills emerge in the same order,
children can take more or less time with each behaviour or skill.
Some children may skip a behaviour or skill as they move forward.

• A child cannot stand until it has developed
the capacity to sit.

• The sequence of development is that the
child learns sitting first before it can stand
and it learns standing first before it can walk.

DEVELOPMENT IS INFLUENCED BY HEREDITY AND ENVIRONMENT

Both heredity and environment play a role in a child’s development.
A child’s development represents the interaction of heredity and the environment on
the developing brain.
Heredity determines the potential of the child, while the environment influences the
extent to which that potential is achieved.
The environment plays an important role in determining the behaviour and personality
development of an individual.
The interaction of heredity and environment works to shape who children are and who
they will become.

3

THE DEVELOPMENT PATTERN IS DIFFERENT FOR EVERY CHILD

Everyone has a unique and distinctive development pattern.
Not all children will reach the same development point of the same age.
The pattern of development may be varied from one child to another, but the pattern
of development is consistent.

Every child has its own character/personality and developmental pattern.
Some children are able to walk at the age of 10 months, while others are only able
to run at the age of 18 months.
Even if all of the children are the same age, a teacher should not expect them to
behave in the same way.
DEVELOPMENT PROCEEDS FROM GENERAL TO SPECIFIC

General activity comes before specific activity at all stages of a child’s development.
A child’s behaviour proceeds from general to specific.

4

As a child develops, his behaviour becomes more complicated and complex,
eventually leading to the specificity.

• In language development, a child learns
general words before specific.

• Based on the picture, the child uses the word
‘daddy’ to everything he sees and it is only
afterwards that he uses it for his father.

• A baby’s ability to reach or creep towards an
object becomes more specific over time.

• In the picture, the baby makes general arm
movements long before specific responses for
reaching objects.

5

REFERENCES
https://wicazemaxasu.usagiftsshops.com/heredity-and-environment-influence-
development-28036aa.html
https://slideplayer.com/slide/11558689/
https://www.scribd.com/document/343757782/1a-Child-Development

6