Growth & Development

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The California Early Childhood Mentor Program

The California Early Childhood Mentor Program promotes and encourages relationship-based development of children and young people, pointing to such relationships as being key to increasing the quality and value of the environment of early childhood education (ECE). The program provides a combination of benefits designed to achieve a high quality workforce in the area of ECE, including activities for integrating theory and practice, and providing support to administrators and teachers.

Activities offered by the program promote success among college students who want to be teachers, and encourage improved practices by administrators by supporting their management and leadership pursuits. The program also supports the professional growth of both director mentors and mentor teachers, by improving income ratios, increasing professional recognition, offering development opportunities, and supporting flexible options for completing practicums, thereby offering more regular completion of degrees and certificates in various institutions of higher learning.

It joins remuneration to improved access to professional education and development opportunities for both program administrators and classroom teachers. To accomplish this goal, the program chooses experienced classroom teachers, and pairs them as mentors to help student teachers from community colleges and 4-year early childhood programs. Mentors are paid a stipend to convert their classrooms into top-quality training environment. The amount of the stipend depends on the number of hours the teachers spend mentoring student teachers, and student teachers receive academic credit for the practicum requirements their training institutions require.

The program recruits teachers who have worked for at least two years in a family child care home or an early childhood classroom. Mentors must have completed a training program in early childhood education that had a supervised teaching course included in the curriculum. Teachers must be eligible for at least the Master Teacher level of the California Child Development Permit. To apply for the program, teachers must finish a course in classroom evaluation and adult supervision skills, which is offered by community colleges that participate in the mentor program. Instructors from local community colleges as well as teachers, directors, and professionals from the child development community are recruited to review applications and evaluate each applicant’s classrooms.

After the mentors are selected, student teachers are placed in their classrooms. Mentors participate in simultaneous activities that contribute to their ongoing professional development, such as monthly training seminars, public speaking engagements, and the Mentor Institute. The program’s emphasis on access to training, provision of professional development opportunities, and stipends for participation, is intended to give experienced teachers new career opportunities, decrease turnover in the teaching community, and improve the overall quality of child care and education.

The mission of the California Early Childhood Mentor Program is to offer guidance, technical assistance, training, and financial compensation, sufficient enough to develop, maintain, and expand high-quality local mentoring programs for teachers; to provide professional development opportunities and increased income for participants; to support a wide variety of training encounters using relationship-based development; and to seek new ongoing opportunities for offering relevant mentoring services to the early childhood education community.

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Infant Development Month by Month

It is indeed a delight to watch your baby grow from a newborn to an infant; then to a toddler and preschooler. The most difficult among all these stages is infancy, where the parents are worried about little things. The first year of a baby’s life is full of tremendous changes, and each one can be considered a milestone in itself. There is a basic developmental chart which enlists the developmental milestones of a baby, during his/her first year. This chart provides a brief list of the milestones to be achieved by a baby, from his first month to the twelfth. However, the developmental rate may vary from one infant to another. So, it is not wise to compare your baby with others. Parents must be patient in this matter, and compare the milestones achieved by the baby, month by month.

Month 1: As a newborn, babies sleep for almost 20 hours a day, and cry whenever they are hungry or wet. They have some innate reflexes and basic sensory capacities of vision, hearing, temperature, pain, and touch. By the end of the first month, babies can bring their hands to the face, move their head side to side, respond to loud noises, get familiarized with the voices of their parents, may turn towards familiar sounds or voices, and blink at bright light. At this age, babies don’t possess the strength to keep their head upright. So, the parents have to support their neck, while lifting them. Skin to skin contact is the most effective means to make them feel secure. Hold them, rock them to sleep, or massage them gently.

Month 2: For the first two months, you may not see any noticeable changes in your baby. But hearing and vision improves, along with their movements. They may make some noises other than crying, and roll a bit or try to lift their head briefly. They can bat at objects or grasp them. They may suck fingers and identify faces. The baby may start smiling too. They may move their arms and legs more smoothly, instead of the former jerky movements.

