Page 2 - LESSION 7.pmd

Domains of Development

7.1 DOMAINS OF DEVELOPMENT

Domains of development refer to different areas or aspects in which children’s development
Notes takes place. The various domains of development are:
1. Physical and motor development including gross and fine motor skills.

2. Socio-emotional development refers to an understanding of self and the social
environment, managing and expressing emotions in a socially desirable manner.
3. Moral development refers to the sense of right and wrong.
4. Cognitive development refers to thinking and understanding of various
concepts and phenomenon.

5. Language development, communication, emergent and early literacy focusing
on listening, comprehension, oral/speaking skills and writing.

Let us study about each of these domains of development in detail.

7.1.1 Physical and Motor Development

Physical growth and development includes increase in height, weight and changes
in the proportions of the body structure. It includes the development of bones.
The entire structure of the body depends on the bones, i.e. on their size, proportion
and density. They give an overall configuration and look to the body. You have
read in the previous lesson that physical development takes place in two ways,
proximodistal and cephalocaudal. Physical development includes not only changes
happening externally but also what happens internally in the body. It also includes
changes and maturation of internal organs. As children grow physically, the internal
organs including the brain and the central nervous system also develop.

Physical development can be understood better in terms of fine and gross motor
skills. Motor skills are physical abilities that children develop, which help them
control the movements of their bodies. In a relatively short period of time, they
begin to develop simple motor skills.

Children develop two broad kinds of motor skills–gross motor skills and fine
motor skills. Gross motor skills involve large muscles and help control actions
of children such as crawling, standing, walking, climbing, running and so forth.
Fine motor skills involves mall muscles and affects the ability to use hands and
fingers effectively. Fine-motor skill development usually involves eye-hand co-
ordination, which is the ability to match the movements of the hands with what
the eyes see. Developing fine motor skills help children in holding things like a
cup or a crayon, turning the pages of a book, buttoning and zipping, drawing and
writing, etc. In simple words, fine motor skills help children grasp, hold, move
and handle different objects. Most of the activities of children, as well as ours,
require a combination of gross and fine motor skills.

90 EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND EDUCATION