Children's social and emotional development from the age of 4. Factors that can affect learning.

Sofia shafi

Unit 2

D1 –

Most children at the age of four are at the expected stage of social development as they are now becoming more loving and caring towards their family and friends. Children also at this stage begin to play more with other children and are most likely to play pretend activities and games. For example if children are in the home corner, they will play with the pretend fruit items, cooking equipment and other items. This helps the children develop their social skills, as they are communicating and take up roles and feel a sense of responsibility. At this stage, the children will show concerns for other children if they see them upset or distressed and begin to make closer relationships and stronger friendships. For example if a child notices another child crying or being upset then that child will be able to comfort the other child and support them. Also at this stage children are feeling a lot more confident during these ages and stages.

P, Tassoni (2007) Page 43 states, this is a more settled year for children. They show social skills such as taking turns, sharing and concern for others. Emotionally, children still need reassurance from their immediate carers but are more independent and may play by themselves for longer periods. Children’s strong emotions are still felt and quarrels and temper tantrums occur at times.

D2 –

The expected stage of social development of children aged 5 are that children will be more confident in these ages and stages. A child at the age of 5 will be able to follow the social theory; this means that they will start to imitate adults and other children’s behaviour and actions. Children will become more independent and will increase their close relationships more with family and friends and will also make stronger relationships. Children are also able to dress and undress alone but they may have difficulty with their shoelaces. They also enjoy caring for pets, for example if they have a pet at home they will care for it, want to take it out for walks and would want to feed it their self. Children at the age of 5 are also able to amuse themselves for longer periods of time, for example looking at a book or watching a video. The children show sympathy and comfort to friends who are hurt, for example the child may go up to their friend and ask if they are ok or inform the teacher that that child is upset or sad.

D3 –

One suitable method of observing and recording social development of children aged 5 is by a written record observation. At my placement the class teacher was observing a child. She ensured that she was close by to the child to enable to see what the child was exactly doing and saying. When observing a child it is important that the observer has a pen and paper ready before the observation and needs to write in the present tense. It is also important that the observer ensures that they write exactly what they see as they see it happening.

The observer should write as much as they can see and hear in the observation period and focus on the aim of the observation. It should be clear what the observer is saying for example, the observer should write the details of the observation in a clear manner so that they provide a portrait of what the child is doing. The observer should write in a written commentary, this means when the child says something the observer will write it down with exact words used.

Child observation and Assessment 3rd edition by Christine Hobart and Jill Frankel explains the commonest type of observation technique is a written record. This type of observation may be used to record a naturally occurring event (free description), or a structured recording, where a specific task is set, appropriate to the age and stage of development of the child. It is a description of an event unfolding in front of you, written in the present tense so that the reader can appreciate what is happening more easily.

D4 –

One disadvantage of using the written record observation technique is that this type of method can only be used to record for a very short period of time. Also it can be difficult for the observer to record everything that is happening as they need to write everything as quickly as possible but also clearly. Another disadvantage of using a written record observation technique is that the notes that are being taken will need to be written up in a quick way afterwards and this may lead to the details being forgotten. One advantage associated with the written record observation technique is that only a pen and paper are needed. This is a good way of observing children because the information collected is very detailed and thorough, also the observer may be able to observe and record something at short notice.

Another advantage of a written record observation is that no formal planning is needed and it can be carried out when convenient.

D5 –

A child’s social development may be affected by transitions in their life such as their diet. This effects their social development as the child’s health will be poor and will not be as active and communicating with other children as much. Also if children do not have money to socialise and go out with their friends then this will also effect their social development and they will miss out on these opportunities. Bullying can also effect a child’s social development as they would not want to communicate with anyone as their confidence would be low and if the bullying has been going on for a long period of time then it will take the child longer to fully recover. Moving house also effects the child’s development as they may have to change schools and this may be worrying for the child as they will not know anyone their and may be worried about making new friends and settling in.

D6 –

Snack and meal times can support social development as the children are in groups with other children and not just sitting with their friends all the time. This helps the child to communicate with children that they may not normally talk to. Snack and meal times also support a child’s social development as children learn to share and take turns instead of snatching and pushing in front of each other, for example if children wanted water at the same time they would understand that they would have to raise their hand ...

