CACHE Level 3 Early Years Educator CACHE LEVEL 3 CHILDCARE & EDUCATION Unit 1 Child development from conception to seven years © Hodder & Stoughton Limited

CACHE Level 3 Early Years Educator LO2 Understand stages and sequences of development from birth to seven years. AC 2.1: identify stages and sequences of development from birth to seven years in the following areas: Cognition Neurological and brain development Speech, language and communication Physical Personal, social and emotional. © Hodder & Stoughton Limited

CACHE Level 3 Early Years Educator Starter activity LO2 Understand stages and sequences of development from birth to seven years [AC 2.1] Time: 15 mins Collect a variety of baby toys. Discuss how the toys support development. © Hodder & Stoughton Limited

CACHE Level 3 Early Years Educator Cognitive development is the child learning to interact with the world around them. Part of this process of development involves understanding abstract ideas, for example, the concept of green. How do you know that This… And this… are all green? Stages of cognitive development in children from birth to seven years © Hodder & Stoughton Limited LO2 Understand stages and sequences of development from birth to seven years [AC 2.1]

CACHE Level 3 Early Years Educator Piaget identified four areas of development; the first two cover birth to seven years. © Hodder & Stoughton Limited LO2 Understand stages and sequences of development from birth to seven years [AC 2.1] Stages of cognitive development in children from birth to seven years

CACHE Level 3 Early Years Educator Independent research activity Research Piaget’s theories on cognitive development. Briefly outline his four stages. Sensorimotor-0-2 pre-operational 2-7 concrete operational 7-11 formal operational Explain his first two stages (relevant to 0–7 years) in more detail. Use pg of textbook What are schemas? Explain what assimilation and accommodation are? Give two child related examples. How does this theory shape practice in early years settings? © Hodder & Stoughton Limited LO2 Understand stages and sequences of development from birth to seven years [AC 2.1]

CACHE Level 3 Early Years Educator Scientists used to think that babies were born with a limited capacity for learning, that they were born with a certain number of brain cells and that there wasn’t the facility for further development. More recent research suggests that a baby is influenced by its environment and that intelligence depends on the connections between nerve cells. These are influenced by the quality of the educational environment. Neurological and brain development © Hodder & Stoughton Limited LO2 Understand stages and sequences of development from birth to seven years [AC 2.1]

CACHE Level 3 Early Years Educator A longitudinal study (conducted over 20 years) found that there was a correlation between the amount of mental stimulation that a child receives at the age of four and the cortex development (dedicated to language and cognition) in their late teens. The cerebral cortex plays a key role in memory, attention, perceptual awareness, thought, language and consciousness. The research concluded that other factors, such as parental nurturing and cognitive stimulation at the age of eight, had no effect on development later in life (Martha Farah, 2000). Neurological and brain development © Hodder & Stoughton Limited LO2 Understand stages and sequences of development from birth to seven years [AC 2.1]

CACHE Level 3 Early Years Educator Other research suggests that learning changes the physical structure of the brain and that different parts of the brain may be ready to learn at different times (Bransford et al., 1999). Secure attachments for young children have a positive effect on brain development. There is evidence to suggest that high stress levels in young children lead to impaired development of the hippocampus part of the brain. The hippocampus has a central role in memory processes (Glaser, 2000). Neurological and brain development © Hodder & Stoughton Limited LO2 Understand stages and sequences of development from birth to seven years [AC 2.1]

CACHE Level 3 Early Years Educator Reflection activity The previous slide states: ‘Secure attachments for young children have a positive effect on brain development.’ Reflect on how your setting ensures that children have secure attachments at the following stages of their life: When they first start at the setting When they move to a new room, area in the setting, or school. Children may enter an early years setting without secure attachments. Why? Why is repetition so important for neurological and brain development? p g 24 © Hodder & Stoughton Limited LO2 Understand stages and sequences of development from birth to seven years [AC 2.1] Neurological and brain development

CACHE Level 3 Early Years Educator Babies communicate their needs from the moment they are born. Initially, their communication is a series of different cries and facial expressions. Babies and young children soon learn to communicate their needs in a variety of ways. All children are individual, so although there is an expected pattern of development, all children will develop at their own rate. Speech, language and communication development © Hodder & Stoughton Limited LO2 Understand stages and sequences of development from birth to seven years [AC 2.1]

CACHE Level 3 Early Years Educator Group activity As a class you will create a development chart to show the stages of language and communication development from birth to seven years. You will be given one or two of the following age ranges: Birth–3 months 3–6 months 6–12 months 1–3 years 2–5 years 5–7 years. © Hodder & Stoughton Limited LO2 Understand stages and sequences of development from birth to seven years [AC 2.1]

