Child Development: Motor, Intellectual, and Social Growth in Early Childhood

Motor Development

Physical and motor development is an ongoing process. Growth, along with the development and maturation of the central nervous system (CNS), results in improved coordination and body control. This motor development fuels psychomotor development, a cyclical process where motor and intellectual development are intertwined. During this stage, children acquire and refine various skills.

Intellectual Development

According to Piaget, this stage is marked by concrete operational thought. Children begin using symbols for mental operations, shifting from physical activities to mental ones. They develop a curiosity about the "why" behind things. Their skills in sorting, handling numbers, ordering, and classifying objects improve.

Fundamental Skills and Abilities

Children start considering different perspectives, discovering the relativity of things and perceptions. Self-criticism emerges, and they begin using abstract and stable thinking.

Peer Group

Children interact with peers at similar developmental levels. Peer influence is significant in four areas:

1. Self-Identity and Sex Role Acquisition: Comparing themselves to peers helps children discover their sexual identity and recognize differences between sexes.
2. Social Skills Development: Peer interactions, even conflicts, provide opportunities to learn social skills, complementing parental guidance.
3. Sense of Belonging: Relationships with peers foster a sense of belonging.
4. Intellectual Development: Intellectual growth is a social construct, influenced by peer interactions.

Friends

Friendship is a dyadic, mutual, and voluntary relationship maintained over time, involving affection and interest in the other person. It requires specific mental abilities and behaviors: understanding and accepting others' perspectives and controlling one's own behavior. A friend offers reassurance and reliability. Friendship is a voluntary, reciprocal, and demanding bond between equals, characterized by affection, continuity, trust, and security.