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Example research essay topic: Cognitive Skills Early Childhood - 2,737 words

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The Developmental Issues Associated with the Transition to School" There are a variety of things that contribute to whether or not a child will be successful in school. Some of these include good health and physical well-being, social and emotional maturity, language skills, an ability to solve problems and think creatively, and general knowledge about the world. Different schools have different expectations for the children. One school may think its important to sit quietly and know the alphabet. Another school may believe that its more important for children to get along with others.

All of these skills and more can be introduced to the young child in an early childhood setting. Good health and physical well-being for young children includes providing them with nutritious food, plenty of sleep, safe places to play, and regular medical care. These things help children get a good start on life and reduce the chances that they will have health problems or trouble learning later in life. Social and emotional preparation is very important for children who are just beginning school. Young children are often very excited about entering school, but when they do, they usually face an environment that is different from what theyre used to at home.

In kindergarten, the children will need to work well in large groups and get along with new adults and other children. They will also have to learn to share the teachers attention with other children as opposed to having the adults all to themselves like at home. Most children do not start school with good social skills or very much emotional maturity, as these things take time and practice to learn. However, children improve their chances for success in kindergarten if they have had opportunities to begin developing certain qualities: confidence, independence, motivation, curiosity, persistence, cooperation, self-control, and empathy. Confidence is a must-have for children who are just entering school. Children must learn to feel good about themselves and believe that they can succeed.

Confident children are more willing to attempt new tasks, and try again if they dont succeed the first time. Independence is also a very important trait for kindergartners. Children need to learn to do things for themselves; otherwise, they will have a hard time parting with their parents for the duration of the school day. Motivation simply means that the children must want to learn or they will become bored and discouraged very quickly. (Byrne, p. 84) Curiosity is something that comes naturally to children, and helps them to get the most out of what theyre learning. Persistence is simply that children must learn to finish what they start.

Cooperation is important in the school setting in that the children must learn to get along with others and learn to take turns and share. Young children must also exercise a certain degree of self-control and understand that some behaviors, such as hitting, kicking, and biting are inappropriate. Finally, children must learn to express empathy towards other children and have an understanding about how other people feel. Kindergartners participate in many activities that require them to use language and solve problems. Children who cant or dont communicate very well may have problems in school. They may not want to participate in group activities or eventually, any activities at all.

This can be very discouraging to both the student and the teacher. All of these skills, and more, can be taught to children before entering kindergarten in early childhood programs. Most educators agree that school readiness is not guaranteed by age, but is defined by the total picture of the childs intellectual, physical, social, and emotional development. (Weibner, p. 17) Children entering kindergarten should be able to ask for help, interact with peers, solve problems, and have the energy to make it through the day. Children, particularly boys, who turn five in the summer, are most at risk for not having a successful kindergarten experience. Also, children who are younger than the other children in their class are more likely to experience difficulty adjusting to school. Although most schools have different expectations for kindergarten children, most expect them to know four or five colors, understand that letters make words and that words represent something, be able to count, sing the alphabet song, recognize shapes, and understand word relationships such as over / under and back / front .

Some signs of school readiness in a child include: a sense of confidence and independence, a desire to explore and have new experiences outside the home, the ability to stay focused on an activity, sufficient verbal skills to communicate with adults and peers, the ability to separate from his / her parents for the length of the school day (Costin, p. 46) Preschools usually have large class sizes, often 13 to 16 children, which mean that children who are comfortable in large groups, like those with some previous daycare experience, will likely have an easier transition into a preschool setting than a child who has less experience with groups of children. A good preschool will be able to accommodate a wide variety of childrens personalities with different types of play areas and activities. The children should be able to participate in both large and small group activities that encourage cooperation and listening to others. An effective preschool program incorporates a variety of activities: free play, group play, quiet periods, lots of physical play, and some lengthy activities to increase the childs attention span and listening ability (Care Preschool).

