For everyone in the early years community
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In all respects Best practice in promoting British values Pages 25-28
36
STARTING POINTS Part two – Child development: 6-12 months
FURTHER READING
l Gerhardt, S (2004). Why Love Matters –How and his concepts of people enable him to differentiate between familiar and unfamiliar people. Such 'stranger anxiety' is usual in babies of about six to nine months who become fearful of people who look different to what they are used to, whereas previously they would happily affection shapes a baby's brain. BrunnerRoutledge.
l Goldschmied, E and Jackson, S (2004) 2nd
Edition. People Under Three, Young Children in Day Care. Routledge.
l Gopnik, AMeltzoff, AandKuhl, P (1999). How interact with most people.
NEWS&ANALYSIS 30 hours latest: funding and workforce Pages 4-5; 14-15
At this age babies are also developing the ability to move away from their carer, which reinforces their understanding of being separate. This results in 'secure-base' behaviours such as going off to explore but then retreating to the security of their carer when they feel unsure of something. By sitting with him on the floor, Jodie was creating a
Babies Think. Weidenfield and Nicolson l Manning-Morton, J and Thorp, M (2003). Key
Times for Play: The First Three Years. OUP.
– such as dada and bye-bye in English-speaking contexts.
l They begin to know that words stand for people, objects, what they do and what happens l They enjoy songs and rhymes secure base for Cassius.
COMMUNICATION & LANGUAGE 6-12 months: key aspects of development: As part of the process of moving away from their carer, babies at
The Unique Child As their relationship grew, Jodie noticed that Cassius sought her out more when he needed something, 'calling' with loud vocalisations and cries to get her attention. She found that she could now 'read' his emotions, understanding what his gestures meant and whether he was crying this age use 'social referencing'; referring back to look at the adult's expressions and to listen to their tone of voice and what they say, to reassure themselves or to check out what a situation or object means. So, a smile for a child as they explore reinforces their confidence and enjoyment.
While babies do not yet have language, they communicate with others in a wide range of ways.
because he was tired, hungry, uncomfortable, bored or lonely.
In practice To support Cassius's communication and language, Jodie has:
l madeavideoforhisparentsof
Cassiusplayingpeep-bowithher l played the same song games l They communicate through moving, crying, cooing and vocalisations (babbling)
l They engage in 'conversations',
taking turns with their carer in 'talking' with their bodies and voices, then being quiet when the other person talks
PRACTICE Behaviour – starting with the child Pages 36-37
l They identify patterns in adult speech from context, expressions, gaze, gesture and action. From this, babies recognise what the adult intends to do and begin to make links between objects and language At this age too:
such as 'Round and round the garden' every day, especially at routine care times l asked and invited Cassius to do things during their interactions, such as 'Are you ready to get up now?', using gestures and waiting for him to make a sound or gesture in reply
PHYSICAL & COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT Physical development usually follows a pattern from the head downward (cephalocaudal). So, as the muscle fibres strengthen and bones grow and harden, babies go from lifting their heads and shoulders, to rolling, crawling, sitting, pulling up and l Their babbling starts to sound like the language that the baby can hear (except in hearingimpaired babies)
l They begin to understand words like 'up' and 'down' – raising their arms to be lifted up l Theyrepeatsoundsandshare gestures suchaswavingbye-bye l Word approximations appear cruising (walking while holding on), to walking, running, jumping and climbing.
These are locomotor abilities, which can be thought about as the key skills of balance, spatial awareness and co-ordination – all l Murray, L and Andrews, L (2005). The Social
Baby, Understanding Babies' Communication from Birth. CPPublishing.
l Petrie, S and Owen, S (Eds) (2005). Authentic
Relationships in Group Care for Infants and Toddlers – Resources for Infant Educarers (RIE) Principles into Practice. Jessica Kingsley l Roberts, R (2010). Well-Being from Birth. Sage l Robinson, M (2003). From Birth to One: The
Year of Opportunity. OUP
skills that influence children's sensory integration, sense of self, social play and cognitive understanding of the world.
Although physical development is usually thought about in terms of biological growth, it is still influenced by environmental factors and children's active learning. Crawling is a good example of how a child uses their physical skills and their thinking to find the best way for them to move around.
As they grow in strength and co-ordination from the trunk outward (proximodistal), their skills in holding and manipulating objects usually goes from a palmar grasp to a pincer grasp and being able to rotate the wrists and transfer objects from one hand to the other.
Combined with the crucial ability to co-ordinate hands and eyes, the ability to grasp and explore objects and tools builds vital synaptic connections in the brain, develops depth perception and enables young children to understand their world and to express themselves creatively.
6-12 months: key aspects of physical development l Children roll from front to back l They sit without support for longer periods and can be seen grasping their feet and placing them in their mouth. They may like to bounce to music.
l They are usually mobile
– crawling, bear-walking, bottom-shuffling, 'cruising' and may even stand or walk alone l Their pincer grasp is well developed and they can pick things up and pull things towards themselves l They may clasp their hands and imitate adult actions, poke with one finger and point to things l They feed using their fingers and maybegin to manage a spoon
6-12 months: key aspects of cognitive development: At this age, children usually:
l like to explore by putting everything in their mouths l are interested in the way objects move l understand signs such as a bottle meaning food is coming l look for fallen objects showing they understand that objects still exist when out of sight; this is called object permanence l show they remember things l imitate actions, sounds,
gestures and moods even after an event is finished
The Unique Child Cassius now moves more freely and confidently around nursery, enabling Jodie to observe his physical skills. Grandmother Sarah had proudly said that he had started to sit up earlier than usual and can now 'bear-crawl' quite fast (that is, using hands and feet rather than hands and knees), but always turns to look for help when he reaches steps. He even pulls himself up to stand. She feels this robust development is in part due to her often massaging and stretching his limbs at bathtime, as her mother had done.
In practice To support Cassius's physical and cognitive development Jodie has:
l made an 'assault course' of pillows, cushions and a tunnel for the babies to crawl over, under and through l played 'where is it?' games,
putting objects under a cloth for Cassius to pull off and find l planned regular times for him and another baby who is sitting up to use the Treasure Basket l provided paint, sand, water and other natural materials for him to explore and in a way that he can use his whole body
3434Starting points
Meeting the emotional and learning needs of the unique child
Part two Case study: Cassius, 8 months
By Julia Manning-Morton, an independent consultant, trainer and author (www.key-times.co.uk/
profiles/). She specialises in practice and provision that meets the needs of children under three and is an expert on the personal, social and emotional well-being of children and practitioners.
Her publications include Two-Year-Olds In Early Years Settings: Journeys Of Discovery (2015) and
Exploring Well-being in the Early Years (2014)
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WORKMATTERS Prevent Strategy; EYPP series part 5 Pages 40-43 FREE PULL-OUT Part2ofour seriesonchild development Inside this issue
