Why Study children?

To understand Yourself You can gain insight into your own growth, development and the person you have become. To understand Yourself

To Be a responsible parent You can gain greater insight into how your children behave, think, learn and feel. You can learn how children grow physically, socially emotionally, and cognitively. To Be a responsible parent

To observe how children develop Observation is one of the oldest and best methods for learning about children. We can gather information of each child’s unique strengths and needs. To observe how children develop

to understand how to better interact with children You will feel more comfortable talking, playing, and working with children. to understand how to better interact with children

To understand what is normal development and what is not You will know what are typical behaviors or actions at certain ages and stages. It is easier to recognize possible signs of developmental problems. When problems are detected early, intervention can begin early. To understand what is normal development and what is not

To be equipped to work in child related careers You will know how to relate to the child as a whole person—physically, socially, emotionally, and cognitively. You will be a more effective preschool teacher, elementary school teacher, speech therapist, health care provider, social worker, child psychologist, or pediatrician, etc. To be equipped to work in child related careers

To provide developmentally appropriate play and learning activities You will know what type of activity is appropriate for the children’s stage of development. You will be able to plan activities with developmentally specific learning targets. You will be able to provide safe learning activities. To provide developmentally appropriate play and learning activities

To protect children’s rights Children are easily hurt because they are physically weaker than adults and cannot protect themselves. Studying about children can help us to know when to advocate for them . To protect children’s rights

To know how to be a positive inflluence Each of us who is involved in the lives of children can be an influence on their development. To know how to be a positive inflluence