Some things to look for in a preschool are: Does the program involve activities that include all areas of development, including social, emotional, intellectual and physical development? Is there a balance of individual, small group and large group activities? Are there activities that encourage self-expression and help children develop a full-range of motor-skills? Are children exposed to books, reading, writing, counting, music, sciences and nature on a regular basis? Are the snacks and meals served nutritious? Are the teachers trained in Early Childhood Education?

What is the ratio of adults to children? (Harmon, p. 89) Along with developing their physical skills, pre-kindergarten children must also begin to develop their cognitive and psychosocial skills. Cognitive development is the gradual understanding of abstract concepts. An example of this would be the concept of object permanence. Object permanence is realizing that an object exists, even when it cant be seen (Hoffman, p. 54). Some cognitive skills include the ability to think, reason, organize, and to understand and solve problems. A childs cognitive develop is very rapid from the time he / she is born until the time that the child enters school.

From the childs birth until age one, he / she will have developed many cognitive skills including: Following moving objects with his / her eyes The ability to recognize the differences between people Beginning to understand the concept of cause and effect Imitating gestures and actions such as waving bye-bye Some of the cognitive skills developed between ages one and three include: Object Permanence Recognizing his / her self in a mirror Imitating some actions and words of adults Responding to simple directions (throw, jump, etc... ) Some cognitive skills developed between the ages of three and five include: Being aware of past and present Knowing his / her own age and last name Drawing a person with a head, arms, legs, etc... Knowing his / her own street and town (Hoffman, p. 59) The other type of development that is fostered in early childhood programs is psychosocial development. If the word psychosocial is broken down into its two basic words, psycho and social, it is fairly easy to figure out that psychosocial development is a persons social development. The most prominent aspect of psychosocial development is the childs temperament.

Its important to note that all people are born with a certain type of temperament already in place. There are three types of temperaments found in people. The first is the easy temperament. These people are relaxed, inquisitive, curious of the world around them and just naturally happy.

The second is the slow-to-warm-up temperament. These people are more cautious about their decisions, have a slightly lower activity level, and are slow to except new experiences. The final temperament is the difficult temperament. People with this type of temperament have a wide range of temperament and are very unpredictable. Many children who are classified as having a difficult temperament are often the children who have problems later in school. Many, but not all, of these children are diagnosed with attention disorders such as ADHD or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

If these types of problems are found early, preferably before the child enters a mainstream school environment, they can often be treated and the child will have a better chance of having a successful school experience. It is often hard to know what to expect from young children, as in how they should be acting, and what kinds of activities and opportunities they need to help them develop. When a child reaches the age of around three years old, it starts to become quite clear if he / she is at the specific level of development that they should be at. Skills for children ages four to five need to become more and more challenging all the time.

Children of this age need the opportunity to: Use scissors, crayons and put together simple jigsaw puzzles Stretch their imagination and be more creative and curious Develop an interest in academic things such as science and mathematics Explore and investigate their surroundings and be introduced to new and exotic things () After it is decided that a child is ready to enter kindergarten, there are a few things that the child should be introduced to. First, the child should know the name of the kindergarten teacher, the principals name, and if possible, where his / her kindergarten room is. Once the child begins school, he / she may become overwhelmed at first because of the new situation and the new people. Also, some children may not immediately like school, but with encouragement, they will adapt and hopefully begin to enjoy their very first year of school. Making friends in that very first year in the kindergarten is a very important issue associated with transition to school. At the age of five, kids are really sensitive to various aspects of their environment, they are used to day and night care they receive from their parents, and thus the process of making friends becomes very important to them.

Making friends is directly correlated to separating from parents; those kids who are easy going and enjoy new experiences will always be able to find other kids around them that they would like to hang out with while in the kindergarten. Finding new friends is the most efficient way to coop with separation from the parents, however kids might experience a lot of problem in the first stage of making friends. There are a lot of children who simply cannot make the first move, they are not confident enough to try to find new acquaintances in the new place where they have to go from their home, which used to be so cozy with parents taking care of them most of the time. Frequently, those kids become subjects of bullying and teasing, which makes the process of making friends even harder for them. Bullying occurs quite often both in kindergarten and primary school, and sometimes might become a great psychological blow to a kid. Some children are not able to stand up for themselves, they can not adapt to a new situation where there is no parents to support them and help in the hard moments.

