Infant Milestones - Learning Seed

Infant Milestones:
An Overview
EDUCATOR’S
RESOURCE GUIDE
Copyright © 2012 Learning Seed
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Chicago, IL 60661
info@learningseed.com
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What’s in this Guide...and How to Use It!
Program Overview • Video chapter titles and key concepts p. 3
Before & After
Viewing the Program
• Prompts for writing or discussion
Use prompts to initiate a:
- class discussion
- pair-share (partners discuss the prompt; each partner
reports one of the other person’s ideas)
- quick-write (unplanned, written response)
• Suggested activities to extend learning
Graphic Organizer • Tool for taking notes during the video pp. 5-7
Check Your
Understanding
Assessment • Quiz - True or False?
• Answer key
• Short-answer questions. Can be used:
- during the video to keep students on track
- after the video for in-class review or assessment
- after the video as homework
p. 4
pp. 8-9
• Answer key pp. 10-11
p. 12
p. 13
Glossary • Definitions of key words and phrases from the video p. 14
Educator’s
Resources
• National Standards addressed in the video
• Useful Internet resources
p. 15
Legal Niceties • What you can do, and what you shouldn’t p. 16
Related Learning Seed Programs
• Pregnancy in Progress: Beginnings of Life
• Infants: Physical Development
• Infants: Cognitive Development
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! Infant Milestones: An Overview
• Infants: Social & Emotional Development
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Program Overview
Chapter 1 - Introduction
• During their first year of life, infants grow and develop at a rapid pace. This program outlines infant’s
physical, cognitive, and social and emotional development and suggests ways caregivers can
promote their child’s development.
Chapter 2 - Physical Development
• Infants grow quickly: they triple their weight and grow 10 - 12 inches in their first year.
• At birth, a complex network of nerve connections begins developing in infants’ brains. These
connections are stimulated by infants’ interactions with the world around them.
• Infants are born with unlearned behaviors called reflexes. These behaviors, such as sucking, are
protective and help them thrive. Reflexes develop into gross and fine motor skills.
• For healthy growth, infants need adequate nutrition (breast milk is considered best) and sleep.
Chapter 3 - Cognitive Development
• Babies are born ready to learn. Their ability to think, reason, and remember grows with every
experience.
• Psychologist Jean Piaget theorized that children’s thinking and reasoning abilities develop in stages.
Infants are in the “sensorimotor” stage, in which they move from simple reactions to the world to
behaving in deliberate ways to achieve a desired effect.
• Another theory, called information processing, explains how we mentally process information. It
includes three steps: encoding, storage, and retrieval.
• Infants’ ability to express themselves grows from crying to babbling to speaking words.
Chapter 4 - Social and Emotional Development
• Psychologist Eric Erikson’s theory identified stages of emotional development. The “trust vs. mistrust”
stage is key to the kinds of relationships the child will be able to form with others. The theory also
states that while “personality” can be affected by caregivers, temperament is present at birth.
• Secure infant-caregiver “attachment” relationships are essential to building trust. Infants’ bonds with
caregivers help them manage stranger and separation anxiety.
• Infants increasingly use “social referencing,” looking to others to see how they react, for help in
understanding the meaning of and responding appropriately to different situations.
Chapter 5 - Review
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! Infant Milestones: An Overview
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Before and After
Prompts to generate interest, ideas, and inquiry
Before viewing
To spark interest, activate prior knowledge, and set a purpose for viewing
• What do infants know at birth? How do they learn? Does the way the primary caregivers
interact with a baby determine what the baby will be like as an adult?
After viewing
To promote critical thinking
• Why is it important for parents to understand that babies’ brains begin developing neural
connections at birth and that they’re born ready to learn?
• At 9 months, babies can crawl, pull themselves up, and grasp objects. They also have the
cognitive ability to achieve a desired goal. How might these simultaneous developments
create challenges for parents, and what can caregivers do to nurture, rather than inhibit, a
baby’s development at this time?
• Reflect on the concept of temperament and “goodness-of-fit.” What temperament were you
as a baby? How well do you think your temperament matched the environment you were
raised in? Explain whether you think it’s important for a caregiver to be aware of an infant’s
temperament, and why.
After viewing
To extend learning
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! Infant Milestones: An Overview
• Instruct students to create a booklet of sensory activities parents and caregivers can do
with infants to help them learn about their world. Consider vision, hearing, taste, smell,
and touch. For an additional challenge, students can include a “background” section in
which they explain why sensory stimulation is so important to a baby’s development.
• Direct students to use internet resources to research attachment. The Zero to Three
organization (www.zerotothree.org) is a good resource. Then have students create a
chart that shows the characteristics of caregivers that foster secure attachment (such as
sensitivity and positive attitude) and specific examples of things parents can do to exhibit
those characteristics.
