Psychosocial developments

• Cognitive Development - According to Jean Piaget, there are four major stages of cognitive development:

1. Sensorimotor Stage. This stage occurs between the ages of birth and two years of age.Sensorimotor (infancy): During this stage, which includes six distinct substages, intelligence is demonstrated through motor activity with limited use of symbols, including language; the infant’s knowledge of the world is primarily based on physical interactions and experiences.
2. Preoperational Stage. The second stage occurs between the ages of 2 – 7 years. During this stage, intelligence is increasingly demonstrated through the use of symbols; memory and imagination are developed as language use matures; thinking is nonlogical, nonreversible, and egocentric.
3. Concrete Operations Stage. Occurring between ages 7 and about 12 years. During this stage—characterized by conservation of number, length, liquid,mass, weight, area, volume—intelligence is increasingly demonstrated through logical and systematic manipulation of symbols relating to concrete objects; thinking is operational, reversible, and less egocentric.
4. Formal Operations Stage. The final stage of cognitive development (from age 12 and beyond). During this final stage, intelligence is demonstrated through the logical use of symbols related to abstract concepts; thinking is abstract, hypothetical, and early on, quite egocentric; it is commonly held that the majority of people never complete this stage.

• Emotional Development - Concerning children's increasing awareness and control of their feelings and how they react to these feelings in a given situation.

• Social Development - Concerning the children's identity, their relationships with others, and understanding their place within a social environment

There are many other reformers of education that have contributed to what early childhood education means today. Although Piaget had a great impact on early childhood education, people like John Locke, Horace Mann and Jane Addams contributed a lifetime of work to reform education and learning in this country. The information presented is a starting point for educators to better understand the development of children.

Developmental Domains

There are five different developmental domains of children which all relate to each other. They are easily referred to as the SPICE of life:

• Social - Refers mostly to the ability to form attachments, play with others, co-operation and sharing, and being able to create lasting relationships with others.
• Physical - Development of Fine (small) and Gross (large) Motor Skills.
• Intellectual - The process of making sense of the world around them.
• Creative - The development of special abilities creates noteworthy talents. Music, art, writing, reading, and singing are some ways for creative development to take place.
• Emotional - Development of self-awareness, self-confidence, and coping with feelings as well as understanding them.

What is the difference of Preschool Education and Early Childhood?

Early Childhood Education can range from subject-specific courses to generalized constructive play; every program is different. There are, however, a few universal themes:
The majority of early childhood education (ECE) programs focus on providing a solid foundation for social, physical, intellectual, creative, and emotional development – establishing skills in these areas is a proven stepping-stone for future educational and economic success

Preschool education provides for the optimal development of children during their preschool years. It does not mean formal teaching from text books. It does not mean taking the child away from his mother. It means that parents and teachers cooperate in providing the best possible environment for the growth and development of young children. Children learn from experience and by imitation.

What is Preschool Education?

Pre-school education aims to encourage children aged between two and five years old to learn, play and develop. It should build on the learning that takes place in a child's home and should also prepare the child for primary school.