Concept of Child Development
Child development is the highest-weight section in every teaching exam, and the questions reward precision about terms, not opinions about children. Growth and development are not synonyms; maturation is not learning. Getting the vocabulary exactly right is most of the marks.
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Start here: what do you already know?
Child development — true or false?
6 statements · 12s each
Growth versus development
| Growth | Development | |
|---|---|---|
| Nature | Quantitative | Qualitative |
| Measure | Height, weight — measurable | Behaviour, ability — observable |
| Ends? | Stops at maturity | Continues lifelong |
| Example | A child grows 5 cm | A child learns to reason |
Growth is part of development. Every exam sets at least one question on this distinction, usually by describing an example and asking which it is.
The principles of development
- Cephalocaudal — head downwards to the feet
- Proximodistal — centre outwards to the extremities
- Continuity — gradual and ongoing, not in jumps
- Individual differences — same sequence, different rates
- Integration — parts combine into whole, coordinated actions
- General to specific — waving the whole arm before grasping with fingers
Sort the example
Is this growth or development?
0/6A child learns to share with peers
Which group does it belong to?
The stages, by age
Fix the age boundaries
1/3Up to what age does infancy generally extend (in years)?
5years
Method, in order
Match the principle to its meaning
Quick reference
Exam tip: when an option says development is "the same for all children", it is wrong. When it says the sequence is the same but the rate differs, it is right. That single distinction decides several questions.