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D6 –

Another way snack and meal times support a child’s social development is the children learn how to co – operate, for example when the children are told to sit and for meal time they are aware that they will have to wait until their meals are given to them instead of shouting out or no co – operating when the teacher is talking.

Children learn how to share such as passing the snacks around after they have taken their snack; this helps their social development as the children gain an understanding of co – operating with each other and gain communication skills.

D7 –

The term inclusive means that settings should make every effort to help meet and suit every single child’s individual needs. Children do not develop at the same ages and stages, some children may be fast learners while other children may be slow learners. Some children have disabilities effecting their development. For example, at my placement there is a boy who has ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). This child has problems controlling his temper and also has slight speech impairment; he is away from most class activities and work as he may become annoyed or frustrated quickly. This effects the child’s development as he will not be socialising with other children as often and will not be learning with the class due to his behaviour and sudden outbursts. CCEWs can include all children and their diverse needs by adapting activities so that children can join in and feel included. For example as the child can get angry easily the class teacher could set the child targets throughout the activity. If the child behaves and co-operates he can earn a tick on his behaviour and mood sheet and sit on a chair during carpet time, this motivates the child to behave and feel positive.

All children should be treated the same and not as individuals with individual needs. All children and their parents are different; this is because not everybody comes from the same background. For example some children may come from a single parent family; some may be adopted or come from a care home. Some children may come from a lower class background and may need support. It is important that the setting makes every effort to support the child and their families and makes them feel included. Settings should ensure to avoid making assumptions about children and their families and understand that children and their families may have a range of needs. At my setting the children were listening to the class teacher read the book “The big turnip”. My task was to take one of the children into a quiet area, observe and read the book with her as she knew little English and needed to understand the story in order to do her work. This would help me identify what the child was struggling with and what she was confident with.

By doing this task the child feels more confident as while she was reading she was pleased when she was given praise when reading correctly. She showed great enthusiasm, this helped the child feel more included as she could now go back to the carpet and be more aware of what is happening in the story and feel confident enough to put her hand up and answer questions instead of feeling left out.

D8 –

Books:

P, Tassoni Childcare and education (2007) Heinemann

Child observation and Assessment 3rd edition (2004) Nelson Thornes Ltd

P, Tassoni BTEC National Early Years 2nd edition (2006) Heinemann

Setting the scene for positive behaviour in a early years setting (2006) Routledge

Internet:

Date accessed 20/05/2011

Date accessed 15/05/2011

Date accessed 20/05/2011

Date accessed 28/04/2011

Date accessed 10/05/2011

Date accessed 25/05/2011

Date accessed 9/6/2011

C1 –

There are many transitions that can affect the development of children. One of these transitions is being abused. If a child is being abused their confidence and self- esteem may be low and their communication with others may be very little. This affects the child’s development as their communication with others won’t be much and their social development will be affected as they may not want to play with other children due to bruising or pain. Being abused has profound immediate and long-terms effects on a child’s development. According to this website

“physical abuse can have long-term effects on a child’s development. It can cause brain damage, disability or may lead to children developing emotional, behavorial or educational problems.” Another transition that affects a child is changing schools. Changing school is a transition that is upsetting for children because they do not have a choice as it is not their decision to move. Parents may notice that their child was popular in the first setting but now the child seems distressed, this is because their confidence may be low and they feel upset as they are surrounded by new people and do not have friends to hang around with.

A child being adopted can effect their development. The child may feel neglected and not wanted as well as their self-esteem being low. Adopted children may wonder what their birth parents look like and have many questions such as medical history and why they were adopted. Adopted children, and even as adults often wonder why they were placed into adoption and whether something was wrong with them when they were born.

According to this website it explains that Adopted children often want to learn more about their biological family members, such as who they are, why they left them for adoption and what has become of their parents, siblings, uncles, aunts, grandparents and cousins. They wonder if they resemble their birth parents physically and where they belong in terms of their culture, education and social class; what they would have experienced if they had lived with their biological family.

