Chapter 2 Learning About Children 55
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To care for children, you must understand how they grow and develop.
Children differ in their physical, intellectual, social, and emotional growth.
In this section, you will learn about babies during their fi rst year of life.
Children grow and develop rapidly during the fi rst year.
Each Child Is Special
Every child is unique. Each develops at a different rate. Some start to
walk, talk, and teethe earlier or later than others their age. Even brothers
and sisters develop at different rates. See 2-4. A younger brother may be
able to put a puzzle together at an earlier age than his brothers or sisters.
These differences are normal. They result from the infl uence of heredity
and environment.
Although children grow and learn at different rates, they achieve
developmental tasks in a certain order. The development of one skill leads
to the development of the next. For instance, babies fi rst learn to hold their
heads up, then roll over. Soon they sit, crawl, stand, and walk. One skill
builds on another.
Reading
Review
1. Think of two young children you know. Give examples of how their
personalities are different.
2. Why do children achieve developmental tasks at
different rates?
The First Month
From birth to age one month, a baby is
called a newborn. Caring for a newborn
is one of the greatest challenges a parent
or caregiver faces. When babies are
born, they are completely dependent.
Dependent
means they rely on others
for support. For instance, newborns need
someone to feed them and cover their
bodies to keep them warm. They cannot
perform these simple tasks for themselves.
At birth, a baby’s body has a narrow chest
and large abdomen. The average weight
is 7½ pounds, and the average length is
20 inches. Babies grow rapidly, however,
during the fi rst year. Within a few months,
the arms and legs fi ll out. The eyes may
change color.
Parents with more than one child must
remember children grow and develop at
different rates.
2-4