ASSESSMENT - Infant And Toddler Development
Overview
Write a 3 page article suitable for publication in a parenting newsletter. In your article, recommend a specific toy for an infant or toddler, grounded in your understanding of child development and your knowledge of developmental theories.
Context
Imagine an infant and then take a moment to imagine a child who just turned one year old. In the span of a mere twelve months, the helpless infant changes to a walking, talking child with definite temperament, likes, and dislikes. The first three years of a child's life mark a period of tremendous growth and development that is unlike any other period during the human lifespan.
Assessment Instructions
In preparation for this assessment, take some time to visit an infant toy section at a local store or on a Web site that features toys for young children. Survey the toys available for children between birth to age 24 months. Note the kinds of toys that are labeled educational and the features that manufacturers say will enhance learning and development. Reflect on what you know about child development to critically evaluate the claims of these toys.
Imagine that you will serve as an advisor to a group of parents who are wondering what kind of toys to buy for their infants or toddlers (somewhere between birth and age 2). As such, write a 3 -page article, with citations, suitable for publication in a parenting newsletter. Highlight a toy recommendation for a specific age group (birth to 6 months; 6-12 months; 12-18 months; or 18-24 months); support your recommendation thoroughly with citations from the Resources or other scholarly sources. Keep in mind that Piaget's theory of cognitive development could be a helpful resource in framing your recommendations.
Include the following in your finished article:
Identify the specific age range you are addressing. Choose from birth to 6 months, 6-12 months, 12-18 months, or 18-24 months.
Describe the key developmental milestones associated with the specific age range you are addressing. Address each of the following areas of development.
Cognitive: language and thinking skills.
Physical: gross and fine motor.
Social and emotional.
Biological: reflexes, sensory systems, and so forth.
Describe the research methods used by child development experts aiming to investigate developmentally appropriate toys.
Highlight a toy that you believe would work to support the development of children in the range you selected. Draw on the ideas you gathered in your assessment preparation to select the toy you would like to feature. Assess how this toy addresses each of the developmental domains-cognitive, physical, social and emotional, and biological-for a child at the specific age you have selected.
Explain how theory or theories of child development justify your toy selection. What evidence do these theories provide that supports your case?