B1 -

Practitioners can support children through transitions in many ways. When a child is moving schools the practioner can support the child by using the buddy system. The new class teacher could select a child to help the new child settle into the setting and to play with them so they feel included and not lonely. The class teacher could also introduce the child when playing new activities and explain to the class that the child needs to be told how to play certain games. This can support the child as the other children will be communicating with them and this can lead to the child making friends. Also making the child feel as if they belong is also important when supporting children through transitions. One way to do this would be to labeling their coat pegs and draws so they know that some space in the setting is especially for them and given them special tasks such as tidy the book corner or collecting pencils make them feel important. Another way a practioner can support a child through transitions is arranging a trip for the child to go to their new school. This may help the child feel less anxious and more relaxed about going there for the first time on their first day. Also practioners can arrange for the child to research their new school on the internet, this shows the child how their new school looks and may help the child to be more curious about their new school and comfortable about moving.

When a child’s mum is expecting a new baby the teacher can support, reassure and comfort the child through this transition by relating what the child is going through now to her own experiences of when she was a child. For example, the CCEW can talk to the child about how it was good for her when her brother and sister can along because she had another person to play with and talk to. The CCEW can also support the child through this change by asking the child to write down their worries in terms of what their family life will be like once their new baby brother or sister arrives. By doing these things the practioner is supporting the child through the transition of the arrival of the new baby because they are giving the child reassurance by relating their own childhood experiences to what the child is going through now. Teachers TV explains that the transition from primary to secondary school is important in the lives of children and their families, yet research has shown that transitions can be stressful for children, that continuity of curriculum between primary and secondary school may suffer during transition and that some vulnerable children need intervention prior to transition. Most of the children in the study had a positive transition experience, but a noticeable minority did not. This research shows that many children do suffer from transitions such as moving schools but teachers are supporting children to the best of their ability when they’re experiencing such a transition by doing surveys with children’s families about the views on transition and exploring the parameters.

B2 –

Observations help to support the development of children by allowing teachers and practitioners to meet and plan according to the individual milestones of children. They can also allow practioners to find out a child’s strengths and weaknesses in terms to their learning. Observations can identify individual needs, CCEWs can pick up on whether children have any potential needs and if they do come across a special need the teachers can then plan activities according to the child’s needs. Observing children helps with planning because the teacher can identify what the child is capable of doing and what the child struggles with. When these are identified practitioners can then apply them to their planning. According to this website “According to Bank Street College’s Centre for Universal Pre-Kindergarten, children have many ways of expressing themselves, and professionals can begin to understand what they are experiencing and the meaning they bring to their experiences by observing them, listening to them, and ultimately recording these observations. These observations help the teacher and other staff to create a more responsive program for each child and for the classroom community.”

By doing observations practioners can see how the child is developing. For example, if a practitioner is doing an observation and notices something is wrong with the child such as they may not like focusing on something for a certain amount of time or notices that the child often seems to play by themselves then the practioner can help and support the so that the child’s development can be improved. If a practitioner

does not observe children then they wouldn’t be able to plan according to their needs, this would mean that the child’s needs are not being met. According to the Bromley Childminding Association

Practitioner’s observations of children help them to assess the progress which children are making. Observations help practitioners to decide where children are in their learning and development and to plan what to do. This is an essential part of daily practice in any setting, regardless of the age of the baby or child. Looking, listening and noting are important because it helps you to get to know a child better and develop positive relationships with children and their parents.

P, Tassoni (2007) Childcare and Education, Heinemann states that one of the key ways in which early years practitioners use observations and assessment is for planning. If you understand the stage of development of a child and can work out any particular needs that they have, you should be able to plan more effectively for them.

Observing can help to keep track of a child's emotional, social, cognitive, and

Physical development over time, identify concerns you may have about a child and give specific examples of behaviour to share with parents, colleagues, and specialists.

A1)

It is important for practioners to understand the pattern of development of children from birth as children will not stay in the same pattern as they will change as they are growing. For example, children can go through different experiences in their lives, their development might change which is important for practioners to notice and understand. If practioners don’t understand what ages and stages children go through they will not be able to identify whether the children are meeting their milestones. If practioners did not understand children’s milestones this would affect the practioner as they would not be able to understand and recognise whether the children have or have not met their milestones. It is also important that practioners understand the development of children so that if a child needs support because they are upset the practioner will know how to reassure the child and support them. If practioners did not understand about the ages and stages that children go through they will not be able to meet the children’s needs. It is important that practioners understand the pattern of development as it prevents unnecessary intervention. For example, a practioner could be concerned as they noticed a toddler holding a crayon with his fist. If the practitioner was not aware of proper development, they may not be aware that it is appropriate at that age, be concerned, or try to get the toddler to hold the pencil the way an older child is able to.

