The sequence of language, thought, emotional, and physical transformations that take place in a child from birth to the beginning of adulthood is commonly referred to as child development (GAO, 2012). During this period, a child tends to progress from dependency on guardians or parents to increased autonomy. The development is also firmly influenced by genetic factors as well as events in the course of prenatal life. Child development generally incorporates the complete scope of skills or abilities that a child learns over their life span, with the inclusion of development in cognition which is the ability to learn and solve problems; speech and language which constitutes utilizing and comprehending language, communicating, and reading; sensory awareness which involves the registration of sensory information for utilization; social interaction and emotional regulation where the child associates with others and learns self-control; and physical skills which constitutes fine motor skills and gross motor skills (Edens & Potter, 2013).
This paper will focus on proposing interactive, educational, and fun programming activities for five different age groups in a child development community center. It will also provide a theory that will support the activities proposed, indicating why they are important to child development process. A conclusion will be provided at the end.
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Discussion
While parents work, most of their children who are aged less than 6 years take part in some kind of care outside their home. Given that a majority of these young children spend an estimated 12,500 hours in a child development center, it is important that the facility provides nurturing, stimulating, and secure settings critical for the healthy development of the children (Hamre, 2014). The child development center that is to be opened will provide well-lit, passive, and active activity areas capable of accommodating various plays and organized learning. It will also guarantee that it caters to the needs of parents and adult staff, facilitating staff-child relationship development (GAO, 2012). The child development center will incorporate different space types depending on the hours they are used, the number of children attending and their age, and the environment for the center.
The center will also provide a homelike place where children will feel relaxed and be themselves, feel safe and secure, work and play using various furnishings and different lighting, and find distinct locations for different forms of learning (Edens & Potter, 2013). Most importantly, the child development center to be opened must incorporate a multi-purpose play space for severe weather, and that is why the following proposals are being made for the different age groups that will use the center for different programming activities.
Proposal for interactive, educational, and fun programming activities for infants (0 – 1 year )
At this age, the infants need a lot of chances for free movement, as long as it is within a safe setting. The caregivers can place large blankets on the floor or the grass outside the room for tummy time, where the infants can stretch and play (Hamre, 2014). The infants can practice lifting their heads, pulling up, or reaching, something which will help them to develop strong muscles. Reaching out to something that has been placed before them encourages the infants to develop physically. Once the infant has learned to walk, the caregivers will encourage them to move often, thus allowing them to spend more time out of the strollers. Activities and objects that encourage movement should be used at this point, and this will help the infant build their balance and self-confidence (GAO, 2012).
Proposal for interactive, educational, and fun programming activities for toddlers (1 – 3 years)
As a way of encouraging self-control and listening skills, the care givers will play music and encourage the toddlers to dance or move in whatever manner they feel like. They will then be instructed to stop once the music ends. This activity is quite useful as it will teach the toddlers to follow a lot of directions once they reach school going age (Edens & Potter, 2013). It will also teach the toddlers to relax and simply have fun. Learning how to pull a wagon using a strong rope or ribbon is another fun activity that the toddlers can engage in. While walking around, the caregivers can give the toddlers a few jobs to do using their wagon, such as delivering pencils or crayons to other toddlers in another point within the room. This particular activity will build problem-solving and physical skills as the toddlers learn how to make use of an object as an instrument (Hamre, 2014).
The caregivers will use tubes and pieces of cloth to engage the toddlers into some educational and fun activities. The toddlers can be shown how to foam block down the tubes and watch them fall to the floor, or make music by striking the tube on the floor (Hamre, 2014). Engaging the toddlers in such activities will help in building their cognitive and imaginative playing abilities. The activities will not be confined within the room and the caregivers will at some point give the toddlers a small basket that they can walk around the school with, picking up ‘treasures’ along the way (Edens & Potter, 2013). This activity is helpful in building gross motor and fine motor skills as the toddlers squat, walk, and pick up their discoveries (GAO, 2012).
Proposal for interactive, educational, and fun programming activities for early childhood (3 – 6 years)
Early childhood is a phase where the children are busy discovering everything around them, and are curious about most things. That is why engaging them in different exercises and activities will assist them take in new ideas better and quickly. By now, the 3 year olds are able to throw and catch a ball, use play dough to create different shapes, and play with others (GAO, 2012). The caregivers in this newly developed child center will teach the young ones how to correctly grasp pencils and crayons in order to avoid muscular issues in future. The very first thing that preschoolers learn is how to hold pencils. Engaging the 3 year olds in prewriting activities will help them make their handwriting better (Edens & Potter, 2013). Most activities that will be designed for the 4 year olds, 5 year olds, and 6 year olds will aim at harnessing their endless energy and concentrating it on more productive activities. Having tic-tac-toe boards and other simple puzzle boards will assist these youngsters to learn cognitive and problem-solving skills (Hamre, 2014). Other activities such as making simple jewelry, developing stories, and writing their own names will greatly improve the young children’s motor skills.