Month 3: During the third month, infants get adjusted to the new world, and become comfortable with their surroundings. They get settled to their daily schedule, which can give the parents some much-needed rest. Till this stage, they would have slept for small intervals only; but during the third month, the stretch of sleep may also get extended up to five or six hours, especially during night. The neck strength improves, and the baby may be able to hold up his head for some time, without support. They can recognize their parents and smile at their faces. They may start listening to music and like brightly colored objects. Their cries reduce, and they start communicating with sounds. They may follow people with their eyes and respond to noises. They can open and close their hands, and reach for dangling toys. They may try to hold objects or toys and shake them.

Month 4: By month four, the baby gains weight and develops good head control. They may do more things with their hands. They may start grabbing everything within their reach, and most of them end up in their mouth. Their sleeping time reduces to around 15 hours a day, but they may sleep for longer durations. They may start identifying colors, especially the dark ones. Communication skills develop, as they make different sounds for different purposes. Some babies may try to roll over during this period, and some others may sit with support.

Month 5: Fifth and sixth months may witness more transitions in infants, as they start rolling over from the back to their stomach. Their grasps get stronger, and their hand-eye coordination improves. They may hold objects and move them from one hand to another. Their vision improves, and they will be able to see objects at a distance. They may start babbling too. In some infants, teething may begin at this stage.

Month 6: During the sixth month, babies may sit without support, and they move independently. Usually, babies attain double their birth weight at this stage. They can roll over from their back to their stomach and vice versa, in a more smooth manner. Some babies may try to rise on their hands and knees, but may not start crawling. They may voluntarily open their mouth, while spoon-feeding, and may drink from a cup/glass with help. They may also be able to hold feeding bottles successfully, and make two-syllable sounds. As far as infant development is concerned, the sixth month is very important. It is at this stage, that health experts recommend solid foods for infants.

Month 7: During the seventh month, they may start creeping, scooting, rolling, or crawling. While some babies try all these movements, others may try any one or two. Their eating habits improve, as they can easily hold a glass or eat from a spoon. They will be strong enough to stand on their legs, with support. Signs of teething, like drooling, may develop. They may get irritable and fussier too. You have to be careful, while introducing new food items to the baby, as he may develop symptoms of food allergy. By this time, babies know how to chew food, and how to show disgust to a particular food. They can sit unsupported and recognize names.

Month 8: By the eighth month, babies get stronger, and pull themselves up to a standing position, by holding either furniture or the walls. They may crawl more freely, and can play with toys, like balls. Their grasping and chewing skills develop, and they may also show their likes and dislikes regarding food. Some babies may start using basic words and listen to familiar words. During this stage, babies can pick up and hold objects properly.

Month 9: By this time, babies crawl freely. They may even crawl up or down the stairs. You can see them holding some toy in one hand and crawling with the help of other hand and knees. They may crawl and grasp a toy, and then sit straight and play with it. They may also pull themselves up to a standing position. Some babies may start walking at this stage. They may cry, when taken away from parents, or with unfamiliar people.

Month Ten: During this period, babies understand the meaning of familiar words and directions. They can sit straight, and stand up holding objects, like furniture. Some of them may move around with support. By now, they have a few teeth, so you can introduce semisolid foods. They may also start using some familiar words.

Month 11 and 12: Some babies may start walking during the eleventh or twelfth month. They enjoy playing with toys, like stacking blocks and nesting cups. Some of them use several words as the first step of talking; while others require more time to develop this skill. They may develop strong attachment to objects, like toys and blankets. They may become more efficient in using day-to-day items, like spoons, cups, and hairbrush. They sleep less during the daytime and more at night.

This is only a brief overview about the development of infants. A basic idea about developmental milestones of babies, may prove beneficial. If you find any delay in the development of your baby, consult the doctor.

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Travel Encourages Learning, Develops Character for Children

When you think of someone taking a long, exciting trip somewhere, do you envision a single person, a couple, or a group of friends? Or do you picture a family? Most people, when considering the idea of a long trip, think of only adults. Long journeys have long been considered to be activities that can’t be enjoyed by a family, especially a family with small children. Couples have always thought that they had to make a choice―they could start a family or travel, but they couldn’t do both. But in reality, there is no need to make a choice.

Nowadays, increasing numbers of families are hitting the road with children, even babies, and they’re doing it intentionally to give their children experiences they can’t possibly participate in at home or at school. Although parents who take their children traveling are often asked why they go to the trouble, they have made a conscious decision to open doors for their children that will not only bring them fun, adventure, and education, but also give them opportunities to develop their character and experience personal growth in unique ways.

