BTEC Children’s Play, Learning and Development

REVISION GUIDE

Name ______TG ______

Topic / Remember / Key terms / Exam tips / Summary
A.1 Understand growth and development in children
B.1 Understand the characteristics of children’s development from birth to eight years
Development of the child
Development /
  • Growth: a gradual increase in size
  • Development: increasing abilities, skills and understanding
  • Percentile charts: charts used by health professionals to monitor a child’s development
  • Developmental milestones: the stages of development which all children pass through in a similar sequence
  • Growth curve: the line showing how an individual child’s measurements (height, weight etc) are developing
/
  • Ensure that you know what developmental milestones are and at what ages a child of: -
  • One year
  • Three years
  • Five years
  • Eight years
should achieve each milestone /
  • You should now be able to describe factors that influence growth and development
  • You should also be able to explain that growth is a physical process which continues with or without stimulation, whereas development involves a child’s increasing abilities, skills and understanding

3 / Physical development 1 /
  • Development can be affected by environmental, physical, social and cultural influences.
  • Without opportunities and stimulus to be physically active, children can become lethargic. This can affect their interest in eating and learning and can also impact on their long-term development.
/
  • Developmental testing: checks made on babies and young children at specific ages to monitor progress and see that they are developing as expected
/
  • Ensure you can explain what a percentile chart is and how it is used
  • You should be aware that there are a number of factors that affect development, be able to give examples and explain why they are factors
/
  • You should now be able to explain the effects and importance of a range of factors on the development of young children

Physical development 2 /
  • Gender: male or female
/
  • You might be asked to explain how certain factors affect a child’s physical development
/
  • You should now be able to explain the effects and importance of a range of factors on young children

Topic / Remember / Key terms / Exam tips / Summary
Physical development 3 /
  • Opportunities for supporting physical development can be found anywhere. Toys and equipment are often not necessary.
/
  • Gross motor skills: skills involving large gestures and movements e.g. walking, running, hopping, jumping, bending, stretching, balancing
  • Fine motor skills: skills which involve using hands, fingers and thumbs to pick up, hold and manipulate
  • Sensory development: the use of the body’s five main senses to explore and learn
/
  • Be aware of the difference between gross and fine motor skills and be able to give examples of each type
/
  • You should now be able to give examples of how to encourage physical skills both indoors and outside

Physical development 4 /
  • Interdependent: where different things rely upon each other to succeed
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  • In the exam you could be given diagrams or photographs of indoor and outdoor play activities and asked how they could encourage sensory development
/
  • You should now be able to explain how physical and social skills are interdependent and also give examples of how to encourage these skills both indoors and outside

Gross motor skills /
  • Infants and young children develop at their own pace. You should support and encourage development, never pushing children on to activities for which they are not yet ready
/
  • Involuntary reflex actions: automatic responses, seen in babies in the earliest days and weeks
  • Head lag: inability to support the weight
  • Balance: moving in a controlled manner
  • Coordination: being able to plan, combine and control a sequence of movements
  • Spatial awareness: appreciation of the size of space around so that it can be used accurately
/
  • You could be asked to give the usual stags at which gross motor skills develop and to give examples of what children can do at each stage
  • Learn the sequence in which gross motor skills develop
/
  • You should now understand what gross motor skills are and how they usually develop
  • You should now be able to provide resources and activities suitable for infants and young children who are stationary, crawling and running

Topic / Remember / Key terms / Exam tips / Summary
Fine motor skills /
  • Babies need to want to reach out and touch, so provide attractive three-dimensional objects that initially gain and then maintain their attention. Older children need activities that off greater and greater challenges, for example jigsaw puzzles
/
  • Palmar grasp: a reflex action in which a baby’s hand grabs everything it touches
  • Pincer grasp: the use of index finger and thumb to hold something
  • Primitive grasp: a clumsy grasp of crayons etc
  • Hand-eye coordination: using vision to help control actions and to support the manipulation of objects which the child has planned or intended
  • Tripod grasp: adult grip of a pencil to control it
/
  • Ensure you know the different grips and grasps and at what ages they are usually achieved
  • You could be asked to show this development using drawings a child would produce at each stage to illustrate your answer
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  • You should now understand and be able to give examples of hand-eye coordination and explain the different stages of fine motor skills development
  • You should be able to support a child’s development by providing appropriate resources and activities

Sensory skills 1 /
  • All our senses are important to development. Children therefore need activities that encourage the use of each sense as they play, explore and learn in order to maximise each learning opportunity
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  • Sensory mouthing: using the mouth to explore (touch, taste, smell, feel)objects
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  • You should be able to name the five main senses giving examples
  • You could be asked how sensory skills are important to development
  • Make sure you can explain what sort of toys and objects can encourage sensory development
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  • You should now be able to explain the five main senses and give examples of sensory activities used within your child study