Proposal for interactive, educational, and fun programming activities for middle to late childhood (7– 12 years)
Similar to younger children, middle to late childhood children also prefer satisfying their curiosity about anything different and new through exploration. Given that these children are no longer content with just playing, the caregivers in the child development center will ensure that other games and activities such as baseball, and hockey are introduced (GAO, 2012). While paying a game, the children are divided into two teams. The teams are to play against each other. Before the game kicks off, the teams are provided with the rules to be observed during the game. Those who fail to observe the rules will be required to either step out of the game for sometime or completely depending on the severity of the misconduct. The team that wins with the most scores will also be rewarded for their victory.
The caregivers will also encourage these children to listen to and watch constructive videos, read, or look through comic books. At this point, the caregivers will teach the children how to be more aware of what is right and wrong, and how to treat those around them. By so doing, the children will learn social and cognitive skills. Questions will also be asked at the end of a given video or story. This can be done by asking the child to state their most interesting part of the story or even retell the story the story in their words. They can also be asked to name type of colors, animals, letters or shapes present in the video. This is essential for developing the child’s cognitive skills regards to memory, coherence and creativity. Here, the caregiver congratulates every child who attempts to answer any of the questions, regardless of whether it is wrong or right ( Hamre, 2014). This will make child feel appreciated and recognized, hence building their self esteem and confidence.
Proposal for interactive, educational, and fun programming activities for adolescence (13 – 18 years)
During their teenage years, children who were once bundles of nonstop energy tend to lose interest in physical activities. They usually juggle a lot of responsibilities and interests between friends, studying, part-time jobs and school (Edens & Potter, 2013). Therefore, caregivers at this newly opened child development center will focus more on encouraging these teens to walk up and down the stairs, participate in flexibility and stretching exercises, and play different sports such as hockey, football, and tennis. By so doing, these teens will develop mentally and physically. The caregivers can also encourage the teens to be involved in voluntary work and other community service activities such as cooking for members of the community (Hamre, 2014). This will help them develop self-confidence, learn how to deal with different challenges, develop social skills, and build life skills and abilities in a supportive setting (GAO, 2012).
Theory supporting the above-mentioned activities
Social cognition is the heart of every child’s ability to interact with other people and get to perceive things from one’s point of view. One theory that can be used to support the use of the activities discussed above is the Theory of Mind , which is part of implicit theories that support human development as early as infancy. The theory of minds explores the child’s mental state from infancy to Adolescence. It entails key aspects of one’s development such as thoughts and wants in early childhood, motives, desires and feelings in adolescent stage (Hamre, 2014).
Here, children’s developing theory of mind changes the way they react to individuals and what they learn from them (Edens & Potter, 2013). Infants and young children begin to comprehend what takes place in people’s minds, and how other’s thoughts and feelings are similar to and distinct from their own. The adolescent also get to discover the various feelings and desires they experience as they interact with the opposite sex. It is this knowledge that eventually shapes their adulthood and how they succeed in life. Continuous research has also shown that theory of mind development has a significant influence on a child’s social functioning and school success. According to Hamre (2014), a child with better development of theory of mind is seen to be more social competent compared with their peers with a poor development in this theory. These children are believed to better communicators, smart in class, much happier in life and can easily resolved conflicts with their buddies.
Conclusion
The number of child development centers is increasing and this has made states, municipalities, and agencies to require that such centers within their jurisdictions meet minimum operating and facility principles. The child development center to be opened will incorporate different activities that are not only interactive and fun, but also educational for the different age groups that will be accommodated.
References
Edens, K.M., & Potter, E.F. (2013). ‘An exploratory look at the relationships among math skills, motivational factors and activity choice.’ Early Childhood Education Journal , 41(3). Pp. 235 – 243.
Hamre, B.K. (2014). ‘Teachers’ daily interactions with children: An essential ingredient in effective early childhood programs.’ Child Development Perspectives , 8(4). Pp. 223 – 230.
U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). (2012). K-12 education school-based physical education and sports programs: Report to congressional requesters . Washington, D.C.: GAO.