One of the problems people automatically see in traveling with children is that they think children will be impatient and uncomfortable if they don’t have access to modern-day conveniences and something to keep them entertained all the time. But the reality is that there is no better way for children to develop virtue and strength of character than to realize that life isn’t always easy and being comfortable and entertained isn’t always essential. For example, instead of an expensive trip to Disneyland, try taking kids to a place that isn’t as commercial and encourages children to think for themselves, be self-reliant, and explore new experiences on their own. Take them camping, so they can get back to nature and develop self-reliance by not having a television, telephone, or maybe even running water. Cook over a campfire instead of in an oven. Sleep in a sleeping bed rather than on a comfy mattress.

To have the greatest impact and the most lasting effect on children, a trip should not be rushed. The longer the stay, the more time children will have to experience the places they visit, the people they meet, and the things they see. Being able to immerse themselves in a particular area gives children a view of the world that just a couple of days cannot match. For example, instead of visiting a resort in a big city for a long weekend and eating at chain restaurants, try renting an apartment or motel room for a couple of weeks. Visit local attractions, dine at locally owned eateries, shop at local stores, and get to know the people and the area. Let children imagine what it’s like to live in a different place with different opportunities and even different weather than they are used to.

Children of any age can be taken traveling, and will be all the better for it. No matter what age, traveling with a child will not only help them to experience places, people, and situations that will open their eyes to a world they would never be able to experience at home, it will help them realize how that world compares and contrasts with their own day-to-day existence. It doesn’t matter where you go―just go. Seeing the bigger picture and stepping outside their own lives for a while helps children develop character traits and strength of virtue that will benefit them for the rest of their lives.

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Team Games for Children

Team building games teach children the importance of co-operation, tolerance, concentration, the technique of working in a team by keeping aside their personal differences, being punctual and disciplined, obeying the orders of seniors, acquiring leadership skills, and sacrificing personal interests when the team is struggling to win. When children grow up and enter the corporate or professional world, they are definitely expected to indulge in teamwork. All the lessons and qualities gained in these games will come handy in tackling difficult and challenging situations with self-confidence.

Outdoor Games

Tug of War
This is a game enjoyed thoroughly by kids and adults alike. First, divide the kids into two groups, and ideally have equal number of children in both the groups. You can assign both the teams some fine names, so that the audience or the people seeing the game can cheer for the players. To play this game, you will need to tie a ribbon at the center of the rope, which would be given to both the teams. A line is marked which is not to be crossed by both the teams and the ribbon has to be exactly over the line just before commencing the game. Once the referee blows the whistle, both the team members begin pulling the rope and the team which crosses the marked line will be the loser. This game needs planning, positive thinking, strength, proper management, and co-operation.

Treasure Hunt
In a treasure hunt, two teams are formed. Participants of both the teams are given an initial clue which will lead them to a certain destination, where they will get their next clue. Both the teams are expected to keep searching for the clues and reach the final destination, where some kind of treasure is hidden. The team which reaches that place first, obviously wins the game and ultimately, the prize for the competition, too. This game requires information interpreting skills, presence of mind, concentration, and understanding. Each participant should be able to reciprocate well with the others.

Indoor Games

Alphabet Game
In this game, children form teams of equal number and start making meaningful words from the alphabets given to them. The team which makes the more number of correct words in the allotted time, wins the competition. This game will help to improve the language skills and the thinking abilities of children.

Solving Riddles and Puzzles
Solving riddles and puzzles which are meant for the children of a particular age group will improve their reasoning, spatial, and mathematical abilities. Many riddles require the participants to do quick calculations to solve them in the given time. This helps them understand the basic concepts in Mathematics and will prove useful when these children appear for competitive exams later on.

Playing Indoor Sports
Indoor sports such as carom, badminton, and table-tennis (mostly doubles), can help develop the concentration levels and reflexes apart from the recreation and entertainment benefits. As concentration and hard work are the essential keys to succeed in any field, these games will prove to be very useful in all aspects of life.