Sensory skills 2 /
  • We continue to use our senses throughout life. It is important to provide children with opportunities that use them all
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  • Object permanence: understanding that something exists even when it can no longer be seen
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  • You should be able to link the expected sequence of sensory development with developmental milestones
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  • You should now be able to explain how sensory learning develops and to give examples

Topic / Remember / Key terms / Exam tips / Summary
Intellectual development /
  • Cognitive: to do with knowledge in the widest sense, involving a range of skills and understanding concepts
  • Language: a means of communication
  • Nature: qualities that are inherited
  • Nurture: qualities that come from experience and environment
/
  • Make sure you can differentiate between cognitive development and language development, giving examples to illustrate your answer
  • You should be able to discuss ‘how children learn’, giving examples
  • Make sure you know how cognitive development links with other developmental areas
  • Be sure that you know what is meant by the terms ‘nature’ and ‘nurture’
/
  • You should now be able to explain what is meant by intellectual development and the difference between cognitive and language skills
  • You should also be able to explain the difference between nature and nurture in their influence on development

Cognitive development 1 /
  • Children have a lot of things to learn and the opportunities you give them will all help to shape their development
/
  • Concept: a general idea used to sort out and understand the environment
  • Numbers, colour, shape, time, volume, speed, opposites etc
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  • You could be asked to identify from a range of toys , what the concept is and how the toy can aid all areas of development
/
  • You should now be able to explain a range of cognitive terms with examples
  • You should also be able to explain some of the concepts children learn

Cognitive development 2 /
  • Imagination: the use of thinking to visualise and plan ideas
  • Creativity: being able to express oneself in different ways
  • Egocentricity: not taking anyone else’s view or needs into account
  • Conservation: understanding that things can be the same even if they look different
  • Concentration: the ability to focus for a period of time
  • Conceptualisation: the organisation of thinking and understanding
  • Reasoning: understanding the cause and effect of our actions
  • Memory: the power to store and retrieve information in the mind
  • Problem solving: the ability to think of ways to sort out a problem, puzzle or difficult situation
/
  • You need to be aware of what the key terms mean
• You need to be aware of what the key terms mean /
  • You should be able to explain and describe the main aspects of cognitive development

topic / Remember / Key terms / Exam tips / Summary
Language and communication /
  • Communication can be both verbal and non-verbal. It is important that you are aware of both your body language and the tone of your voice as well as what your are actually saying when speaking to children
/
  • Verbal: spoken
  • Non-verbal: unspoken
  • Passive vocabulary: words that are understood but not used (in speech)
  • Active vocabulary: use of speech or signs
  • Turn-taking: coos and gurgles in response to words and sounds from a carer
  • Monosyllabic babbling: repetitive sounds for example ‘dadada’
  • Polysyllabic sounds: changes in tone and pitch, for example ‘mememomo’
  • Jargon: words that are not recognised by others easily
  • Holophrase: a word that is used to describe more than one object belonging to a group
  • Echolalia: repeating the last word or sound heard
  • Telegraphic speech: short sentences that lack ‘joining’ words
  • Motherese: the tone of voice often used by adults when talking to babies
/
  • You should know and understand the stages of language development and be able to give examples of each stage of a child’s development
/
  • You should be able to describe different methods of communication used by children
  • You should be able to explain why language development is important and to describe its main stages
  • You should e able to refer to language and communication in your child study

Stages of drawing and writing /
  • Stages of drawing are not directly related to age. All children move through a similar sequence but at their own pace
/
  • Emergent writing: a child’s first attempts at forming letters as a means of communication. Patterns of letter-type shapes are often seen first, with children then trying to write their own name or a caption for their drawing
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  • You should be able to link developmental milestones with the stages of drawing and writing
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  • You should now be able to identify and explain how the stages of drawing and writing develop and give examples of how you can support this.

Topic / Remember / Key terms / Exam tips / Summary
Social and emotional development /
  • Primary and secondary socialisation both help shape a child’s personality and a secure bond with a carer helps them feel safe and to build good relationships with others
/
  • Socialisation: learning the behaviour and cultural expectations of family and society
  • Primary socialisation: the influences of family and immediate social circle on social development
  • Secondary socialisation: the influences from the wider community for example teachers, friends, church leaders, etc on social development
  • Discipline: the setting of boundaries and expectations of behaviour
  • Bonding: the strong emotional tie between child and main carer, usually starts at birth
  • Separation anxiety: the concern shown by very young children when left by their main carer
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  • You should be able to show your understanding of primary and secondary socialisation by giving examples
  • You should be able to explain the importance of wider experience in all areas of development
  • You should also be able to explain how parents can provide opportunities for socialisation
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  • You should now be able to explain the close links between social and emotional development and give examples
  • You should also be able to explain some of the main terms used to describe social and emotional development

