Believe that W is at the 'norm' for his age group in the area of cognitive development. He can say many words which I witnessed during and after my observation. Two of the milestones I did not see in my observation

GCSE Health and Social Care

E2- ‘Physical development is the process by which the children gain control of their movements.

Physical development is important for children’s overall development for 3 key reasons:

It allows new learning to take place
It allows further development to take place
It affects children’s confidence and self- esteem

Physical development can be grouped in to several areas. These areas are:

Fine Motor – Fine manipulative and Fine Motor Skills
Gross Motor – Gross Motor skills and Locomotive skills
Co-ordination- Hand-eye co-ordination, Foot-eye co-ordination, and

balance

According to child development experts, a child aged 3 years old should be able to do the following:

Jump with both feet together
Can hold a ‘fat’ crayon and scribble
Able to run and play chase
Able to climb
Will be starting potty training
Can feed themselves

(www.mamashealth.com 10-2-06)

Can turn pages of a book one by one
Uses a spoon without spilling
Walks and runs forward

(P. Tassoni,2002, page 168)

I believe that W is at the ‘norm’ for his age group in the area of physical development. He has started potty training and is capable of each of the above milestones as seen in my observation. I did not see W ‘hold a fat crayon and scribble’ although this does not men that he is not capable of doing so. He is very competent in the area of physical development as you can see in my observation of physical development.

Cognitive development is about the way our thought processes develop. It is about the ways in which we organise our thinking and come to an understanding of our environment.

There are many theories about how children learn, but they follow three essential strands:

Behaviourist theories
Social Learning theories
Constructivist theories

It is useful and necessary for early learning practitioners to understand how children learn so they can use different strategies when working with children.

According to child development experts, a child aged 3 years should be able to do the following:

Can identify difference between big and small, soft and hard
Can say up to fifty words
Can make small sentences
Will be able to say up to five different body parts
Can tell you their name
Can tell you the names of some colours when asked

(www.mamashealth.com 10-2-06)

Completes a 3 piece puzzle
Matches 3 colours
Copies a circle
Stacks beakers in order

(P. Tassoni, 2002, page 201)

I believe that W is at the ‘norm’ for his age group in the area of cognitive development. He can say many words which I witnessed during and after my observation. Two of the milestones I did not see in my observation, ‘ copies a circle’ and ‘ stacks beakers in order’, although this does not mean that he is not capable of doing so. He is very competent in the area of cognitive development as you can see in my observation of cognitive development.

Social development is the interaction a child has between adults and other children. Social development is a gradual process where most children will learn to socialise well and are able to understand the needs of others and act in an acceptable way. Social and emotional development are closely linked.

According to child development experts, a child aged three years should be able to do the following:

Be aware of gender but still play with both boys and girls
Share toys and take turns. During the first half of the year however, you will probably need to prompt them in to this type of teamwork
Able to sometimes work out a solution when they fall out with playmates
Far less selfish than they were in the previous year
Beginning to react more directly with their peers

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According to child development experts, a child aged three years should be able to do the following:

Be aware of gender but still play with both boys and girls
Share toys and take turns. During the first half of the year however, you will probably need to prompt them in to this type of teamwork
Able to sometimes work out a solution when they fall out with playmates
Far less selfish than they were in the previous year
Beginning to react more directly with their peers

( www. ivillage. Co.uk 10-2-06)

Be affectionate towards family, friends and carers
Be happy to leave their primary carers and socialise with other adults and children
Be developing their first real friendships, with children seeking out particular friends
Have strong sense of identity, including their gender and age
Play by themselves, away from primary carers for a longer period of time
Shows concerns for others
Have less temper tantrums and quarrels although these occur at times

( P. Tassoni, 2002, page 236)

I believe that W is at the ‘norm’ for his age group in the area of social development. W played with children of both sexes during my observation. W is still quite possessive as you can see in my observation of cognitive development, meaning that as yet he does not know how to share although this is normal as encouragement is usually needed during the first 6 months. W is very competent of the developmental milestones for social development and shows no cause for concern.

