Early childhood development and curriculum discussion 1, growing and learning discussion 2

Early childhood development and curriculum discussion 1, growing and learning discussion 2

            Early childhood is a very crucial stage of development in a child`s life since this is the time the child develops their physical and mental skills. In this study will be addressing issues pertaining those in the age bracket of 3-5 years who are mainly pre-schoolers. Below is a discussion of early childhood development and curriculum.

Physical development in children in this age bracket, like infants, grow very fast particularly the brain, gross and fine motor skills and their overall health. This means that play among other physical activities should be in incorporated in their classroom practices (Bodrova, Deborah, Leong, 2010). Play can be addressed in various forms for instance socially among themselves, using objects and toys as well as pretence where the teachers play various roles (Bowman, Burns & Donovan, 2009). This can be seen in most kindergartens already which is a positive move towards the development of children physically.

Socio-emotional development in children include their experiences, how they manage their emotions as well as their ability to express their emotions with the capacity to establish a rewarding and positive relationship among themselves and adults around them. According to Elkind (2008), with play incorporated in the curriculum, children get to engage themselves with each as seen in most pre-schools today.

Cognitive development in children in this age bracket can be explained in terms of how they process information, their perceptual skills, language learning and other aspects that pertain the psychology. This includes the incorporation of reading charts in class as well as pictorial symbols to help increase the levels at which the children can relate the things taught in class and the things they handle in their lives outside the classroom (Siegler, 2015). This is a very crucial stage of development since all the psychological developments take place at this stage.

Early childhood development and curriculum discussion 1, growing and learning discussion 2

Growth and learning comes hand in hand in any child`s life, and depending on the quality of teachers and people around the child then a student tends to mature faster in terms of physically, socio-emotional, intellectually and cognitively. Below is further explanation of the growth and learning of children in the age bracket of 3-5 years.

Preschool curricula can improve the life- related skills of the children in various ways. For instance, play increases the social skills as it increases the relationships among the children and oral language in children since they are encouraged to share as well as incorporate their acquired vocabulary in class to their day to day activities (Bredekamp & Copple, 2009). It is then clear that preschool curriculum plays a very large part in childhood development.

Well qualified teachers are important since they are able to understand the students. For instance some teachers prefer using a student oriented approaches so as to fully engage the students unlike those that opt for a fixed curriculum that is not that favourable to all the children in the class (Bowman, Burns & Donovan, 2009).  Qualified teachers also address all students differently since no two children are the same intellectually.

Play can be integrated in the curriculum in various forms for instance outside play, using objects and toys. Outside play helps the teacher assess the class dynamics since relationships can be seen. Using objects and toys can also be used in play where it encourages sharing among the children as well as increasing the self confidence among the students, increases the level of patience, responsibility, trust, respect and safety among the students (Bowman, Burns & Donovan, 2009). Play is generally very crucial in the development of children and the curriculum at large.

In conclusion, with the above discussion it is clear that early childhood development aspects has to be incorporated in their curriculum and learning experiences so as to ensure that the growth of the children is good.

References

Bodrova, E., Deborah, J., Leong, L. (2010). Mid-continent research on education and learning. Curriculum and play in Early Childhood Development. USA

Bowman, B., Burns, M. & Donovan, M. (2009). Eager to learn. Educating our Pre-schoolers. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. 

Bredekamp, S. & Copple, C. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs. Serving Children from Birth through Age 3-8. Washington, DC: NAEYC. 2009.

Elkind, D. (2008). The power of play. Learning What Comes Naturally. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press. 2007.

Siegler, R. (2017). Cognitive development in childhood. Noba textbook series on psychology. Champaign, IL: DEF Publishers.