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My research question for this Signature Project at Arizona State University is “What is the effect of play on physical, cognitive, and psycho-social development on the early childhood stage children?” I will be researching the early childhood group, aged between 3 and 8 years old. I will be highlighting my findings on the psychosocial developmental domain this week. First, we will look at the developmental milestones of a "typical" child between the ages of 3 and 8 years old (early childhood age).
“This area of development (Psychosocial) involves learning to interact with other people, and to understand and control your own emotions. Babies start to develop relationships with the people around them right from birth, but the process of learning to communicate, share, and interact with others takes many years to develop. Developing the ability to control your emotions and behavior is also a long process (Social, n.d.).”
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Major Cognitive Developmental Milestones
for Early Childhood Age Children, Aged 3 to 8 Years Old
(By Age) |
A "Typical" 4 Year Old
(My Daughter)
Psychosocial Milestone:
Enjoy imaginative play with other children, such as dress up or house
Psychosocial Milestone:
Continue to develop their social skills by playing with other children in a variety of situations
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Between
3 and 4
years old:
(Social, n.d.)
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- Share toys, taking turns with help
- Initiate or join in play with other children and make up games
- Follow simple rules in games, but will always want to win
- Begin dramatic play, acting out whole scenes such as travelling or pretending to be animals
- Might be bossy and defiant
- Show more independence
- Experience a broad range of emotions (ie: jealousy, excitement, fear, happiness, anger)
- Become less egocentric
- Be more even-tempered and cooperative with parents
- May show attachment to one friend
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Between
4 and 5
years old:
(Social, n.d.) |
- Show some awareness of moral reasoning, such as “fairness”, and good or bad behavior
- Develop friendships
- Express more awareness of other people’s feelings
- Enjoy imaginative play with other children, such as dress up or house
- Get better at sharing and taking turns with other children
- Enjoy playing games, but might change the rules as they go
- Stick with a difficult task for longer period (controlling frustration or anger better)
- Show an understanding of right and wrong
- Listen while others are speaking
- Play games with simple rules
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Between
5 and 7
years old:
(Social, n.d.) |
- Measure their performance against others
- Feel more comfortable spending time at other places without you, such as a relative’s or friends’ house
- Continue to develop their social skills by playing with other children in a variety of situations
- Be able to communicate with others without your help
- Possibly want to be around the parents more at age 5 than at age 4. By age 8, they will probably prefer being around their peers.
- Start to feel sensitive about how other children feel about him them
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A "Typical" 4 Year Old
(My Daughter)
Psychosocial Milestone:
Share toys, taking turns with help
Psychosocial Milestone:
Get better at sharing and taking turns with other children
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My research question explores the cognitive milestones that are typically experienced between 3 and 8 years old, identifies the risks of not meeting those milestones, and the protective factors that support healthy development in the early childhood years. |
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Psychosocial Milestone:
Follow simple rules in games, but will always want to win
Psychosocial Milestone:
Pretending to be animals
(In her case a dinosaur)
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There are always RISKS factors that can derail healthy cognitive development for any child. As parents and teachers, it is our job to help them avoid these risks at all costs. A few examples of risks are:
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Trauma, Abuse,
Neglect and Brain Development: |
“A child’s capacity to control emotions is related to the interactions between his or her biological system and early experiences and attachments. Evidence also suggests that high levels of stress in the earliest years undermine brain development. Thus, children deprived of early warm and nurturing relationships may experience life-long adverse consequences such as impaired school performance and inability to modulate emotions (Risk, 2004).” Typically, these risk factors are experienced over a long period of time and follow a pattern. |
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Depression,
Substance Abuse
in the Family: |
“Parents coping with depression are especially vulnerable to difficulties in establishing warm and nurturing relationships with their children. Depression has been associated with punitive parenting, as well as with anxiety and aggression in children. Parents suffering from other mental illnesses or substance abuse, or parents who themselves have not experienced nurturing parenting may also be at risk of developing poor relationship patterns with their children (Risk, 2004).” This category of risk factors is not eclusive to just family members, but people in the orbit of family memvers as well. |
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| Poverty: |
“Poverty itself, and the chronic and episodic crises associated with it, may affect parenting, as do community risks such as neighborhoods with high crime rates. With early onset conduct disorder, dysfunction starts early and lasts long, with related delinquency and emotional and behavioral problems reaching into adulthood (Risk, n.d.).” Like trauma, neglect and substance abuse, these risk factors are experienced over a long period of time and follow a pattern. |
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There are always PROTECTIVE factors that can SUPPORT healthy cognitive development for any child in spite of the many risks present in everyday life. As parents and teachers, it is our job to promote them to ensure proper, healthy development all costs. A few examples of protective factors are:
- Environment:: Warm, caring, nurturing, contextually and experientially rich, stimulating environment that provides opportunity for sensory experience and promotes attachment to caregiver and provides stability, security, and structure; low distress (Risk, 2004)
- Personal characteristics of child: Low emotionality; active, alert, high vigor, drive sociability; easy, engaging temperament (affectionate; cuddly); self-help skills; above average intelligence (language and problem-solving skills) play a huge part in protective factors of a child; the way they handle themselves in high risk situations shows continued cognitive development (Risk, 2004).
- Supportive "microsystem":: Bronfrenbrenner's microsystem contains family, friends, teachers, and people around the community that they interact with daily. Parental competence/education, supportive grandparents/supportive siblings, family size and level of harmony are all protective measures as well (Risk, 2004).
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| Problem Statement |
Children between the ages of 3 and 8 years old derive substantial developmental benefit through play but must avoid common risk factors associated with cognitive development (trauma/abuse/neglect, family mental health issues and poverty among other things) so that their proper development is not hindered. |
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| “Play is essential to development because it contributes to the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of children and youth (Ginsburg, 2007).” As parents, you can PROMOTE positive developmental outcomes in the psychosocial domain in many ways, including but not limited to: |
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- Turn-taking games for young children.
- The name game for toddlers. ...
- Preschool games that reward attention and self-control.
- Music-making and rhythm games for young children.
- Group games of dramatic, pretend play.
- Emotion charades" for young children.
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| Actionable items that families can do to psychsocial development: |
Play Outside with other children. Outdoor playtime has been shown as a particularly effective way to psychosocial skills in kids. Other ways to promote social development in children are (Promoting, n.d.) : - Love your child and show your affection for them. Hug, cuddle, read, and talk with them throughout the day.
- Encourage your child to try new things. Help them see what they are capable of. Let your child know you are pleased with their accomplishments.
- Give your child opportunities to play with other children their age. Help them explore their world and get to know the people in it. Model kind and generous behaviors when interacting with other adults and children.
- Show your feelings. Let your child see when you are happy or sad. This helps them to develop empathy for others.
- Establish daily routines. Your child will feel confident and secure. They will learn that events can happen in an organized way. Create routines that are predictable but flexible.
- Acknowledge your child’s feelings. Help them talk about what they feel and how they are feeling. Comfort your child when they are upset. Hold them and speak softly and calmly
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The ideas are beneficial to whoever reads them because it brings attention to a few of the most important factors in the proper psychosociall development in children between the ages of 3 and 8 years of age and offers simple solutions to some of the problems offered by these factors.
Thank you for your time. |
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