Growth
ANSWER : refers to specific body changes and increases in the child's size, such as a child's height,
weight, head circumference, and body mass
... [Show More] index. These size changes can usually be easily measured.
Development
ANSWER : typically refers to an increase in complexity, a change from relatively simple to more
complicated. Development usually involves a progression along a continuous pathway on which the child
acquires more refined knowledge, behaviors, and skills. The sequence is basically the same for all
children, however, the rate varies.
Growth definition
ANSWER : Growth is defined as specific body changes and increases in the child's size, proceeding from
the head downward and from the center of the body outward.
During the first year of an infant's life,
ANSWER : babies can grow ten inches in length and triple their birth weight.
After the first year,
ANSWER : a baby's growth in length slows to five inches a year for the next two years and then
continues from age two or three to puberty at a rate of two to three inches each year.
Similarities in growth:
ANSWER : Growth proceeds from the head downward and from the center of the body outward.
Children gain control of the head and neck first, then the arms, and finally, the legs.
At birth, the brain, heart, and spinal cord are fully functioning to support the infant.
As children grow, the arm and leg muscles develop, followed by the finger and toe muscles.
Differences in growth:
ANSWER : Some children are taller, some shorter. Some children are smaller, while others are larger.
These differences are completely typical. Typical growth is supported by good nutrition, adequate sleep,
and regular exercise.
Children do not grow at perfectly steady rates throughout childhood.
Children will experience weeks or months of slightly slower growth, followed by growth spurts.
Differences in the amount of growth can be a source of self-consciousness for some children.
Because each child is different and special, it is important to help them understand this concept in order
to develop a sense of self-acceptance.
ANSWER : It is important to help the children in your care understand that differences in growth
patterns are typical.
Development definition
ANSWER : Development refers to an increase in complexity; a change from relatively simple to more
complicated.
Progress
ANSWER : Development usually involves a progression along a continuous sequential pathway on which
the child acquires more refined knowledge, behaviors, and skills.
Rate varies
ANSWER : The developmental sequence is basically the same for all children; however, the rate of
development varies from child to child
Principles of Child Development
ANSWER : There are five principles related to the progression of general development that children will
typically experience.
1 - Developmental Sequence is Similar for All
ANSWER : Children develop in relatively the same ways.
There is a typical sequence of development that occurs as a child grows.
While the sequence is similar, and the behaviors or skills emerge in the same order, children can take
more or less time with each behavior or skill.
They can move forward, regress for a short time, then move forward again.
Some children may skip a behavior or skill as they move forward.
2 - Development Proceeds from General to Specific
ANSWER : Development progresses from a beginning point moving in a forward direction.
Just as growth of an infant proceeds from the top down and from the center of the body to the limbs,
development of behaviors and skills moves from general to specific.
As children mature, their bodily changes occur in a sequential order and give children new abilities.
As the brain and nervous system develop, a child's thinking (cognitive) skills and motor skills improve.
In the Physical Development Domain, an infant's large muscles develop first and result in the ability to
wave the arms and kick the legs.
Development continues in the smaller muscles in the fingers and toes, and results in the ability of the
fingers to grasp objects and the toes to help with balance when standing and walking.
3 - Development is Continuous
ANSWER : In children who develop typically, behaviors and skills they have already acquired become the
basis for new behaviors and skills.
There is continuity from one phase of development to the next.
Children continue to add new behaviors and skills as they perfect their abilities to walk, to write or draw,
and to speak. For example, speech development proceeds from gurgles and coos to chattering, then to
words, then phrases, and finally, sentences. Sentences become paragraphs and stories, both oral and
written.
In order for children to write or draw, they must have developed the control of their hands and fingers to
hold a crayon and pencil. Holding a pencil develops into writing and drawing.
The continuation of development can easily be seen in children as they mature from age two to age
twelve.
4 - Development Proceeds at Different Rates
ANSWER : Each child is different and the rates at which individual children develop are different.
Although the sequences for development are usually the same for all children, the rates at which
individual children reach each stage will be different.
Some children will walk at ten months of age, while others walk at eighteen months of age.
Development is never uniform, but it is constant.
5 - All Areas of Development are Interrelated [Show Less]