Basic Principles of Child Development

Basic Principles of
Child Development

EDUP3023

-Siti Hajar Binti Saharuddin TESL1-

Basic Principles of Child Development:

01 02People develop Development is
at different rates relatively orderly

03 04Development takes Progresses in a step-by-
place gradually step fashion

05 06Development is All development is
characterized by increasing interrelated
specificity of functions

07 Influenced by heredity
and environment

People develop at 01
different rates

People develop at different rates

- In a classroom, we can see differences in the students’ sizes,
heights, ways of thinking, maturity and so on.

- Some people develop fast and some are slow.

- Regular developmental screening is a way to help parents and
professionals like doctors, nurses, child care providers and
teachers gather information about children’s development,
identify possible concerns, and make referrals for help when
needed.

02 Development is
relatively orderly

Development is relatively orderly

• Children develop abilities in a logical order. From
simple, to more complex.

• Babies learn how to crawl first, then sit, walk, and
run.

• For speech, they babble, then pronouncing a
word, a phrase, and a sentence.

• Children understand concrete things before they
understand abstract things.

Development takes 03
place gradually

Development takes place gradually

• Development happens over a period of time, not just overnight.
• Development in heights and weight can be seen in months or

weeks.

• Children need to practice again and again to be expert in

something.

• People’s behaviour cannot be changed in a day.

04 Progresses in a step-
by-step fashion

Progresses in a step-by-step fashion

• Development cannot be done all at once
and proceeds from something simple to
complex.
• Each achieved behaviour forms the
foundation for more advanced behaviour.

• A child cannot speak fluently all at once. He
will be able to babble first, then imitate
sounds, pronounce simple words, short
sentence and begin to speak coherently.

Development is 05
characterized by increasing

specificity of functions

Development is characterized by
increasing specificity of functions

• For example, children’s postural control develops over
time; sit independently around 5–8 months, to stand
without support at 9–13 months and to walk
independently at 10-14 months.

• Sucking and swallowing are already present at early fetal
age. Chewing starts from 4 months onwards, first without
adaptation, but from 6 months with an increasing ability to
adjust the movements to the texture and size of the food.
Chewing becomes increasingly efficient.

06 All development is
interrelated

All development is interrelated

- There is interaction across the domains of child development
(physical, emotional, cognitive, social). For example, sound
nutrition, physical activity, and sufficient sleep all promote
children’s abilities to engage in social interactions that, in turn,

stimulate cognitive growth.

- Language development influences a child’s ability to participate in
social interaction with adults and other children; such interactions,
in turn, support further language development as well as further

social, emotional, and cognitive development.

Influenced by heredity and 07
environment

Influenced by heredity and environment

• Many factors influence child development: heredity, family, and community.
• Children’s early experiences will affect them now and in the future.
• A phenotype is how the genes are expressed. It can include physical traits, such

as height and color or the eyes, as well as non-physical traits such as shyness and
extroversion.
• A child has to adjust with the situation and challenges he is getting exposed to
and gradually he accepts the situation and moves on. It sometimes gives him
positive shade or sometimes negative but he grows with environment.

The End