Have you ever wondered what motivates thoughts and behaviors in kids? Our understanding of human nature and child development is continually advancing but all children are different, with no one has all of the answers. However, a few recognized theories can provide useful insights on early development that can help you better care for children.
During our early several years of infancy through childhood, we develop the basis of your intelligence, personality, social behavior, and ability to learn. Four theories can be worth reviewing and can include attachment, psychosocial, cognitive development, and sociocultural theory.
1. Attachment Theory (Bowlby): This theory's centers around strong emotional and physical bonds that creates a feeling of security in a child. Bonds are established with caregivers that are available and responsive to a child's needs. Thus, the infant knows the caregiver is dependable, which creates a secure base for the child to explore their surroundings.
Example: Six-month-old Jordan enjoys infant toys and getting together with others. Certain that crying brings help, Jordan responds to anyone and gets upset when someone stops getting together with him.
2. PsychoSocial Development Theory (Erikson): In this theory, social development occurs in stages predicated on turning points in a person's life including hope (birth to age 2), will (ages 2-4), purpose (ages 4-5), competence (ages 5-12), fidelity (ages 13-19), love (ages 20-39), care (ages 40-64), and wisdom (ages 65+).
Example: Two-year-old Jennifer has recently begun squirming and saying "no" when her Nanny attempts to secure her in her child car seat. Jennifer has started to develop a sense of self, separate from her caregivers. Her Nanny must consistently set limits and follow through with Jennifer, to help keep her secure and safe while riding when you look at the car. The Nanny can increase Jennifer's willingness to comply by giving specific praise along with allowing Jennifer to select a particular toy to hold whenever she gets into her car seat without resistance. Selecting her own clothers may also help Jennifer gain more independence.
3. Cognitive Developmental Theory (Piaget): This theory is dependant on a four-stage model describing how the mind processes new information. The stages are sensorimotor (birth to age 2), preoperational (ages 2-7), concrete operational (ages 7-11), and formal operations (ages 12+).
Example: Five-year-old Zachary continues to be egocentric and struggles to look at perspective of others it is beginning to think symbolically and make use of words to represent objects. Zachary loves reading and it is building a foundation of language. Since this stage, caregivers should continue to read books daily, encourage pretend play, share logical thinking. By explaining that it is winter season as grandma's house and therefore, a coat will become necessary will help Zachary, who lives in Texas, understand just why a coat will be packed in the suitcase.
4. Sociocultural Theory (Vygotsky): This developmental theory evolves from children's interactions with tools and other people within their social environment. Community, culture, and interactions are fundamental to child development and learning.
Example: Seven-year-old Alex is struggling to resolve a jigsaw puzzle. By getting together with an adult, Alex learns simple tips to separate out the edge pieces, come up with the border, and sort the inner pieces by color or design. By working together with a grownup, Alex develops skills that may be applied to future jigsaw puzzles.
There are other childhood theories which will help parents as well as other caregivers by teaching them how exactly to save money enjoyable time using their child, reinforce positive skills, monitor behavior and set limits, and reduce the use of harsh discipline methods. These essential caregiving skills help children develop pro-social behavior, self-regulation, along with other skills they have to be successful at school as well as home.
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