E3- In Physical development, W is capable of all of the milestones that are set for children of 3 years of age. So to promote this area of development, we could look at the physical development milestones for a child of 4 years of age and encourage him to do activities which encourage these.

According to the child development experts, by the age of 4 years, a child should be able to do the following:

Child will be able to run, jump and climb.
Child will be able to hold smaller crayons and utensils with more ease.
Child will be able to stand on his or her tip-toes.
Children are generally fully by four years of age.

(www.mamashealth.com)

Buttons and unbuttons own clothing
Cuts out simple shapes
Draws a person with head trunk and legs
Puts together a 12 piece puzzle

( P. Tassoni, 2002, page 168)

Hopefully by doing activities which promote these milestones will encourage W to become competent in the next milestones he will be completing. Even though W can already run and jump well, activities during a P. E lesson could progress them further.

In the area of cognitive development, W is very able so in this area also I believe that it would be beneficial to him to do activities which promote the next set of milestones. These milestones are for a child aged 4years old.

According to the child development experts, a child aged 4 years old should be able to do the following:

Count ten objects with support
Names three shapes
Knows primary colours
Is able to repeat a simple story
Points to long and short objects

( P. Tassoni, 2002, page 201)

Child will start drawing shapes and letters with encouragement.
Child may draw family members on paper.
Child will speak in sentences and know how to use plurals

(www.mamashealth.com 10-2-06 )

Hopefully by doing activities to promote and encourage the next set of developmental milestones W will be competent for his age group and progressing well for the next group. Even though W already knows the names of some colours, he may be able to learn the primary colours during a colouring activity.

In Social Development, W is very capable although in some areas I do not think that he is ready to move up to the next set of milestones. He is still quite possessive which is normal for his age as he has only just turned 3 years of age. I think that W may need encouragement to promote this as it will help him progress. If we did sharing activities with W it may be beneficial to him.

E4- The setting could provide several activities for W to do. He could do activities to promote the areas of development that he either needs to develop or is progressing in.

The following activities could be done for the children:

Physical Development- During a P. E lesson, the setting could provide benches for the children to jump off and provide the space and encouragement for the children to have races. These activities would promote running and jumping. The setting could also provide the children with an arts and crafts activity, where the children could use items such as play-dough which they could cut with scissors and shape cutters. During the time W has to play in the toy room, jigsaws could be set out with 12 pieces as well as three which he is used to doing.

Cognitive development – During drawing time, the setting could provide the children with colours and fat pencils and also a drawing to copy if they needed it. During this activity, the children would need to know the names of the colours as they have to colour certain items certain colours. Also during video time, the children watch programmes such as ‘counting with Postman Pat’ in which they count along with him.

Social Development – During the time that the children get to play in the Toy room, the setting could provide a range of activities which would encourage the children to share. They could provide toys such as lego, and small balls. The setting could also provide for this area of development during a play-dough session. If the setting only provided a certain amount of equipment such as shape cutters and scissors then the children would have to share although an adult would need to be close by to prevent quarrelling.

E5- The childcare and education worker plays an important role in promoting and supporting a child’s developmental needs. The childcare worker needs to get to know the child. By finding out what a child likes and dislikes is a start as then they can provide activities which they know that the child will enjoy. The childcare worker should try to create a positive environment for the children and can do this in several ways. The childcare worker should provide the children with appropriate resources that are safe to use and have a suitable amount so that no child has to go without. The childcare worker should support the children during activities although if they can see the child is progressing well then they should sit back and observe rather than do everything for the child. It is important that the childcare worker does observations and records a child’s development as it means that parents will be able to know how their child is developing and they will be able to see any developmental issues which show cause for concern.

E6- There are several factors which can affect a child’s behaviour. It depends on which developmental stage that they are reaching at the moment. The Physical factors which can affect a child’s behaviour may consist of any disabilities which they may have. If the child is in a wheelchair or has a physical disability then their behaviour may change as they feel different. Another factor is hunger, as is nutrition. There are also several emotional factors which can affect a child’s development. These can consist of problems at home, the child being bored or frightened. A change of routine for the child could also affect their behaviour, for example, a new baby in the house could cause the child to want more attention. Also an adults response can affect a child’s behaviour, if the adult is a poor role model or has inconsistent ways of dealing with a child. There are many more factors which affect a child’s behaviour and above are only some of them.

