6 Part 1 Foundations of Human Development
Look around you. Your friends, your family, the bus driver, the barista at the
coffee shop, your teacher, the child you babysit—all are unique. They are differ-
ent ages, come from diverse backgrounds, and possess unique natural abilities,
experiences, talents, skills, and interests. Their resources vary greatly including
income, education, and family support. Yet there are similarities, especially with
those in the same age group. In other words, people are similar to one another in
some ways and different from one another in other ways, 1-1.
What Is Human Development?
Of course, not all people are exactly alike, but people do go through similar
stages of development. A 6-year-old is very different from a 13-year-old. Both are
different from an infant, a 20-year-old, or an elderly person. Why? Throughout
peoples’ lives, they grow and change. This process is called human development.
Human development is an amazing, gradual process in which people change
from birth through adulthood.
Development occurs throughout the lifespan as people grow and learn. In the
first five years of life alone, babies learn to roll, crawl, stand, walk, run, hop, and
skip. They learn to laugh, talk, joke, and sing. They learn to feed themselves. They
learn to trust and to interact with others through words and gestures. Children
learn to count, spell, and write. They learn to build friendships and care for others.
They become industrious and learn self-control. They learn to organize their activi-
ties. Later as teens, they learn independence. Their minds process more complex
ideas. As teens transition to adulthood, they take on more and more responsibility
for themselves and others. Throughout adulthood, people continue to develop and
change from young adulthood all the way through old age.
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1-1
Although these young people are in the same age group, they differ in physical traits, personality,
and style.