Development of Child
About 6 min · Child Development and Pedagogy · English
Time worked out from the lesson's 362 words at 150 words a minute, plus a minute for each question.
Child development forms the foundational pillar of the Child Development and Pedagogy section in AP TET. This topic underpins every other concept in pedagogy—you cannot understand how to teach children without first understanding how they grow, learn, and change over time.
Key ideas
- Growth vs Development: Growth is quantitative (height, weight, size of organs), while development is qualitative (maturation of functions, skills, abilities). Growth can be measured; development is observed through behavioural changes.
- Development is continuous and cumulative: Each stage builds upon the previous one. A child who has not developed basic motor skills will struggle with writing—earlier stages enable later ones.
- Development follows a predictable sequence: All children follow the same order of milestones (e.g., sitting before standing, babbling before speaking) though the pace varies individually.
- Development proceeds from general to specific: Infants first make gross body movements, then develop fine motor control. Language moves from general sounds to specific words.
- Cephalocaudal and Proximodistal principles: Development proceeds head-to-toe (cephalocaudal) and centre-to-periphery (proximodistal). Head control develops before leg control; trunk control before finger dexterity.
Quick reference
- Growth = Quantity; Development = Quality
- Sequence is universal; timing is individual
- Head-to-toe (cephalocaudal); Centre-to-periphery (proximodistal)
- Heredity provides potential; Environment determines expression
- Five dimensions: Physical, Cognitive, Emotional, Social, Language/Moral
Check yourself: 3 questions
1. Which of the following statements best describes the relationship between growth and development in children?
2. A teacher observes that all children in her class follow the same sequence of motor development - sitting, crawling, standing, walking - but achieve these milestones at different ages. This observation illustrates which two principles of development?
3. According to the principle of continuity in child development, which statement is most accurate?
This lesson is cut from the topic's note, not rewritten. Fact-checked on 18 Oct 2026: an AI-assisted check of this note against cited sources; the errors it found were corrected that day. Some errors may remain. The questions are from Shishya's validated question bank.
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