CHILD'S DEVELOPMENT PSYCHOLOGY: THE MAIN THING AT DIFFERENT STAGES OF GROWTH

2024 Author: Harry Day | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 15:43

Infant age (up to 1 year). The first year of a baby's life is incredibly important for his psychological development - after all, it is during this period that “basic trust in the world” and attachment are formed, which later develops into the ability to love and build close relationships with people. The main task of the mother during this period is to be sensitive and "warm": to respond and satisfy all the needs of the child, to give maximum bodily contact (breastfeeding, carry on the arms), to acquaint the baby with this incomprehensible world for him. The most important need of the baby is emotional communication with the mother, and the best way to develop it is to give the baby a sense of security from the feeling that the mother is always there, and also to provide freedom for physical activity (crawling is very important - it contributes to the formation of interhemispheric connections in the brain).

Early childhood (1 to 3 years old). At the age of one year, the first developmental crisis is observed - the baby becomes relatively independent in his actions, but his behavior is still involuntary: he is subject to impulses and momentary desires, easily switches and gets distracted. The child begins to walk and he has the first aspirations for independence from his mother - he runs away, "does not obey", at this age the first tantrums and whims appear. Parents should treat such manifestations with understanding - the baby does not do it "on purpose", not "for evil" and not "manipulating". It's just that he gets very upset when something does not happen the way he wants and this is expressed in uncontrolled affective reactions. The main task of the mother during this period is to be near and console, to divert attention, distract, take away from the danger zone or stop the child's attempts to harm others (pushing, biting, fighting). You should not expect adult and conscious behavior from the child and demand to calm down, stop - his arbitrariness and the ability to control his actions are not yet developed, and the mother is still responsible for all the actions and actions of the baby.

At the age of two, the first "no!" - the child begins to feel his separation from his mother and "some" asserts her own, quite fresh sense of independence. After all, in order to psychologically separate from the parents, the baby needs to resist, resist parental control, instructions and requests. It is important for adults to create conditions in which the child could show their independence - to provide the right to choose (for example, to wear a blue or green T-shirt), to give the opportunity to say "no", to offer an alternative when they are forced to prohibit something.

At three years old, children usually experience the most striking crisis of early childhood - the crisis of three years. At this time, the awareness of his “I” is formed and the child begins to actively manifest this “I”, of course, opposing himself to his parents and their desires. The most striking manifestations are negativism, obstinacy, stubbornness, and it is often very difficult for parents to cope with such behavior. But it is not easy for a child during this period, because he himself does not understand what is happening to him, and, accordingly, it is difficult for him to manage this state of his. Sometimes, the “non-quitting” and “non-hooting” in a three-year-old reaches the point of absurdity (desire and unwillingness for something can change with cosmic speed), but the child is really not able to influence his state. It is important for parents to remember this, and, no matter how nerves boil, try to still give their support and show that the baby is loved and accepted by everyone. Never punish a child of this age with your indifference - this is the hardest test for them, because the biggest fear of children is to lose the love of their parents. The message “we love you even like that” will become an important reference point for the child for life, give him a feeling of acceptance, love, security.

Preschool age (from 3 to 6-7 years old). This is a period of active knowledge of the world, the development of skills and abilities. The child begins to form arbitrariness, which is characterized by stability, non-situationality - he is able to remember and keep his attention not only on what is interesting to him, but also learns to control his emotions and behavior. Self-awareness is formed, speech is actively developing, the first ethical norms and rules appear - the first schematic, integral children's worldview is formed. During this period, it is important for parents to develop in their child not only memory and physical abilities, teach to read and count, but also teach social interaction skills, develop social and emotional intelligence - teach friendships and resolve differences, introduce the world of feelings and emotions, develop empathy and tolerance … The preschool age ends with a crisis of 6-7 years, which is characterized by the fact that the child goes to school and finds himself in a completely new social developmental situation. It is important to note that the whole family is also experiencing a crisis - after all, it is at this stage that the norms and rules that were guided by the parents during the upbringing are tested for viability.

No matter what age the child is, the main task of the parents is to love, accept and understand) Because everything else is to tie his shoelaces and count, play the violin or play football, he can also with others. And from the family, the child takes out the most important thing - how to build relationships, quarrel and make peace, how to express love and care, how to support in difficult times and be comforted. Be an example to him in this, and it will be an invaluable contribution to his development!