Development

‘PIES’ P = Physical I = Intellectual E = Emotional S = Social

Physical Development… Includes growth and maturation of bones, muscles, motor skills, and senses

Intellectual Development… includes the maturation of mental processes such as learning, imagination, memory and perception

Emotional Development… Includes the maturation and evolution of emotions, social skills, identity, personality, and morals

Social Development… Includes the evolution of knowledge of how people interact, play, share, take turns, or talk socially

Characteristics of Development Development is similar for everyone Children go through the same stages in about the same order i.e. – all babies stand before they can walk

Development builds on earlier learning Development is step-by-step or ‘sequential’ in nature The skills learned at one stage build directly on those mastered earlier i.e. – a child must learn to walk before running i.e. – a child learns sounds before words

Development proceeds at an individual rate The rate of growth differs from one child to another

The different areas of development are interrelated Changes take place in many areas at the same time One area of development impacts another i.e. – learning to walk helps to develop the opportunity to learn to speak

Development is continuous throughout life Development may be slow at some times and rapid at others, but it never stops

Growth vs. Maturation Growth refers to physical size, like height and weight

Maturation refers to a series of biological changes in a child providing new abilities Much of maturation depends on changes in the brain & the nervous system enabling children to have improved thinking & motor skills Children must mature to a certain point before they can gain some skills (Piaget)

i.e. – the brain of a 4 month old child has not matured enough to allow the child to use language (they are capable of making gutteral sounds only like babbling)

Development depends upon maturation All children develop at their own rate Both growth and maturation are controlled by hereditary factors, but are also influenced by the environment in which the individual is living

Example Observe grade 9 versus grade 12 boys… grade 9 boys often have larger hands and feet in proportion to their bodies; they may have some degree of awkwardness – they are growing, but not yet matured Grade 12 boys typically have more coordination because their body parts are more proportionate – they have grown AND matured

It ain’t easy bein’ a teen…