Emotional development /
  • Children need to feel able to express their emotions as well as understand how and when to do this
/
  • Self-image: your identify who you think you are
  • Self-esteem: how you feel about yourself
  • Emotions: feelings
  • Comforter: thumb or other item that soothes and comforts a child
/
  • You should understand the significance of self-image and self-esteem and their impact on development
  • You should be able to discuss and give examples of the advantages and disadvantages of different comforters
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  • You should now be able to explain what a child needs for secure emotional development
  • You should also be able to explain which emotions are positive which are negative and which can be both

Topic / Remember / Key terms / Exam tips / Summary
Social development 1 /
  • Solitary play: the first stage of play in which children play alone
  • Parallel play: the second stage of play in which children play alongside but not with each other
  • Looking-on play: the third stage of play in which children observe and learn from what others are doing
  • Joining in play: the fourth stage of play where very simple signs of cooperation and playing together are seen
  • Cooperative play: the fifth and final stage of play where children work together to complete tasks and role play together
  • Stereotyping: making generalisation about a person rather than seeing them as an individual
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  • You should know and understand the stages of social play and be able to give examples of each stage
/
  • You should now be able to explain how the stages of social play develop and describe what happens at each stage

Social development 2 /
  • Your expectations of social skills in a two year old should be very different from what you would expect from a five year old
  • Don’t forget that sometimes a child may have a tantrum simply because they are tired
/
  • Discipline: upholding rules of good behaviour
  • Bullying: hurting or intimidating someone weaker
  • Tantrum: a loss of control of emotions
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  • You should understand the possible reasons behind poor behaviour and ways in which to encourage and develop good behaviour
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  • You should now be able to give examples of unacceptable behaviour and also make suggestions for dealing with it

Topic / Remember / Key terms / Exam tips / Summary
Social development 3 /
  • Positive reinforcement for good behaviour will encourage children to continue to behave well
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  • Positive reinforcement: giving praise and rewards for good behaviour (and ignoring bad behaviour)
  • Boundaries: clear limits within which the children have to stay
  • Sanction: a punishment where something is taken away
  • Regressive behaviour: displays of behaviour reverting to that of a younger age
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  • You should understand the possible reasons behind poor behaviour and ways in which to encourage and develop good behaviour
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  • You should understand some of the basic behaviour theories and make suggestions as to how these theories can be put into practice
  • You should also be able to explain why boundaries are important for children

The importance of play /
  • Children learn best through play
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  • Play deprivation (play malnourishment): where children are not given enough opportunities to play freely without adult organisation and intervention
  • Play based learning: where learning opportunities were provided through play
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  • You need to be able to discuss why play is important in all aspects of a child’s development
  • In the exam you may be given a range of play items or toys and asked to discuss how each one aids development
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  • You should now be able to explain the importance of play to both learning and development and understand what effects play deprivation can have

Types of play 1 /
  • Children’s play moves through different stages. These are
  1. Solitary play
  2. Parallel play
  3. Looking on play
  4. Joining in play
  5. Cooperative play
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  • Structured play: play that is organised by adults and often has a pre-set outcome
  • Spontaneous play: play in which children choose how and what they do freely
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  • Practice explaining what the different types of play involve
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  • You should now be able to explain the difference between spontaneous play and structured play giving examples

Types of play 2 /
  • Children need a range of play experiences to develop their learning
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  • Creative: expressing oneself in different ways
  • Discovery play: play using senses
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  • Be able to explain how play affects all areas of a child’s development
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  • You should be able to give examples of different types of play

Topic / Remember / Key terms / Exam tips / Summary
C.1 Understanding how adults in early years settings can support children’s development
Gross motor and physical development /
  • Meeting children’s physical needs by providing a well-ventilated and relaxing area for children to sleep at regular intervals
  • Meeting diet and nutritional needs I accordance with policy and parental wishes
  • Providing opportunities to be outdoors
  • Providing age-appropriate resources and activities that encourage gross and fine motor skills both indoor and outdoor
  • Providing resources and activities that encourage children to touch, feel and explore, objects with their senses
  • Providing opportunities for children to meet their physical needs
/
  • Gross motor skills: skills involving large gestures and movements e.g. walking, running, hopping, jumping, bending, stretching, balancing
  • Fine motor skills: skills which involve using hands, fingers and thumbs to pick up, hold and manipulate
  • Sensory development: the use of the body’s five main senses to explore and learn
/
  • You should understand why adults in early years settings need to meet the needs of a child in order for them to develop by providing a range of opportunities.
/
  • You should understand
that children’s development can be positively influenced by adults in early years settings