Abstract
Early childhood is a crucial period for physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development. It marks the acquisition of cognitive and language skills, the consolidation of attachment relationships, and the development of a sense of self. This period has been conceptualized by various theorists as a series of sequential challenges the child has to engage with, including a change of focus in attachment relationships and advances in cognitive and verbal abilities. The preschool child displays more advanced physical skills, achieves greater coordination, and enters a less threatening phase physically. In the young child, neurobiological brain progression and nervous system development are in their formative stages and said to be dependent on the nurturing the child receives. As well as advances in physical growth, they acquire new skills in thinking and language which define their cognitive development. This growth in cognitive ability is explained by competing and complementary theoretical perspectives. A major task confronting the preschool child is to move from dependency of infancy to a gradual sense of autonomy. Preschool years mark the first time separation occurs from parents as the child transitions to kin carers, day care, or preschool and learns to manage that separation. Children who have experienced a secure base in the attachment relationship begin to explore the environment more confidently, making contact with peers and developing their social abilities. Self-concept and sense of self-efficacy develop as the child acquires the skills to operate in relationships. Children in the early years are also confronted with the need to control their emotions and behaviors. Parents and caregivers play a key role in enabling the development of skills of self-regulation that children need to get along with peers and adults. Other developmental changes relate to emergence of self-awareness and the development of gender and cultural identity. With many children in this age group spending considerable time in group care settings, day care, preschool, and special programs, the effectiveness of these programs/environments on enhancing children’s outcomes is often debated.
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Fernandez, E. (2014). Early Childhood: Dimensions and Contexts of Development and Well-Being. In: Ben-Arieh, A., Casas, F., Frønes, I., Korbin, J. (eds) Handbook of Child Well-Being. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9063-8_65
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