Child development is not only physical growth visible to others. It is also a gradual, step-by-step formation of mental, personal qualities that are not so noticeable to an outside observer. The child, as it were, climbs the stairs from simple to more and more complex and significant qualitative changes.
Why do we need an age approach in raising children
The age characteristics of each individual dictate the need to take them into account when organizing both its physical existence and mental and social development.
The age approach implies a rational organization of the child's living space, which should stimulate the development of two major mental processes in him:
- selection of items of use in accordance with his age needs;
- methods and content of communication with him, which should stimulate cognitive interest in the environment.
Failure to comply with these conditions leads to inhibition and distortion of the growth of personal qualities, to the appearance of deviations in the physical and social development of a person.
Scientific periodization of preschool age
The age approach to the upbringing of children is built taking into account and using the specifics of their physical, mental and social development. Currently, the following periodization of preschool age has been adopted:
- 0-1 year - early childhood, infancy;
- 1-3 years - early age;
- 3-7 years - preschool age.
Each of these periods is completely different from the others in the peculiarity of the relationship and interaction of the child with the outside world. Its development is a series of progressive changes in the psyche that occur at certain periods of life (L. S. Vygotsky).
Neoplasms in child development
Age features that require consideration and changes in approaches to raising a child are formed under the influence of emerging neoplasms in his development.
A neoplasm is something new that appears for the first time (for example, the first tooth) as a result of growing up. The main neoplasms of preschool age are:
- The emergence of the need to understand the causes and relationships of the processes of the surrounding world. The child, not having sufficient knowledge, tries to explain what is happening around him: “It is dark because the sun has gone to sleep.”
- Formation of ethical and aesthetic ideas: "It's ugly to get dirty."
- Changing the motives of actions from "I want" to "I have to".
- Development of strong-willed qualities. Impulsivity gradually gives way to conscious self-restraint in actions and desires in accordance with general norms and rules of behavior.
- Awareness of oneself as a person. The emergence of a desire to take a significant, worthy place in relationships with adults and peers, to participate in public affairs.
- The appearance of a pronounced need for new knowledge, the child becomes a "why". High cognitive activity indicates his psychological readiness for schooling.
The development of a preschooler is characterized by a movement from a simple state to a complex one, the emergence of new features (neoplasms), more complex in structure and content.
Features of baby development
A newborn's hand is clenched into a fist and unclenched by 5 months of life, becoming an organ of touch. An adult, putting various objects into the baby's hand, stimulates the appearance of such a neoplasm as grasping. The muscles of the hand develop, the space expands, the ability to sit and sit is stimulated, since in order to grab an object, you need to strain and reach out.
At 4-7 months old, the baby randomly manipulates toys, listens to sounds, and at 7-10 months old he can already act with two at once to knock, put one into the other. From 10-11 months old, he discovers the functionality of objects: he learns to stack them one on top of the other, string pyramid rings, open and close boxes, and make sounds. Actionsbecome more conscious and accurate, spatial perception develops faster.
Sitting reveals the horizons of visual perception of the environment. Distant objects become accessible to children only with the help of adults, and the relationship between them becomes situational and businesslike (according to M. I. Lisina). The movement of the hand towards an inaccessible object is becoming more and more indicative: an adult perceives a grasping movement towards the desired thing as a signal “give me this” and gives it to the child. Over time, with the repetition of this situation, the child consciously uses this hand movement as a pointing gesture.
Other major neoplasms of infancy are the appearance of walking and situational speech. Walking expands the cognizable space and moves the child away from the adult, since the mother is already following him, and not vice versa, as it was before.
The speech of a baby is not structured, it consists of sounds and their combinations that are not clear to everyone, separate syllables, it is emotional, but as it develops it becomes more and more a means of communication.
Characteristics of the development of the younger preschooler (1-3 years old)
Personal and social development of a child in early childhood is based on imitation of adults and in the process of subject-speech communication with them. Naming and describing the properties, qualities, purpose of a huge number of objects surrounding the child, adults develop his understanding of speech and teach him to use it.
Adults provide him with a positive emotional statethrough the satisfaction of needs in comfortable living conditions, and meaningful communication, protection stimulates active knowledge of the environment. Sensual support, expressions of love, approval of actions form self-awareness, self-confidence, attachment to adults. Otherwise, when a child at this age is deprived of close relationships with parents, he grows up less obedient, does not learn self-control and self-discipline, he has low self-esteem.
Having begun to walk confidently, the baby purposefully and persistently finds and overcomes all sorts of obstacles. Statement "I myself!" - this is a sign of the formation of willpower and the desire to explore space. At 1.5 years old, he is already able to manipulate kind and tender feelings for him, getting what he wants from adults, but he can show pity and sympathy if he sees that someone is crying - he will hug, kiss, stroke.
