Child Development

Child Development

Babies grow and develop at a very rapid rate during the first year of life. They grow physically, mentally, emotionally and socially. To begin with, development refers to the baby's increased skill in using various body parts. When dealing with the development of a child there are three basic developmental rules.

First babies develop in the head region first, then the trunk, and lastly in the legs and feet. Therefore, it is said that babies develop in a head-to-toe direction or cephalocaudally. For example, a baby can hold up their head before they can grasp an object with their hand. Also, they can feed themself before they can walk.

Then children develop from the midline, or centre of the body, outward toward the fingers and toes. This stage or rule is the one which affects the development of motor skills. Motor skills are the child's ability to control movement. There are two basic classifications of motor skills, gross motor skills and fine motor skills. Gross motor skills are those which involve the large muscles. Whereas, fine motor skills are those involving the smaller muscle groups. For example, a child can grasp a big ball in their arms before they can catch a baseball in their hands. The skills of hands and feet are the last to develop.

Finally, this rule is that, as the brain develops, a child responds to more and more sights and sounds in their environment. Furthermore, they learn to respond to more detail..