According to this website it explains if you expect a two year old never to lie, but two year olds don't understand the difference between reality and lies sometimes, you will be disappointed and have unnecessary problems. If you know what is going on with a child's development, you can scaffold them, providing a good environment for this development to progress in.

When planning activities for children it is important to understand their stage of development and how they learn. Assessing their progress is essential if they were offered activities that will challenge them. Therefore the way a child is assessed provides appropriate learning opportunities.

Before assessing the child’s learning needs, the practioner should consider that children are individuals and that children that are the same age vary in their development. If practitioners don’t understand children’s development, they might have low expectations of the children and what they are capable of. This is not good because it will not help the children to be stretched to the best of their ability. At my placement myself and my class teacher noticed a boy aged 9 miss spelling words such as why, don’t and time. This is because the child would often write his letters the wrong way round.

Due to understanding and gaining knowledge about children’s milestones, my teacher and I were able to identify that the child could potentially be dyslexic because by the age of 9 a child should be able to spell basic words correctly. By observing the child the class teacher was able to notice that the child wasn’t meeting his milestones correctly. Without the teachers knowledge of children’s development and the ages and stages they go through we would not have been able to notice the fact that the child may be dyslexic. We would also not have been able to meet the child’s needs as we would have been giving the child work that he was unable to do and would continue struggling.

A* -

Everyday routines are important in early year’s group settings as they set out a guideline as to what the child needs to achieve and helps provide a secure base for children’s development and learning. At a nursery setting if the children have set routines it can help them to settle as the children know what they will be doing and will be used to their routine. Children thrive on routine, when a routine is in place, and a child knows what to expect during the day, they are more at ease, relaxed, and therefore able to learn. The following website states that children need and crave routines. Routine helps establish security and peace in a child’s life. A bedtime routine will establish good sleeping patterns. A dinnertime routine establishes the importance of family interaction, homework schedules will help your child get their homework done on time and with little fuss. Routines are an ideal way to keep your family and children calm, secure and at ease with life’s variables. If children did not have routines they would feel scared, worried and anxious as they wouldn’t know what they are doing and when they are doing it. According to the book, Setting the scene for positive behaviour in the early years (2006) daily routines such as greetings and goodbyes, picking up toys, tidying up and mealtimes can be taught and reinforced through songs. This can make a less popular activity such as tidying up much more fun, with less chance of unwanted behaviour. In some early years settings, the popular children’s action song “this is the way we (e.g. tidy up, put away blocks)” has been used to make tidying up into on of the children’s favourite activity. This can motivate a child more into tidying up and put them in a secure routine so they know it is tidying up time now.

When reflecting on the importance of routines for children, some children might feel scared if they do not know what they will be doing when they go to nursery. This is because there is no structure, the child may feel scared while they are at school, whereas if there is a routine or timetable they may feel happy and reassured to do the activity and socialize with others more. P, Tassoni (2007) states a routine provides a predictable pattern to a session or day. The body tends to like routines, for example you probably get hungry at certain times of the day and tired at others. Routines for children are particularly important as they help children to feel secure. They also prevent children from becoming over tired, hungry or bored. The most important thing is routines help a child build confidence in themselves. When a child has a routine established and knows what is expected out of them and how long they have to get the job done it will help them to manage their time and behaviour. An example of a routine is the bed-time routine. The most important thing is routines help a child build confidence in themselves. When a child has a routine established and knows what is expected out of them and how long they have to get the job done it will help them to manage their time and behaviour. P, Tassoni BTEC National Early Years (2006) states every day routines should ensure that every child is treated as an individual and all individual needs are met. Allow children who require it more time to complete activities or care routines and give appropriate praise and reward.

Children's social and emotional development from the age of 4. Factors that can affect learning.

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