Not only are team games great fun for children, they teach important values as well. You may make a few suggestions so that they get started, but you should give your child the freedom to choose his or her favorite game.

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Brain Development in Early Childhood

Unlike the development of the rest of the body, brain development in the womb is not complete. Our brain is made of a number of cells, called neurons, that process the information it receives. A new-born baby possesses around 1 million neurons. Structurally speaking, the brain development is complete, however, the functional maturity is attained as a child grows up. The transfer of impulses between the cells is crucial for the brain to function in a coordinated way. This transfer of impulses and information within the cells takes place through synapses or ‘wiring’ in the brain. Although we are born with some of the genetic wiring, most of it develops during early childhood. This development is shaped by the environment and experiences of a child in his early years. Hence, the first few years of a child’s life is very crucial as far as his intellectual as well as socio-emotional abilities are concerned.

Brain Development in Young Children

Emotional bonding with parents and child care during early years, guide the formation of connections between the neurons. Then, as a child grows and enters his preschool years, activities in the school help his/her brain to further develop in a coordinated way. These experiences organize and reorganize the connections and neural pathways of the brain. This takes place most rapidly within the first three years of a child’s life. This growth reaches its peak during the first year, when the brain cells go about setting new connections, and terminating those that are not required. This ‘pruning’ of the synapses or connections between various cells, depends on how the baby is handled by its caregivers. The establishment of these connections is evident and reflected in the behavioral features that a child exhibits at various stages of development.

The Development Timeline

  • First 4 Months – The baby starts responding to motor and sensory stimulation. He begins to smile and track objects and people with his eyes. However, he lacks the understanding of the existence of objects that lie outside his range of vision. The brain responds to bright colors and the various sounds of a language.
  • 5 to 6 Months – A child often smiles and recognizes parents and siblings. He responds to language stimulation by responding every time he is spoken to. Babies laugh, gurgle, and imitate sounds. They try to explore the world around them, by stretching out their limbs and putting things in their mouth. They are able to sit when propped, roll over, bounce, and grasp things without using the thumb.
  • 7 to 12 Months – Greater mental development is evident as babies can remember actions and repeat them from memory and find hidden objects. They identify themselves, their body parts, and familiar voices. They produce their own sounds and may also speak their first meaningful words. They can sit alone, stand up, and some even take their first steps.
  • 1 to 2 Years – During this stage, children show greater motor skills as they run and climb stairs. However, they are more careful about unfamiliar objects as compared to the previous stage. They imitate actions of the grown ups, understand stories, and even strike up friendships with other children.
  • 2 to 3 Years – Children attain greater motor skills as they gain coordination in their movements. They develop greater understanding of people who are close to them and dislike being separated from family or friends. Spatial understanding is enhanced as they know where things are supposed to be in their environment.
  • 3 to 6 Years – During this stage, a child has a greater attention span. He talks a lot, and is very curious about his surroundings. He is boisterous, active, and shows keenness to test his physical abilities, although with some caution. He reflects a strong desire to do things that grown ups do, and likes to play with friends.

Role of Caregivers

Be Loving and Responsive
If you think that your baby just eats, sleeps, and occasionally smiles at you, think twice! There is a lot that is continually going on inside your child’s head. The emotional bonding between parents and children is the deciding factor behind the brain development in babies. We already spoke about the connections between neurons being set during early childhood. A child whose emotional needs are met, has healthy connections being set in his brain. As per educator Stephen Santos Rico (M.A), brain development is “use dependent”. So the more it experiences emotions, the more connections related to it will be established. For example, pick up your child when he is crying. This sense of emotional security will develop those connections in brain that will enable him to deal better with crisis in later life.

Converse With Your Child
Your baby may be too young to understand the meanings of your words. But, as he listens to your words, the part of the brain that is associated with speech and language develops faster. In fact, every time your baby hears you speak, cascades of impulses run through his neurons. These connections are strengthened every time the words are repeated. The changes in the intonation of your voice communicates different emotions to the baby. Although the baby may not communicate in a literal sense, his brain is undergoing enough stimulation to ensure that it develops proper language skills and thinking abilities.

Follow Routines
Following routines gives a sense of security to children. This is very important for development of confidence in children that decides their place in the society once they are adults. This also makes you predictable for your child, and children learn to count on you.

