Infant and Toddler Competencies #7 Examine culturally and developmentally appropriate environments for infants and toddlers.

Early childhood development is generally divided into three age categories. The first age category includes infants and toddlers who are between the ages of birth and 3 years of age. The most important factor for young infants birth to ! months" is security with primary caregivers. #etween the ages of $ to %! months& mobile infants are mostly concerned with exploration and between %! and 3' months& the central focus of development is identity& and children become more independent. The second age category of early childhood development includes preschoolers who are 3 to ( years of age. This period of development is characteri)ed by rapid gross motor development e.g.& *umping& hopping& s+ipping"& refined movement of small muscles for ob*ect manipulation& ma*or increases in vocabulary and use of language& abstract representation of mental constructs& and the development of relationships with other young children. The final category of early childhood development includes those children in the primary grades who are between ' and ! years of age. ,ross and fine motor development is characteri)ed by children-s ability to perform controlled movements and se.uence motor s+ills. ,reater reasoning& problem solving& and assimilation also characteri)e children-s cognitive development at this stage. /uring the primary years& children-s vocabulary increases at a rapid pace. In addition& their written communication s+ills develop. 0ocially& primary1aged children begin to understand others- perspectives& are concerned with fairness& and monitor their own behavior. 2ean 3iaget is credited with the cognitive1developmental theory that 4views the child as actively constructing +nowledge and cognitive development as ta+ing place in stages5. 6ccording to his con1structivist theory& 3iaget asserted that children pass through four distinct stages of development& including the sensor1imotor stage birth to 7 years"& preoperational stage 7 to 7 years"& concrete operational stage 7 to %%"& and formal operational stage %% and beyond". 3iaget believed that reasoning deepens in children as they grow& engagement in the physical and social world enhances development& and 4conceptual change occurs through assimilation and accommodation5. 8ev 9ygots+y saw child development as a +ind of social constructivism& in which development is determined by culture. There are a number of tenets that are uni.ue to social constructivism. :irst& because children-s culture influences the activities& language& and education to which children are exposed& these variables affect children-s development. 0econd& while some development is innate or influenced by biology& higher level development is affected by culture. :inally& the theory incorporates the )one of proximal development& that is& the range in children-s development between their ability to perform a tas+ independently and their ability to perform a s+ill with the assistance of a more competent member of their culture adult or older child".