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Name
Date
_________________________________________________________________
____________________________________ Class Period _______________
While You Watch...use the graphic organizer to record key words and information.
INFANT MILESTONES
Domain Development When What
Physical body
brain
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! Infant Milestones: An Overview
reflexes
gross motor
fine motor
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INFANT MILESTONES
Domain Development When What
Cognitive Piaget’s Theory:
Social/
Emotional
Sensorimotor
Stage
Information
Processing
Theory
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! Infant Milestones: An Overview
Communication
Expressing
Emotions
Stranger Anxiety
Substages:
1:
2:
3:
4:
12-24 mo. 5: Tertiary Circular Reactions
6: Early Representational Thought
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INFANT MILESTONES
Domain Development When What
Social/
Emotional Separation
Social/
Emotional
Anxiety
Social
Referencing
Erikson’s
Theory:
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! Infant Milestones: An Overview
Trust v.
Mistrust Stage
Personality &
Temperament
Attachment:
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Name
Date
!
! Infant Milestones: An Overview
_________________________________________________________________
____________________________________ Class Period _______________
Check Your Understanding
Write short answers for the following questions about the Infant Milestones video:
1. How do babies learn about their world?
2. How do experiences affect the nerve cells, or neurons, in an infant’s brain?
3. What is a reflex? Give 2 examples.
4. What is the difference between gross motor skills and fine motor skills?
5. According to experts, how long should infants be breast-fed?
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! Infant Milestones: An Overview
Check Your Understanding (continued)
6. Name a psychologist who developed an important theory about child development.
7. What do children do in the ”secondary circular reactions” substage of Piaget’s sensorimotor
stage?
8. What are two ways infants express emotions before they can speak?
9. How do infants learn who they are?
10. What are the two components of attachment?
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Check Your Understanding Answer Key
Write short answers for the following questions about the Infant Milestones video:
1. How do babies learn about their world?
Through their senses.
2. How do experiences affect the nerve cells, or neurons, in an infant’s brain?
More synapses, or connections, are created.
3. What is a reflex? Give 2 examples.
Reflexes are unlearned, involuntary responses to stimuli.
Possible examples:
rooting, sucking, gag, swimming, eye-blink, startle, Moro, stepping
4. What is the difference between gross motor skills and fine motor skills?
Gross motor skills involve the large muscles of the arms, legs, and abdomen.
Fine motor skills involve the small muscles of the hands and wrists.
5. According to experts, how long should infants be breast-fed?
12 months.
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! Infant Milestones: An Overview
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Check Your Understanding Answer Key (continued)
6. Name a psychologist who developed an important theory about child development.
Jean Piaget, OR Eric Erikson
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! Infant Milestones: An Overview
7. What do children do in the”secondary circular reactions” substage of Piaget’s sensorimotor
stage?
They interact with objects around them, and they repeat pleasing actions.
8. What are two ways infants express emotions before they can speak?
Possible answers:
Crying, facial expressions, pointing, gesturing.
9. How do infants learn who they are?
Through interactions with caregivers.
10. What are the two components of attachment?
! The infant’s need for protection and comfort, and the parents’ giving of care in response
! to these needs.
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Name
Date
!
! Infant Milestones: An Overview
_________________________________________________________________
____________________________________ Class Period _______________
! !
Quiz - True or False?
Write T or F in the blank to tell whether the statement is True or False.
___ 1. Most of an infant’s time is spent eating or sleeping.
___ 2. At birth, infants must be taught all of their behaviors.
___ 3. All infants develop at the same rate.
___ 4. Infants develop gross motor and fine motor skills simultaneously.
___ 5. Memories are created in infants’ brains through repetition of experiences.
___ 6. Until they can babble words, infants are not able to communicate.
___ 7. Infants can understand full sentences by age 1.
___ 8. Being around unfamiliar people contributes to stranger anxiety in infants.
___ 9. Infants’ emotional bonds with their primary caregivers have very little effect on
their future relationships.
___ 10. Consistency and routines help babies develop a sense of trust.
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! Infant Milestones: An Overview
Quiz - True or False? Answer Key
T 1. Most of an infant’s time is spent eating or sleeping.
F 2. At birth, infants must be taught all of their behaviors.
Infants have reflexes such as rooting and sucking, to get food; and gagging
and blinking, to keep them safe.
F 3. All infants develop at the same rate.
Infants experience the same stages of development, but may go through
them at different rates.
T 4. Infants develop gross motor and fine motor skills simultaneously.
T 5. Memories are created in infants’ brains through repetition of experiences.
