Question

1. How would you describe social and emotional development in infancy and early childhood?

2. How do would you describe physical and cognitive development in early childhood?

3. What are some trends and theories of development in early childhood?

4. How do you feel knowledge of this development stage with help you professionally and personally?

Answer 1

Socio-emotional development in infancy:

Babies can feel most of the basic emotions during infancy, even though they may not be able to understand them completely. These emotions like sadness, disgust or happiness get expressed through facial expressions and body postures. Around 2 to 3 months, social smile can be observed in babies. Laughing begins around 4 months. Anger, surprise and sadness start getting expressed within 2 to 6 months. Stranger anxiety begins around 6 months. In the initial months all caregivers are given equal preference, but gradually within an year preference grows for primary caregivers.

Socio-emotional development in early childhood:

Temper tantrums get commonly expressed during this period. Children also express rapid mood swings. They also exhibit intense, but short lived emotions. Some children grow possessive at this stage and may refuse to share things. They start forming peer relationships at day care centers or preschools. They may go through parallel play and end up in cooperative play. They also engage in rough and tumble paly during the last phase of early childhood. Their social skills will also depend largely on the family setting.