'the state or period of being a child'

Any child from the age of 0 to 18 is considered a child and the experiences a person goes through at those ages is considered their childhood.

How was childhood seen throughout history?

From the 19th century, children were seen as sources of income as many families were from poor backgrounds and 'infant mortality was very high.' (Torrens 2023). As children were seen as 'potential earners' there was a very vague blur between children and adults and the children were seen more as 'small adults' instead of infants. This was theorised by Phillipe Airies who stated that there was no distinction between children and adult which meant that childhood did not exist due to the lack of need to 'protect children from the realities of life'. He believed childhood was a 'recent invention' and was not seen as 'special or unique'. However, childhood now is seen as distinct and is seen as a special time where children are treated uniquely compared to adults.

The 1833 factory act put an end to the employment of children under and it was compulsory for children aged 5-13 to attend schools to get an education.

• children may not be able to have the same amount of access to resources as other children do which can re3sult in a lack of good quality education, stimulating environments, nutritious food etc which can all affect the cognitive, social and emotional development of these children in a negative manner.

• parental socioeconomic status can have an impact on the child's development as children whose parents have a higher income can provide their children with better more enriched environments and better quality education in comparison to children whose parents have a lower income.

• healthcare access can also impact the way a child develops due to some parents not being able to afford medications or good quality health as there may be more health issues arising for the children compared to those children who do have that access.

• parental time and support can also impact children's development as some parents may not have enough flexibility in their lives or affordability to get childcare to help improve their children's childhood. this can lead to stress and adversity for children and can lead to long term cognitive development delays

educational inequalities:

• low income schools and settings may lack teaching resources, teaching support and training, smaller less enriched environments etc which can greatly affect the child's cognitive and learning development.

• there may be a digital divide as low income children may not have the latest technology or access to the technology needed for the links and resources need to help support the child.

• both parents and children may struggle to access support services to help meet their needs which can lead to stress and aversity in the child's life.

environmental inequalities:

• children may not have access to gardens and parents may be too busy to take them outside which can affect their personal social and emotional development and can also delay their physical development.

• there could be a lack of nutritious healthy food and children may not be getting the nutrients needed to help grow or stimulate their mind.

genetic inequalities:

• children may be born with genetic conditions that can stop them from reaching their milestones.

• genetic diseases can also impact a child's life severely and can stop the child from developing in the right time frames. there could be issues with speech, delays in motor skills and learning delays.

• believed that children's brain development linked with their interaction in their surroundings and environment around them.

• said children progress through 4 main stages:

  1. sensorimotor stage: this was from birth to the age of 2 where he believed that children learnt through their five senses and that they developed object permeance which is the understanding of an object still existing even when out of the child's sight. He also believed that this was the stage where children started to develop their motor skills and were starting to develop an understanding of the environment around them.

  2. preoperational stage: this was from the ages two to seven where children start to use language pictures and symbols yet still lack logical thinking and believed that children at this stage would not be able to understand another's perspective.

  3. concrete operational stage: children from the age of 7-11 were believed by Piaget to understand and make conversations, think logically and make concrete choices.

  4. formal operational stage: Piaget believed that children aged 11 and older could begin to think abstractly, think logically, imagine possibilities and understand consequences.

• he introduced the zone of proximal development and believed that the child needed someone who could help them in an activity and then the child would be able to do it independently.

• he believed that a child's cognitive development could reach new abilities through a guided member, collaborative learning and cultural tools.

• introduced the spiral curriculum where he believed that subjects should be taught in a structured manner.

• believed children should explore the environment around them to help with critical skills and problem solving instead of being taught by an adult.

• highlighted the importance of culture and thought that culture and the experiences a child experiences shapes the child in the future and that it also shaped the way a child's cognitive development occurs and how the child thinks about things in the future. (harvard university, 2023)

• believed that there should be active engagement and that children should child hands on instead of through the traditional teaching route.

• believed that children should active and responsible members of society and that the lessons of democracy should be instilled early on.

• believed that children should be taught ethically and that they should be prepared for the social situations they would be participating in later on in life and that by collaboratively working together children would be able to engage in meaningful morally right behaviours in society.

• most of this has been implemented in settings as children are able to explore freely with the comfort that an adult is present and available if needed. There has been an increase of importance on speech and language and creating those social situations for children to help them engage in conversations and pick up new vocabulary and language. practices have gotten creative and use many different ways of storytelling and bringing in those new words for children in different areas of the setting.

• genetics determine the traits and the characteristics given to the fetus during conception. it plays a very important part in determining the biological and physical characteristics of the fetus. genetics can influence the eye colour, hair colour, physical and cognitive development and if the fetus is susceptible to certain diseases.

• maternal health has a direct impact on the pre natal development. If the mother is not taking the nutrients needed for example folic acid, iron and calcium then it can delay the growth of the fetus and can result to developmental issues and birth complications. If there have been a usage of substances by the mother, it can lead to growth deficiencies, developmental delays, birth defects and long term behavioural issues.

• maternal age can impact the fetus due to the maturity level of the mother, if the mother is young or too old they may face genetic abnormalities with their fetus.

• fetal factors such as genetic anomalies or developmental abnormalities can influence pre natal development. These can affect the growth and formation of major organs and limbs.

• hormonal influences can affect fetal development if they don't regulate the developmental processes in the fetus and can impact the development.

  
  

• birth weight and gestational age can impact the childs health after birth. premature births and low birth weights can lead to severe complications and developmental issues.

• health conditions at birth such as birth injuries, infections and raspatory infections can lead to serious lifelong health complications and diseases.

• breast feeding and nutrition plays a crucial role in the child's development, if lacking it can lead to a delay in their physical and cognitive development.

• immune system development continues after birth and if child is not receiving the right care or nutrients needed, it can lead to a weak immune system in the child.

• a lack of a support system can impact the post natal recovery which can lead to parents not being able to care for their new-born or could lead to both stressful times for mum and the baby.

• access to health care may not be available, which can lead to there being health concerns which if not treated it could have a drastic impact on the child's development and on the mother too.

• postpartum depression can affect the care given to the new-born as the mother may feel unable to care for the child.

• socioeconomic situations can impact the healthcare, special support and the help a child gets if the baby was to come from a lower socio economic background.

• the environment the child grows in plays a role in their development, if the environment lacks safety and security and has toxicants and pollutants it can have severe impact on both the child's learning development, personal social and emotional development and also the cognitive development too.

  
  

• environmental exposures to toxicants and pollutants and even certain medications can lead to birth defects and delays in fetus development.

• maternal lifestyle can affect the fetal development if the mother smokes, uses dugs and alcohol throughout the pregnancy then it can lead to severe developmental issues for the fetus and birth defects.

• if there is a lack of prenatal care access to monitor both mother and the fetus health, then it can lead to missed health implications or risks and can result to a danger to the mother and fetus.

• mental health can influence fetal development and increases the risk of premature birth or the fetus being born with a low birth weight.

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Cleveland Clinic (2023). Stages of pregnancy & fetal development | Cleveland clinic. [online] Cleveland Clinic. Available at: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/7247-fetal-development-stages-of-growth. [last accessed: 27th December 2023]

Harvard University (2016). Jerome Bruner. [online] Harvard.edu. Available at: https://psychology.fas.harvard.edu/people/jerome-bruner. [last accessed: 27th December 2023]

Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. (2023). InBrief: The Science of Early Childhood Development. [online] Available at: https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/inbrief-science-of-ecd/#:~:text=Brains%20are%20built%20over%20time%2C%20from%20the%20bottom%20up.&text=In%20the%20first%20few%20years. [last accessed: 27th December 2023]

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