Theories on development, social learning and behavior attempt to understand the

nature and source of growth in Children.

The first five years of life are a time of incredible growth and learning. An
understanding of the rapid changes in a child's developmental status prepares parents and
caregivers to give active and purposeful attention to the preschool years and to guide and
promote early learning that will serve as the foundation for later learning. Understanding
child development is an important part of teaching young children. Developmental change is
a basic fact of human existence and each person is developmentally unique. Children differ in
physical, cognitive, social, and emotional growth patterns. They also differ in the ways they
interact with and respond to their environment as well as play, affection, and other factors.
Having an understanding of the sequence of development prepares us to help and give
attention to all of these children.

Developmental psychology attempts to understand the nature and sources of growth

in children's cognitive, language, and social skills. Every experience and interaction has an
impact on development in early childhood. Swiss biologist and psychologist Jean Piaget
recognized this when he studied and researched his own theories of cognitive development.
Jean Piaget’s theories impact learning in many different ways, but keeping in mind the
curriculum you are teaching, as well as how you are teaching it, directly applies to the
essentials of child development. There are four type of childhood leaning, which is the motor
skill, Visual capabilities, emotional capacity and language.

Behaviourism is a learning theory that only focuses on objectively observable

behaviours and discounts any independent activities of the mind. There are several
famous proponents of psychological behaviourism which is Edwin Guthrie (1886–1959),
Edward Tolman (1886–1959), Clark Hull (1884–1952), and Kenneth Spence (1907–1967).
The most famous proponents of psychological behaviourism were John Watson and B. F.
Skinner (1904–1990). Watson’s research is more focused on the caring aspects of it all.
Caring is viewed as the moral ideal of nursing where there is most concern for human dignity
and preservation of humanity as stated by Watson. His greatest contribution was his
description of effects of reinforcement on responses.

Sociocultural theory is an emerging theory in psychology that looks at the important

contributions that society makes to individual development. This theory stresses the
interaction between developing people and the culture in which they live. Sociocultural
theory grew from the work of seminal psychologist Lev Vygotsky, who believed that parents,
caregivers, peers, and the culture at large were responsible for developing higher order
functions. According to Vygotsky, learning has its basis in interacting with other people.
Sociocultural theory focuses not only how adults and peers influence individual learning, but
also on how cultural beliefs and attitudes impact how instruction and learning take place.

An understanding of infant growth and development patterns and concepts is

necessary for parents and caregivers to create a nurturing and caring environment which will
stimulate young children's learning. The growth and development of infants are periods of
rapid change in the child's size, senses, and organs. Each change brings about new abilities.
An infant's development in motor coordination, forming concepts, learning and using
language, having positive feelings about self and others prepares them to build upon new
abilities that will be needed for each change in a new stage of development. Caregivers can
provide activities and opportunities for infants that encourage exploration and curiosity to
enhance children's overall development.

References

1. Innovative Leaning (2015), Behaviorist List Theory, Retrieved from

http://www.innovativelearning.com/teaching/behaviorism.html
2. Funderstanding (2017), Child Development, Retrieved from
http://www.funderstanding.com/theory/child-development/stages-of-child-development/