F 6. Until they can babble words, infants are not able to communicate.
Infants cry and use facial expressions, such as a smile, to get responses from
caregivers; pointing and gesturing are also forms of communication.
T 7. Infants can understand full sentences by age 1.
F 8. Being around unfamiliar people contributes to stranger anxiety in infants.
The more experience infants have around unfamiliar people, the less
stranger anxiety they tend to show.
F 9. Infants’ emotional bonds with their primary caregivers have very little effect on
their future relationships.
If infants have a sense of trust, they will feel hopeful and secure that their
future needs will be met.
If infants feel mistrustful, they may view the world as unfriendly and have
difficulty forming bonds with others.
T 10. Consistency and routines help babies develop a sense of trust.
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Glossary
attachment The two-way process through which infants form emotional bonds with
another person—particularly a parent.
cognitive Ability to think, reason, and remember.
fine motor skills Movements using the small muscles of the hands and wrists.
goodness-of-fit Development as affected by the match between infants’ temperaments and
the demands of the environment they are being raised in.
gross motor skills Movements using the large muscles of the arms, legs, and abdomen.
information
processing theory
A description of mental processes that includes encoding (storing
information in a usable form); storage (placement of information into
memory); and retrieval (locating and using information in memory).
object permanence Understanding that objects and people exist even when they cannot be
seen.
personality Total of the characteristics that differentiate one person from another; may
be influenced by environmental factors.
pincer grasp Holding on to objects with the thumb and forefinger.
primary and
secondary circular
reactions
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! Infant Milestones: An Overview
Infants’ repetitive, pleasurable activity focused first on themselves (1-4
months), then on interaction with the world outside of their own bodies (4-8
months).
productive speech Vocalization of sounds to express oneself.
receptive language Ability to understand what others are saying and respond accordingly.
reflex Unlearned, involuntary response to a stimulus, such as sucking or gagging.
social referencing Looking to others to see how they react, for help in understanding the
meaning of different situations.
separation anxiety Distress shown by infants when their usual caregiver leaves.
stranger anxiety Infants’ wariness when they encounter an unfamiliar person.
synapses Complex network of neuron connections that lay the foundation for
intelligence and emotional health.
temperament Consistent, enduring patterns of emotion that are present at birth.
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Resources for Educators
Educational Standards
National Standards for Family and Consumer Sciences
4 Education and Early Childhood
4.2.1 Analyze child development theories and their implications for educational and
childcare practices.
4.2.4 Analyze abilities and needs of children and their effects on children's growth and
development.
4.2.5 Analyze strategies that promote children's growth and development.
NAEYC - Standards for Early Childhood Professional Preparation Programs
1 Promoting Child Development and Learning
1a Knowing and understanding young children’s characteristics and needs, from birth
through age 8.
1b Knowing and understanding the multiple influences on early development and
learning.
1c Using developmental knowledge to create healthy, respectful, supportive, and
challenging learning environments for young children.
Useful Internet Resources
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! Infant Milestones: An Overview
• Child Development Institute/Parenting
childdevelopmentinfo.com
The site includes detailed descriptions and easy-to-read charts of the stages of child development
according to both Piaget’s and Erikson’s theories. There is also a parent directory with professional,
research, and educational resources.
• March of Dimes
marchofdimes.com
The March of Dimes provides resources on infant health for parents and professionals. Select “Baby”
in the Categories menu to find informative videos and Q&A sections related to “Preparing for Your
Baby,” “Caring for Your Baby,” and “Your Infants Health.”
• Bright Futures for Famlies (American Academy of Pediatrics)
brightfuturesforfamilies.org
Download one or more chapters of this organization’s illustrated “Family Pocket Guide,” which
consists of user-friendly information on topics such as “Before the Baby is Born” and “Thinking about
Infancy.” The appendices include recommendations for immunizations and a child care checklist.
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Legal Niceties
WHAT CAN I DO WITH THIS RESOURCE GUIDE?
Copyright © 2012 Learning Seed
This resource guide is copyrighted according to the terms of the Creative Commons non-commercial
license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/). It may be reproduced, in its part or its entirety,
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You are free:
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Any of these conditions can be waived if you get permission from the copyright holder.
Resource Guide Credits
Writer: Esther Mozak
Editor: Jodi Libretti
Copy Editor(s): Jennifer Smith
WHAT CAN I DO WITH THE VIDEO?
Copyright © 2012 Learning Seed
This video is protected under U.S. copyright law. No part of this video may be reproduced or transmitted
by any means, electronic or mechanical, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where
permitted by law.
DVD LS-1365-12-DVD ISBN 978-1-55740-621-7
Closed Captioning
This program is closed captioned.
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! Infant Milestones: An Overview
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