Encourage the Child to Explore and Play
However, this must be done while giving the child’s safety utmost priority. Allow your child to explore things on his own. Let him meet new people and play with other children. This promotes better motor, interpersonal, and communication skills in children.

Role of Preschool Activities

Activities like daily morning greetings subject a child to the same words and repeated actions that reinforce the connections associated with speech and expression. When children sit for story time, they get an opportunity to think and express their feelings. For this exercise to be effective, it is important that a teacher has a small group, so that each gets a chance to express themselves. Finger play, free play, and snack time all allow a child the same opportunities for exploration and developing motor skills, that he gets from his parents at home. Although the development continues along the same lines in preschool as it did at home, the activities are a little more complex, which is in consonance of the child’s age in his preschool.

Those parents who are concerned about the intellectual development of their children may feel that this very angle is missing in this article. However, it is very important for such parents to know that by meeting the natural emotional needs of their children, they are aiding healthy brain development that provides the basis for intellectual development in the years to come. Just tend to the way nature has made us. If by the work of nature we are supposed to complete our brain development outside the womb, then nature has itself provided for the feelings of affection and care in us for our babies, that is crucial for the mental development of the child. Respond to your parental instincts. This is the best you can do to ensure adequate brain development in infants and during early childhood.

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Organizational Skills for Kids

Every child is different, which is why every child needs to be brought up in a different way. Some kid may need a pat on the back and some may need a gentle reprimand, but the purpose of the act should not be lost. Some children are more organized than their peers. Nonetheless, organizational skills are present in every child. These skills have to be discovered, developed, and honed to make them successful persons in future. Teach your child to be more organized so that the transition from playful summer vacation to back-to-school routine will come with the perfect ease.

Constantly spoon feeding your child makes him or her handicap for life. It makes them adamant and very dependent on people around them. It is easy to bring about a change in the mindset of a child, but as they grow up to be teenagers and adolescents, it will become more difficult. These skills are meant to help them live a more disciplined life, where they learn to manage their time, pocket money, homework, play hours, and behavior.

Things To Do
Make ‘things to do’ list of household chores, homework, birthday parties to attend, camps, and breaks, so that the kids do not waste their idle hours. Along with organization, your child will quickly assimilate the importance of prioritizing. Give your child a notepad and you too keep a copy of this list so that it is easier for you to keep the follow-up. This will also help your child cope up with learning disabilities, if any.

Organized Homework
Homework and assignments are always hectic dashes and last minute scribbles. Help your child to number the homework and assignments in an order from the longest to the shortest. Doing the longest one first will relieve the tension. This will save time and give you enough time to finish the pending work.

Designation
No work is ever done on a couch, in front of the TV or while eating. Designate a proper place to study. Everything related to studies, such as, stationery, books, and other study material should be kept at the designated study place. Make your child arrange the study table or the room according to his/her convenience. A well done up place, is a huge motivating factor to work well and perform even better.

Time Management
In a highly competitive world, our children too need to optimize their time right from the beginning. Time management implies, fixing time slots for everything. For example, 5:00 pm-7:00 pm is play time, 9:00 pm is bed time and so on. Having defined time slots will also teach your child to abide by the rules and respect regulations.

Bag Pack
Packing the bag for school, is a monotonous job. However, it cannot be escaped. The first mistake that parents make with children is that they pack the next day’s school bag themselves. That’s a strict NO! Let your child learn that it is an equally important task to do and if done on time, it will just take 5 minutes.

Toy Store
Needless to say that every kid loves to play. If the condition of the room after playing is up-side down after the kids are out of the room, teach your child to store the toys properly and in the place that they should be in. Make them respect the toys just as they respect you and others in the family. This will help them value their belongings, take good care of them and cherish them for as long as they can.

Often parents do their child’s homework, projects, and assignments in order to help him or her. In reality, it takes a toll on the child in the most adverse way. The child keeps getting dependent on you for every little thing. Developing critical thinking skills will help your kids become successful and well-informed individuals, who are ready to take-on anything that life has to offer. Take it up as a challenge and surely you will both come out with flying colors.

