The Areas of Development Crucial To The Establishment Of The Child’s Identity

Child development and education are perhaps the most critical phases in one’s life. These stages span the human life from birth up to the end of adolescence. What a child experiences during these years would shape practically his entire identity and determine what his adulthood would be like.

During the early part of these years, a child will first begin to make sense of the world, and determine how he sees himself, how he sees other people, what he thinks the proper way for him to behave should be, and how he expects other people to treat him. These years are characterized primarily by the child’s innocence.

The years that would follow involve experiencing changes in the body, being exposed to the principles of right and wrong, establishing personal values and ethics, discovering talents, building self-esteem, developing self-awareness, forming new friendships, beginning to take notice of the members of the opposite sex, going through periods of insecurity, being confused for a lot of things, starting to assume independence, going through fights between parents, develop decision-making and critical thinking skills, and ideally, a shift from childhood to maturity just before entering adulthood. These are the things that generally will take place during the stages of child development and education.

Speaking of development, the following are the six different areas of development in every child:

1.) Physical development. This involves the development of cognitive abilities and motor skills as the child starts to explore his surroundings.
2.) Intellectual development. This involves making sense of the world and developing his personal perception of the things around him.
3.) Social development. This concentrates on forming of the child’s identity and his ability to establish relationships and attachments that can last, deal with other people, and understand what his place in particular community is.
4.) Creative development. This involves the discovery and improvement of skills and talents.
5.) Emotional development. This involves developing self-confidence, being aware of one’s self, developing insecurities, understanding emotions, and the ability to cope with them.
6.) Spiritual development. This involves the development of faith, prayer and the belief that all things are beyond his control. This developmental domain provides a source of hope and motivation for a child when all else fails.

Child development and education center on the child, but call for the guidance, presence and involvement of the parents and other people.