By the age of 3, the child develops a need for recognition of his success by others. He is sensitive to approval and blame. By this age, he acquires the experience of awareness, evaluation of his own and other people's merits and failures. Learns to correlate his strengths and capabilities with the task ahead.
The main activity by the end of early childhood becomes subject-tool. That is, the child gradually learns the purpose of objects and learns how to use them correctly. This becomes the basis for further development of gaming and productive activities.
Preschooler 4-7 years old: developmental features
The central neoplasms of preschool age are:
- Distancing from an adult - the boundaries and social circle are expanding, the rules of behavior outside the narrow family world are being more and more mastered. The child tries to enter the world of adults, but does not have the opportunity, so he does it in games.
- Development of creative imagination. In artistic creativity (drawing, designing), in role-playing games, the child expresses his needs for full participation in the life of adults. Here he imagines himself an equal member of society, plays roles that are still inaccessible to him in reality: he depicts himself as a brave soldier in a drawing, plays the role of a mother doll in a puppet scene.
- Controlling function of speech. Speech becomes for the child a way of organizing, planning behavior and activities. Its development is nearing completion, the subject of communication with adults and peers is expanding.
- The arbitrariness of behavior arising from the desire to independently plan and carry out one's actions.
The main psychological neoplasms of preschool age (arbitrariness of behavior and cognition, imagination, imaginative thinking, arbitrary memory and thinking, awareness of oneself as a separate person) are the foundation for successful adaptation to school.
Crisis periods in the development of a preschooler
As a preschool child matures, neoplasms come into conflict with old, established behaviors and habits. Appearsthe need to replace the methods of environmental adaptation that have become ineffective, that is, a crisis condition sets in, a conflict that requires immediate resolution.
Crisis periods in preschool age psychologists consider:
- The neonatal crisis. A child, entering the external environment at birth, is forced to adapt to new conditions of existence, stimuli (air temperature, water, light, a lot of sounds). The type of breathing and nutrition changes dramatically.
- The crisis of the first year. Denotes the transition from infancy to early preschool years. The desire for independence and knowledge of the environment cause increased activity, which requires reasonable restraint on the part of adults. This causes a violent, sometimes hysterical, reaction, a protest against the restrictions. The child becomes uncontrollable, stubborn, despotic, aggressive, contradictory in his actions, but at the same time he is already oriented not only to physical help, but also to the approval of adults of his actions, he is looking for him. There is a break in dependent relationships with adults, but the physical and psychological possibilities of independent existence are not yet available.
- Crisis of three years. At younger preschool age, neoplasms in the psychological sphere, in physical development lead to an increase in volitional qualities, to the need to act independently. The extreme forms of crisis manifestations are negativism, rebellion, self-will, which manifests the need for equality with adults, for respect on their part. He demands to reckon with his desires, whatever they may concern, and sees this as a sign"maturity". New tastes and attachments, habits, forms of behavior appear when the old ones are devalued. Quarrels with relatives and other children are not uncommon, as the child requires them to fulfill their will, does not agree to fulfill their requirements.
- Crisis 6-7 years. Psychological and personal neoplasms of preschool age make the child internally ready for school, form a sense of adulthood and cause the need to demonstrate this to others. Copying the behavior of adults turns into mannerisms, a long pause between asking the child and fulfilling it turns into disobedience and stubbornness, but criticism causes tears and scandals … The child rejects "children's" games and toys and seeks to participate in "adult" affairs.
Undoubtedly, the age crisis at preschool age is a serious test both for the child himself and for those around him. The boundaries and severity of it are blurred, depending on the individual timing and characteristics of neoplasms in preschool children.
Psychologist advises parents
The main task of parents in crisis periods of preschool age is to help the child cope with negative experiences. He must find friends in his parents, an example of calm understanding and help.
So, parents should:
- Don't yell, don't insult, don't compare him to "good kids". Calmly explaining the reasons for the dissatisfaction of adults is the shortest way to a child's awareness of his behavior.
- Diversify and graduallycomplicate any of his activities (cognitive, artistic, physical), taking into account age and personal interests.
- Also complicate the rules of behavior and increase their number, taking into account preschool age-related neoplasms (psychological, personal, social).
- To stimulate the desire to participate in common affairs, maintain relationships with other children, respect their opinions.
An important parental task is to form emotional responsiveness in a child from an early age, involving other people in all possible ways to help.
Conclusion
Parents are always worried about the he alth of the child - and rightly so. However, in the upbringing of the baby, it is not always taken into account that he also needs not only care and expressions of parental love, but also respect, recognition of him as an autonomous person.
Adults should be literate in choosing educational means, when psychological neoplasms of preschool age manifest themselves as changes in the child's behavior, sometimes not for the better. And here the advice of Freken Bock is appropriate (who doesn’t know her!): “Patience, only patience!”