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Early Childhood Intervention

“Sydney was an 18-month-old baby. He was quite physically active and enjoyed spending time with his parents Rodney and Monica. However, like any average child of his age, he had still not mastered talking. He used to respond to sounds that surrounded him and responded with non-verbal tones. He could not use any words and did not have control over his pitch and tone. This is when Monica doubted her child’s growth. After discussing this with their pediatrician and a psychologist, Sydney was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, which is a type of developmental disorder. The doctors suggested an early childhood intervention to the parents, in order to lessen its impact.”

Need for Such Support and Educational System

The Concept
In case a child shows initial symptoms of any type of developmental disorder, it is best for the parents to contact a psychologist and start an intervention program, not only to help him/her, but the family, as well. Often, in spite of the best intentions, the family of the patient fails to create a conducive environment for the patient’s growth. It is very important to have the most conducive environment for the child. Sheila Wolfendale defined the goals for early childhood treatment as “to provide support to families to support their children’s development, to promote children’s development in key domains such as communication or mobility, to promote children’s coping confidence, and to prevent the emergence of future problems”. Thus, it seems to be the best method of treatment and rehabilitation.

The Program
As a program, it works on accomplishing the aforementioned goals. Most of these programs have residential treatment for the patient and counseling for the families. However, the best ones prefer keeping the child in their regular environment, and treat both, the child and his family. This way, he/she does not feel like there is something out of the ordinary going on, and the family will know how to deal with day-to-day issues, better. This is simply the best way to ensure long-lasting effects of the child development and treatment.

The Result
Early childhood treatment plays on the fact that, when the child is young, the care and treatment will be easier. More so, such a program ensures a normal life for the child, post the treatment. Hence, most of his/her social life can be as normal as possible. As such, the chances of complications in the future are brought down to a considerable extent. This is what that makes this method one of the best, to deal with developmental disorders.

It is true that one has to love his child for what he/she truly is. Nonetheless, it is almost cruel to let the child live incomplete life, caused by a developmental disorder, without trying to do anything about it. So, keep a keen eye on his/her development, and make sure that you contact your doctor in case of any discrepancies.

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Psychosocial Theory of Development

The various stages of psychosocial development were actualized by Erik Erikson (1902 – 1994), in his ‘Psychosocial Theory of Development’, while attempting to understand the development of human beings on the basis of their social interaction. The fabric of human psyche was scrutinized by dissecting psychosocial development into 8 distinct stages. The response of human beings to the stimuli of social interplay was believed to be the basis for personality development, which in turn would govern any further social interaction.

Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory of Development

― The first stage of psychosocial development evolves around the child and the caregiver whose ability to care and bond consistently with the child will help the former develop a sense of trust. The willingness to trust is thus, a function of consistent nurturing, the absence of which results in the child being unable to trust the world which is perceived as changeable.

― An infant who develops into a toddler, tries to assert its independence by gradually estranging itself from the caregiver. A controlling or a restrictive environment, where a child is not allowed to choose, can result in the child developing a low self-esteem. A feeling of inadequacy may also plague the child at a later stage in life. It’s believed that an action as simple as allowing the child to choose a toy may have a great impact on its sense of autonomy at a later date.

― Between the ages of 3 and 6, the desire to lead or take initiative tends to manifest when children are in groups. Again, a controlling or restrictive environment, where children are criticized or overly restricted, may result in them feeling guilty for wanting to assert themselves.

― The next stage, that begins at the age of 6 and lasts till puberty, is one wherein positive reinforcements are a must to make one feel like an achiever; a competent youngster who can reach the zenith of achievement. Encouragement from parents and teachers is a must for the child to feel confident in his/her ability to achieve the desired goals.

― The fifth stage is when one is trying to reinforce one’s sense of identity. Youngsters who find success in exploring their lives, will emerge from this stage with strong convictions and beliefs. A sense of identity is fundamental to one’s existence. If one is unsure of oneself at this stage, the transition from adolescence to adulthood will be fraught with difficulties. Children who have not been nurtured, appreciated, allowed to choose, and assert themselves, may still develop a sense of identity that can help propel the young adolescents toward a better life.

― This adolescent stage leads on to the stage where one starts exploring personal relationships. A young adult who does not have a strong sense of identity will find it increasingly difficult to forge successful relationships. Such people are more likely to suffer from depression as a consequence of isolation and the inability to commit to healthy relationships.

