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Jun 27, 20236 min read

Child Development Domains


There are four main categories (domains) that make up healthy child development for young children: cognitive, physical, social/emotional, and communication and language.


I regularly think about and sometimes worry about if I am doing everything I can to support my child's healthy development. And I think many other parents and caregivers do too. But we are all so busy! It is hard to keep track of all the things we must do each day, let alone consider the extra things we can or the things we can change to support our child's development and learning at home. With limited amounts of time doing research into the components of child development and what to do to promote each domain is difficult if not impossible. This post is here to help! This post will give you an easy overview of the domains of child development.


Why is healthy childhood development important?


I am going to give this topic its own post soon. (It is that important!) But I want to start this article by emphasizing the importance, to set the stage for why the domains matter.


In short, healthy childhood development is critical because the brain develops significantly more in the first 5 years of a person's life than at any other time. Brain growth and development are heavily influenced by their environment. This means that children absolutely REQUIRE a nurturing and safe environment with many opportunities to play, explore, and learn in order for their brains to develop the skills that will allow them to become healthy, happy, and successful.


As a caregiver, we have the wonderful opportunity to help support our child's healthy development through language, play, and nurturing our child. (Be on the lookout for future posts with specific activities to support the various areas of your child's development -- Subscribe to the Persistent Mama Newsletter to get the info straight to your inbox!) I have included a few tips for each domain below but will devote posts to more detailed and specific information in the future.


What are the domains of childhood development?




The domains are categories of development. When you consider what milestones your child is achieving, those milestones fall into domains. (Some milestones fit multiple domains.)


In doing research for this post, I found there is some varying information on the internet about the number of domains that make up childhood development. I have found anywhere from 3 to 9 domains depending on the source. In reading a number of posts from various respected websites, I have found that there are four domains of childhood development that are used relatively consistently:


1. Cognitive Development

2. Physical Development

3. Social and Emotional Development

4. Language and Communication Development


You may have seen somewhere along the way the 7 or 9 Domains of Child Development and Learning. As children get older, the number of domains expands to include the learning domains required to develop additional academic/learning skills. So you may see additional domains:


5. Adaptive (Independence)

6. Mathematics Development

7. Scientific Reasoning

8. Social Studies Knowledge and Skills

9. Creative Arts Expression


For the purposes of this post, I am focusing on the child development domains. However, will cover other domains more in the future.


Cognitive Development


Think. Reason. Understand. Solve problems.



There are four stages of cognitive development (Jean Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development):


  • O - 2 years Old (Senorimotor Stage)


Children learn and think through the use of their five senses and through exploration.


  • 2 - 7 Years Old (Preoperation Stage)


Children are understanding the world more, but it is not always organized or logical. Children use pretend play to think both realistically and imaginatively. Children are able to start to incorporate language into their understanding of their environment.


  • 7 -11 Years Old (Concrete Operation Stage)


Children understand concepts, ideas, and events more logically and flexibly but still have more rigid rules of thinking than adults. Children can process steps in any order (helpful in multi-step directions!). Children at this stage can focus on more than one thing at a time.


  • 11 Years and Beyond (Formal Operational Stage)


Children understand the tangible and the abstract and the hypothetical at this point. This allows children at this stage to consider hypothetical scenarios, form strategies, and understand different viewpoints (among many other things).


Examples of cognitive development:

  • Your baby reaching for a toy they want

  • Your child stacking blocks

  • Your child draws a circle when you show them how

General Tips:

  • Use the same, predictable routines each day

  • Have age/developmentally appropriate toys and objects for your child to play with

  • Model behaviors



Physical Development


Growth. Gross Motor Skills. Fine Motor Skills. The 5 Senses.


Your child will develop physically from the top down. Think about your little one's physical ability. First, they are able to hold their head up, then they can reach and grab at things, then they can sit, and eventually walk and run.


Physical development includes your child's growth and their ability to use the muscles and body to achieve specific skills.


Gross motor skills - large muscle movements (crawling, walking, etc.)


Fine motor skills - small movements (picking up a Cheerio)


The physical development domain also includes the development of the five senses, which develops as they explore the world around them.


Examples:

  • Hold head up

  • Crawl

  • Pick things up with thumb and one finger

General Tips:

  • Allow your child plenty of time for free movement

  • Spend time and allow your child to explore outside

  • Engage with them in developmentally appropriate physical activities and gently challenge them as appropriate



Social and Emotional Development


Show emotions. Interact with others. Self-awareness.


Social and emotional development allows your child to connect with others, manage emotions, develop successful relationships, and feel empathy. This domain also allows children to manage stress and anxiety and resolve conflict. Even though these skills take years to fully develop, they start developing from birth.


As your child grows, they will learn to regulate their emotions (this doesn't happen until around age 7 and that is if they are in a healthy and nurturing environment until then they will need your help (coregulation)).


They will also learn to read the social cues of those around them. Understanding social cues will help your child in learning social norms, make and maintain friends, and be aware of how others feel.


Examples:

  • Play peek-a-boo

  • Recognize themselves in pictures and the mirror

  • Experience rapid mood shifts


General Tips:

  • Model emotional regulation

  • Validate your child's feelings without trying to get them to stop feeling

  • Use stories to help your child understand



Language and Communication Development


Understand Language. Use Language. Apply Language.


There are two types of language development that begin developing at birth.

  1. Receptive communication - this is your child's understanding of language.

  2. Expressive communication - this is your child's ability to use language to convey a message.

These two areas of language may develop at different rates. For instance, my little one is 10 months more advanced on receptive communication than expressive communication according to an evaluation we recently had done.


Examples:

  • Babble

  • Imitate sounds

  • Name objects


General Tips:

  • Narrate your actions as you go through your daily routines

  • Read with your child every day

  • When your child makes a speech or language error, repeat after them the correct form. (Example: child, "door open." Adult, "Yes, the door is open."



Summary


The four domains are the categories of childhood development: cognitive, social/emotional, physical, and language and communication. Your child's milestones will fall into one or more of these categories. As your child's grown-up, you have the great responsibility to help them develop healthily. The first step in helping is understanding what you are helping them with.


All the domains are closely related and often intertwined. As your child grows, their development will build on the skills and abilities they gain. It is important to remember that every child is unique and so will develop at different times.


Your child will learn through their environment and so their environment is critical to their development. It is so important to provide a safe and nurturing environment where their needs are being met for your child to flourish.


Children are active learners, so be sure to give them plenty of time for free play and movement with many opportunities to explore the world around them. Play supports development in all four domains and so is such a powerful experience for children. Through play, children learn to understand the world around them and develop the necessary skills and abilities.


Our children are just so amazing! They are learning at astounding rates and developing their worldview. How lucky we are to get to be a part of their world!


Remember Mama, you are doing a great job! You got this!


Sources and Resources to Explore for More Information:

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