Childhood experiences play a vital role in shaping the human development process. When provided with a warm and loving environment, infants can be expected to develop into fully functioning adults who are competent to form strong and healthy relationships with others. On the other hand, when they are exposed to hazards that hamper development, infants face serious hardships during their development process. In order to facilitate healthy development, it is important to provide infants, children and adolescents with resources and activities that match their developmental needs. The particular activities and resources should be grounded in such theoretical frameworks as those developed by Kohlberg and Erikson.
Infant Room
Infancy is perhaps the most crucial phase of the development process. This is because the experiences at this stage shape the later phases. To promote psychological development at this stage, it is recommended that the infant room should have a caregiver who engages in play with the infant. For instance, the room could be fitted with simple toys that the caregiver uses to establish a strong bond with the baby and to engage in fulfilling play. It is important to ensure that the caregiver has a prior relationship with the infant so as to enhance trust building. This activity is founded on some elements of the theory by Kohlberg and Erikson. In his theory, Erikson noted that during the infancy period, individuals grapple with the challenge of balancing trust and mistrust (Lee, 2005). He advised that to ensure that children emerge from the infancy phase as well-adjusted and properly functioning individuals, caregivers need to be highly responsive to the needs and expressions of the infant. The proposed activity helps to build strong bonds and a stable relationship between the infant and the caregiver. More importantly, by engaging in play with the infant, the caregiver assures the child that they are available, responsive and can therefore be trusted. Additionally, play with the child helps them to feel that they are safe and this helps to further establish trust and confidence. By playing with the infant, the caregiver also plays a crucial role in tackling such issues as anxiety that infants often experience when left in unfamiliar environments without the company of their caregivers. In essence, having the caregiver play with the infant serves a critical function in establishing a sense of safety, stability and familiarity.
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Early Childhood Room
The early childhood room should also be fitted with activities and resources which promote healthy development. To ensure that the child develops all the competencies that they need to grow into healthy adults, it is proposed that the early childhood room should have other children who engage in play with the child. Instead of being supervised by an adult caregiver, the children should be permitted to participate in unstructured play. For example, they could be provided with toys and nudged to engage in play that involves turn-taking. As is the case with the activity proposed above, the play among the children is also grounded in theory. Erikson asserted that when they are between 1-3 years old, children struggle with balancing autonomy and shame/self-doubt (Lee, 2005). Essentially, during this stage, the child wonders whether they can survive without the supervision and support of their caregiver and also begins to recognize the importance of social relationships. Kohlberg also recognized the important function that play with other children serves in the early childhood phase. According to Kohlberg, during this phase, children maintain their respect for adult authority but also appreciate social interactions with their peers (Vozzola, 2014). Play with peers facilitates development in a number of ways. One, it helps to build a sense of independence. The child recognizes that they can indeed thrive in the absence of their caregiver. Two, play allows the child to develop social competencies.
Adolescent Room
Adolescence marks the third phase of the development process. At this stage, the child undergoes drastic changes that can be frightening and confusing. It is therefore important for parents or caregivers to become deeply involved in the lives of their adolescent children. As part of efforts to promote proper development in the adolescent stage, the adolescent room will feature reflective reading. Essentially, the adolescent will be presented with literature that confronts ethical and moral issues. After reading the books, they will be required to share their thoughts on the lessons gathered from the books. Kohlberg and Erikson’s theories serve as the basis for this activity. Erikson believed that between ages 12 and 18, adolescents grapple with the struggle of identity formation and role confusion (Lee, 2005). They attempt to determine their place in the world and strive to establish values and set objectives that they pursue relentlessly. Basically, how one emerges from the adolescent phase sets the stage for the rest of the development process. Kohlberg also agreed that the adolescent stage is concerned with the formation of values and identity formation (Vozzola, 2014). Interaction with literature will indeed provide the adolescents with the opportunity to develop their character and determine their role in society. For example, by identifying the lessons taught through literature, the adolescent is able to reveal the values by which they wish to live.
In closing, the human development process is highly delicate. When the appropriate resources and activities are not availed, the process could be compromised, leading to developmental challenges. If infants, children and adolescents are to develop as expected, they should be exposed to challenges that introduce them to various aspects of the human experience. It is particularly important to ensure that at the different stages, children are allowed to interact with their peers. These interactions enable them to develop social skills that they can then leverage to from healthy and stable relationships. Parents and caregivers are strongly encouraged to fully support their children during the entire development process.
References
Lee, S. W. (2005). Encyclopedia of school psychology. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
Vozzola, E. C. (2014). Moral development: theory and applications. London: Routledge.