― The young adult then grows into a mature individual with a career and a family. At this stage, every person would like to make some positive contribution to the society. Working towards the well-being of the family and progressing in one’s chosen line of work will make one feel worthwhile. Individuals who are confident about having contributed positively to the society now assume their rightful place as the elders of the community.

― The last stage is one of rumination and contemplation, where one looks back on life and feels satisfied about one’s accomplishments or feels dissatisfied on having wasted one’s life in less worthy pursuits.

It’s evident that every stage gives one an opportunity to evolve into a better person. Although some stages of evolution are constrained on account of the experience being contingent to the willingness and ability of others to let us evolve, there are stages where one can change the course of life by assuming responsibility for one’s actions.

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Erikson’s Psychosocial Stages of Development

Erik Erikson, the famous developmental psychologist and psychoanalyst, developed a theory known as the Psychosocial Stages of Development. In this theory on personality development of humans, Erikson put forward eight stages, that begin when a child is born and end when the person dies at an old age. In every developmental stage, an individual faces some challenge that he/she has to learn to solve to become successful in life. Also, each stage is a key to the next; if a person does not succeed in one of the stages, he/she would have difficulties in the later stages.

According to Erikson, the most important factor in the personality development of an individual is the ego identity. Human beings strive to create an ego identity that helps them to survive in the mortal world. This ego identity is not a constant entity, but changes and evolves, depending on the experiences and incidents in a person’s life. Each psychosocial stage of development teaches an individual to learn certain qualities that remain with him/her for the entire life and regulate his/her future development.

Different Stages of Psychosocial Development

Basic Trust versus Mistrust: When a child is born, he/she has no knowledge of the world. Parents become the basis of their existence, and influence their behavior and development. Through the love and affection that they receive from their parents, children learn to trust them, which also helps in developing the value of hope that gives them the confidence to trust and believe others in the world. However, if children fail to gain love and compassion of parents, they would have problems in trusting others around them. This stage usually lasts till two years of age.

Autonomy versus Shame and Doubt: This is the stage when a child grows from a totally dependent infant to a toddler. During this period, the child learns to move around independently and is toilet trained. With this newly-gained independence, the toddler starts exploring things around him/her and makes choices about the food to eat, clothes to wear, toys to play with, etc. If parents encourage this, the child develops the will to try new things and becomes self-competent. Sometimes, parents are very restrictive and keep check on every movement of the child. This creates a sense of shame and doubt in the mind of the child to try to experiment new things and challenges in life.

Initiative versus Guilt: The third stage of development begins when a child enters three years of age and continues till he/she reaches the age of five. During this period, the child starts attending pre-school and learns new things. He/she begins to interact in a social environment, and starts exploring his/her power and control over peers through play. If encouraged, they develop a sense of purpose to achieve things, which also helps in developing leadership qualities. If a child is discouraged at this stage, he/she would develop a feeling of guilt for taking initiative, which would stop him/her from doing so in the future.

Industry versus Inferiority: This stage lasts from the age of five to thirteen years. During this stage, the child starts attending school and learns a number of skills, like reading, writing, etc., and tries to gain competence in them. He/she becomes a little more independent, and also begins to learn/adopt moral values and recognize the difference between various individuals/cultures. At this stage, the child should be encouraged, not only by the parents, but also by the teachers. The child may sometimes fail in his/her endeavors, and if the care-givers are not supportive, he/she may develop inferiority complex, which would affect his/her growth in the rest of the stages.

Identity versus Role Confusion: This is one of the crucial stages, as it comes during adolescence. During this period, teenagers are in a confused state of mind, since they are expected to behave neither like a child nor as an adult. Besides, he/she also has to cope with the physical changes that are taking place. The adolescent strives to create his/her own identity in relationships, society, career, etc. He/she develops a sense of fidelity and attaches great importance to relationships, especially with friends. The adolescent also develops his/her sexual identity and learns about gender roles. Parents have to be very careful in handling the behavior and emotions of an adolescent, so that they emerge as confident adults ready to take on the responsibilities of life.

Intimacy versus Isolation: People in the age group of 20-40 years fall into this stage. By the time a person reaches adulthood, he/she achieves a sense of identity and is ready to share it with others by forming intimate relationships based on love and commitment. People who are fearful of intimacy and commitment become isolated and depressed individuals.

