12 Domains Of Development

The principles of development are basic patterns of growth and learning in which all children pass through. Research shows that all children develop from the head down and from the center outwards. The domains of development being physical, cognitive, social and emotional all have patterns of growth within them. Within the physical domain for example, an infant must first be able to lay on their belly and lift their head and hold it steady before they can learn to use their arms to lift their chest up off the floor. The child builds muscle and strength in order to get to their hands and knees, and then learn to scoot and crawl, from here they learn to pull up to a standing position, and eventually take their first steps and transition into
It is a building process which starts with a basic foundation and develops from there. I like to think of the stages as if you were building a house. Without building each phase of the house properly it will be unstable. If you do not have a strong foundation how can you put up walls and expect them to be straight, how can you expect a roof to be secure if the walls cannot hold it? The same is true for the domains of development. A child who is not shown security from those who care for it, has no sense of trust (emotional). A child who is not shown boundaries of their own, does not know boundaries of others. A child who is not given opportunities to play with other children, will not know how to play with others (social). A child who cannot crawl, will not be able to walk (physical). A child who does not know the alphabet, will not have the ability to read (cognitive). Successful completion of each stage results in a healthy personality and the acquisition of basic virtues. Failure to successfully complete a stage can result in a reduced ability to complete further stages and therefore an unhealthier personality and sense of self. These stages can be resolved successfully at a later