User:Rebecca carroll/sandbox

Developmental milestones
There are different Milestones at each age of the child. Typically during the first few months of the child's life they are still trying to figure themselves out. The milestones that come with the stage include, recognizing body parts such as their hands and legs, recognizing people around them, and responding to touch. In the next few months social interaction is a giant milestone. The child will begin to respond to their name, smile, laugh, etc. Within the next few months child will start to begin to recognize familiar faces such as family members, express more emotions, and respond to words and gestures. As the child gets even older they will better be able to express their emotions and have more social interactions.

Outside Factors
Many different factors in the child's life either help or hurt their development. A lot of these factors are out of the child's control however. For example the child's family. A lot of people believe that the child's parents are a big factor in the child's development. The way a parent treats their child will affect the child in the long run. Whether the parent is too authoritative or too laid back. All factors of parenting will help to shape the child's life.

Theories of Cognitive Development
Preoperational: (begins about the time the child starts to talk to about age 7)

Applying his new knowledge of language, the child begins to use symbols to represent objects. Early in this stage he or she also personifies objects. They are now better able to think about things and events that aren't immediately present. Oriented to the present, children have difficulty conceptualizing time. Their thinking is influenced by fantasy—the way they'd like things to be. Children's at this age show egocentrism-they assume that others see situations from his or her viewpoint. The child cannot understand how a person could have a different viewpoint than their own. They take in information and change it in their mind to fit their ideas. Teaching must take into account the child's vivid fantasies and undeveloped sense of time. Using neutral words, body outlines and equipment a child can touch gives him an active role in learning. However a child still can not grasp the concept of conservation - an ability to understand that specific properties of objects such as volume,weight or number remains the same despite the changes in shape or arrangement of those objects. '''Children at the age also cannot understand cause and effect. If they have a pile of snow in front of them and it melts into water, they cannot describe why there is now water in front of them. Children cannot fully understand that snow melts into water if the temperature is not cold enough.'''