E7- To promote positive behaviour in children, there are three standards, according to P. Tassoni, these are ‘ understanding how children learn behaviour, having realistic expectations of children and by providing consistency and a frame work. ( P. Tassoni at al, page 192, 2000) It is also important to have routine. Early years practitioners can help to promote positive behaviour by acting as good role models for the children, which relates to the social learning theory. They can also do this by following Thorndike and Skinner’s behaviourist theory where good behaviour is rewarded and some inappropriate behaviour is ignored. To promote positive behaviour star charts and golden time could be used as rewards. A key worker could also be assigned to each child which can help a child feel valued and encourage the good behaviour.

E8- This can be done by using several strategies. One of these strategies is setting goals and boundaries. These goals and targets need to be at a level where the child can achieve them. If they are too hard then the child may become upset or disruptive. The child may not feel capable if they are too hard and give up. When children know the rules and know what they can and can’t do, unwanted behaviour is less likely to occur. The child care workers need to have realistic expectations of children’s behaviour. If the expectations are too high then children may feel that they are failing and if they are too low then the children may not learn appropriate behaviour for their age group. By praising children when they are showing positive behaviour is another way. Most children want an adults attention and by being disruptive or behaving inappropriately, they get attention. If an adult praises a child when they are showing appropriate behaviour then the child may not need to show inappropriate behaviour. According to P. Tassoni, (2002, page 288)consistency is another way. She believes that ‘ children need to know the rules do not keep changing. Sometimes children with behavioural difficulties have not been handled consistently by their carers. Knowing that the boundaries and goals are set helps children to feel secure. This is why it is important for early years practitioners to work closely with parents and to have an agreed policy in the setting.’ ( P. Tassoni, page 288, 2002). Recognising what triggers a child’s behaviour is also important as maybe you could try to avoid this if you knew. Consistent approach is important as it will help the child to realise that they will not be able to get away with inappropriate behaviour.

E9- The childcare and education worker plays a very important role in managing a child’s behaviour. They need to follow the policy and procedures of the setting at all times. This is due to the fact that some settings follow different theories for example ignoring some inappropriate behaviour and rewarding positive behaviour. Each setting has different strategies and working as a team is also important. This is because the child may be getting told different things by each different member of staff in the setting. If the childcare workers manage the child’s behaviour in different ways then this may confuse the child or make them believe that they can behave differently with different members of staff. The child’s parents also need to be involved as if the child is tired or ill then this may trigger inappropriate behaviour. Also because if the childcare workers and the parents manage the child’s behaviour in the same way then it may be more effective. If the child shows a lot of inappropriate behaviour then the child care worker should do observations and record the child’s development. An observation in the form of time sampling would be appropriate to use in this situation. It is also important as a childcare worker needs to know about the child development milestones so they will know if a child needs to be referred to experts to see if they suffer from behavioural problems. It is also important to understand the link between children’s needs and feelings and behaviour. Learning to control strong impulses and desires is hard for young children as they are ego-centric. The childcare worker should provide activities to help children express themselves but remembering the stage of the child’s development, which may help the child to some extent.

E10- I believe that this assignment contains no bias, discriminatory or stereotypical information towards the child, their family or the work setting. I believe that I have not put any information in this assignment which could offend anyone. I believe that all children were included in my observations and that each activity I have suggested in this assignment could be adapted for those with special needs or disabilities. I have also hidden W’s name in my observation, showing confidentiality, as not to offend his family or the work setting.

E11- References and bibliography

P. Tassoni, K. Beith, H. Elderidge, A. Gough, Diploma in childcare and education, 2002, Heinemann, Oxford.

P. Tassoni, K. Beith, H. Elderidge, A. Gough, Diploma in childcare and Education, 2000, Heinemann, Bath