Generativity versus Stagnation: This stage depends on the success rate of the other stages. Here, the person is in middle adulthood, ranging from 40 to 60 years. By this time, the person’s career is already set, and he/she also has a family and children. It is a period where a person learns to care about others and give back to the society what he/she has received from it. Individuals who are not able to achieve all this are said to develop a sense of stagnation and meaninglessness in their lives.

Ego Integrity versus Despair: In this last stage of psychosocial development, an individual’s ego identity is fully formed. When a person reaches this stage, he/she begins to look back at his/her life and analyze his/her accomplishments and failures. If the person has achieved success in all the stages of development, he/she develops a sense of integrity and wisdom, which is gathered through the past stages. However, if an individual has failed in all those stages, he/she develops a sense of despair towards his/her whole existence.

Erikson’s theory suggests that the behavioral and psychological problems people face in their lives can be linked to the different stages of development. This theory is a boon for psychologists to understand and help people who are facing certain troubles in their lives.

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Learning Styles for Children

We all know that children cannot learn at once, so teachers need to make study interesting in a way that the children will find playing and learning are the same. Learning styles or tests are different ways of learning methods, where all preferable approaches are used to make the learning more effective and children-friendly. Many teachers apply methods like using pictures and stories to get the children’s attention towards learning.

A child’s mind is “tabula rasa” that can receive everything the way you convey to her or him. Some of the children will not get new concepts easily; on the other hand, few learn them quickly without any repetition. So rules vary as per the students. Students may face problems in listening, speaking, reading, and writing (LSRW) skills. These are the prior skills of learning, lack of any of these skills can make the students lagging behind others. Please remember, your teaching should include all possible types of methods that provides a stimulus to the brain without burdening them.

Learning Styles

Storytelling: Teachers can teach through storytelling method by putting imaginary characters to real life, they can also use ideals from the history if they’re teaching politics, history, and government. Even you can name the characters of the story with the names of your students. This will surely prove positive, as using one’s name in the story will create more interest, students will easily relate to them.

Diagnostic Test: In diagnostic test, the teacher knows about students’ linguistic, phonological knowledge as well as grammar by either taking a test or giving them a paragraph to read loudly in the class. Like in medicine, doctors report symptoms of patient to make a diagnosis, here teacher analyzes weak points of their students. Teachers can also use drill methods like repetition, mugging up in the class, etc.

Remedial Teaching: One can go through remedial teaching after completing diagnostic test. Here major defects of learning are detected and given an extra stroke of instruction between regular teachings. Students’ rare and ignored mistakes are noticed and given them a polished look. e.g. the use of articles can be a part of remedial teaching if the students wrote words like – a sun (the sun), an university (a university), the John (John) etc. that are incorrect. Therefore, ‘How to use articles’ can be added in your remedial teaching.

Teaching Through Playing: Playing is a part of tactile learning process, as play becomes one of the mediums of learning, thus this style creates a social inclusive environment for learners. We have manipulative, block, sand, and water plays to teach them develop their creativity. Role-playing is one of the methods of psychotherapy that generates live acting, establishment of situation, development of characters and their nature etc. It gives lots of fun as well as learning.

Three Learning Activities

For Auditory Learner: Debate, tape-recording, oral-representation, puppet show, panel discussion, and reciting songs or poems.

For Visual Learner: Use of chart, map or diagram, reading and writing of books, video aids in forms of CDs and DVDs, photography, movies, video camera, etc.

For Tactile/Kinesthetic Learner: Modern learning needs more than traditional way of passive learning. Tactile activities are demonstrations, dance, different body games like rocking, field trip, modeling, musical performance, etc. One can also learn through latest Internet and Online programs, tutorials, and demonstrations.

It is essential that both parents and teachers should interact on the issues likes how to deal with peer pressure, bullying, teacher’s criticism, punishments, etc. Parents being the first teachers need to aware about their child’s physical and mental state. Some parents prefer homeschooling or sometimes make availability of new techniques like playpen may spoil their adaptive nature early in the childhood. Therefore, real learning should be natural, easy, and interesting that lasts forever in the minds of children.

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