Sensitive parents are a key to success for youngsters entering kindergarten, according to Mary McMullen, an Indiana University, Bloomington, education professor who specializes in early childhood education. "The beginning of the kindergarten school year, especially if it is in a setting new to the child, can be a difficult one for both these young children and their parents. In particular, parents need to think carefully about what they are asking of their children as they plan their school and child care arrangements for the upcoming year. " (Brumberg, p. 39) McMullen points out that most of these youngsters are forced to deal with multiple transitions throughout the day, which can be stressful for five- and six-year-olds. Many go from some type of early morning child care to kindergarten; then to special art, music, or physical education classes; then after-school child care; and then home. A number of them are then shuttled off to sports events or other extracurricular activities.

Some even have the added stress of multiple living arrangements because of divorced parents. This can result in too many sets of expectations. "Research shows that sensitively responsive adults, who know, understand, and respond appropriately to a child, as well as consistency of care, are very important in terms of overall health and well-being. Parents need to ask themselves, 'With so many adults interacting with my child on a given day, do they really have a chance to get to know my child as an individual? Do they respond in a sensitive and caring way to my child?' " (Brumberg, p. 44) To keep stress levels down for the whole family and facilitate healthy growth and development of the children, McMullen advises parents to do what they can to ease the number of transitions and minimize the complications and "busyness" that kids are asked to face in their daily lives. Moreover, kindergartners need plenty of free choice time to explore and play. "Children learn best when they engage in non stressful interactive play with peers and utilize all of these senses with stimulating materials. " They need guidance from teachers and parents who can direct their development without "undue frustrations that may result in a pattern of failure and self-doubt. " (Brumberg, p. 47) Experts say one of the biggest challenges for parents of kindergartners is balancing a hands-on approach with encouraging their child's independence. Its a big change from preschool to kindergarten, in preschool, parents are often encouraged to sit in on the child's class and participate with their children, but in kindergarten the parents must leave so the children can learn and grow on their own. (Neuman, p. 24) Children would have a more rewarding kindergarten experience, experts say, if parents would view it as the building block to future educational success.

In kindergarten, pupils learn the foundations of reading, writing and arithmetic. Everything begins with this grade. Among all the developmental issues associated with the transition to school, it is rather hard to choose at least a couple of the most important ones. A lot of parents are concerned about their child making friends and getting used to new surroundings, while many others are worried about the ability of their child to understand that now he / she simply has to become more responsible and try experiencing adult life. Although 5 year old kids do not understand all the difficulties perceived by their parents, they certainly do feel all the stresses of transition to school, which makes it quite troublesome for a considerable number of children. Although there are no best ways to prepare the children to transition to school, parents can substantially ease that process if they are able to support their children in the hard moments of uncertainty associated with completely new surroundings and people they have to meet every day.

Transition to school can become the beginning of almost adult life for some of the kids, and for others it might become the beginning of worries and problems they never had to experience before. Words: 2, 555. Bibliography: Bemporad, J, Childs Psychology, London: Books, Inc, 1999. Byrne, K, A Parent's Guide to Childs Problems, New York: Random House, 1996. Brumberg, J, Kindergarten: the Beginning of New Life, Michigan: Zondervan Publishers, 1998. Costin, C, Child Care Sourcebook, Lincolnwood, IL: Lowell House, 1999.

Eagles, D, How to Make Your Kid Become Confident, New York: Franklin Watts, 1997. Hall, L, Going to School, Carlsbad, CA: Gorse Books, 1998. Harmon, D, First Year in School: What to Expect, Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 1999. Hoffman, L, Preparing your Kid for School, New York: Harper Perennial, 1993. Neuman, P, Kids Development Stages Parents Guide, Toronto: Scientific Press, 1993. Weibner, S, Going to School: The Facts, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999.


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Research essay sample on Cognitive Skills Early Childhood

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