CACHE Level 3 Early Years Educator There is rapid growth in the first two years of a child’s life. This is when their growth will be monitored – health professionals will weigh and measure them. A baby will double its birth weight by 5 months. It will triple its birth weight by its first birthday and have grown 50% in length. By 2 years old, children will have reached half their adult height. At birth, the bones of a baby’s skull are not fused together – this will happen during their first two years. By the time they are 2 years old, their brain will be three-quarters the weight and size of an adult’s. Physical development © Hodder & Stoughton Limited LO2 Understand stages and sequences of development from birth to seven years [AC 2.1]

CACHE Level 3 Early Years Educator Pairs activity Time: 15 mins Collect pictures of babies and children between the ages of 0–7 years old. You will need a number of pictures of babies between 0–12 months. Share your pictures with a partner and put them in order of age. Note the physical development that has occurred using pg © Hodder & Stoughton Limited LO2 Understand stages and sequences of development from birth to seven years [AC 2.1]

CACHE Level 3 Early Years Educator The first seven years of a child’s life are influential on their personal development, as on all other areas of development. This is the period of their life when they are learning and absorbing the most. Personal development is about children beginning to understand themselves – who they are, what they can do, developing a sense of self. Children develop self-confidence and self-awareness, and they move from being egocentric to being able to understand the world from another’s point of view. Personal, social and emotional development © Hodder & Stoughton Limited LO2 Understand stages and sequences of development from birth to seven years [AC 2.1]

CACHE Level 3 Early Years Educator Social development is about the social skills that we need to live alongside other people – it is about the growth of relationships with others. Babies start to develop social skills in their first year when they engage in eye contact and play games such as peek-a-boo. By 2 years old, children will engage in parallel play (playing alongside other children, but not with them). They are beginning to be aware of the world beyond themselves. By the 3 years old, children will start to play cooperatively and social skills such as turn-taking are developing. Between 4 and 7 years, playing with other children becomes more important and children develop stable friendships. Personal, social and emotional development © Hodder & Stoughton Limited LO2 Understand stages and sequences of development from birth to seven years [AC 2.1]

CACHE Level 3 Early Years Educator Babies have a need to develop a strong bond with their primary carer, so the first year is very important for their emotional development. Children need the reassurance of the presence of their carer. Children may need their comforter with them to reassure them. Children can become easily frustrated by the limitations of their physical or language skills, sometimes resulting in temper tantrums. These will lessen as their skills develop. As children get older and develop friendships, these can be a source of emotional upset. Young children will ‘fall out’ with their best friends, see it as the end of the world, and ask the practitioner to intercede, only to be best friends again five minutes later. Personal, social and emotional development © Hodder & Stoughton Limited LO2 Understand stages and sequences of development from birth to seven years [AC 2.1]

CACHE Level 3 Early Years Educator Group activity Time: 15 mins Read the Group activity case studies in the Unit 3.12 Lesson 1 worksheet provided. Discuss: How would you, as a practitioner, deal with the children involved and reassure all of them? How do these case studies represent emotional development in children? Pg. 38 onwards Give examples of any similar experiences you have had at placements and explain how they fit into the emotional stages of development. © Hodder & Stoughton Limited LO2 Understand stages and sequences of development from birth to seven years [AC 2.1]

CACHE Level 3 Early Years Educator Classroom discussion activity Time: 10 mins Why is it important for practitioners to know the stages and sequences of development of children in their care? Consider: The benefits to the child The benefits to the setting The benefits to parents/carers. © Hodder & Stoughton Limited LO2 Understand stages and sequences of development from birth to seven years [AC 2.1]

CACHE Level 3 Early Years Educator Extension activity Time: 15 mins Choose two different age ranges from below and for each one, write one fact about the expected stage of development for each area discussed: Birth – 1 year 1 – 3 years 3 – 5 years 5 – 7 years. Areas of development: Cognition Neurological and brain development Speech, language and communication Physical Personal, social and emotional. © Hodder & Stoughton Limited LO2 Understand stages and sequences of development from birth to seven years [AC 2.1]

CACHE Level 3 Early Years Educator In this lesson we have looked at the stages and sequences of development from birth to seven years in the following areas: Cognition Neurological and brain development Speech, language and communication Physical Personal, social and emotional. © Hodder & Stoughton Limited

CACHE Level 3 Early Years Educator 1.What is meant by the term ‘cognitive development’? 2.How do newborn babies communicate their needs? 3.At what age have children reached half their adult height? 4.Why do many 2 year olds have temper tantrums? © Hodder & Stoughton Limited