The Foundation to Studying Children

PIES

Influences on Development

Human Life Cycle

Patterns of Physical Development

Characteristics of Development

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PIES

Puzzle Pieces for Notebook Notes

P

I

E

S

How is a child’s development like a jigsaw puzzle?

Physical

• Having to do with the body & motor skills:
• LARGE motor skills develop large muscles

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• SMALL motor skills develop eye/hand coordination

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Physical

• Focuses on growth such as height & weight
• Development of the senses
• Physical development depends on opportunities to develop small/large motor skills & to maintain health through proper nutrition, exercise, rest and medical care

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Intellectual

This area has to do with:

• the mind & brain
• learning & problem-solving
• school concepts
• creative thinking skills
• language & literacy
• moral development

Emotional

Identifying and expressing feelings:

•Understanding others feelings

•Developing a positive self-concept

Social

Getting along with & interacting with others that includes:

–Sharing & taking turns

–Cooperating & playing together

–Appreciating diversity

–Following rules & appropriate behaviors (manners)

Small Group Work

Case Study

Four year old Libby woke up from her nap hungry. Her mother had promised that they would make muffins, a favorite snack. So mom read the recipe and helped Libby measure the ingredients and put them in the correct order. Mom even let her stir at appropriate times. She also lined the muffin tin with paper liners and helped pour the batter into them. When the muffins finished baking and came out of the oven, Libby squealed with delight saying “I did it…..I made muffins!” She was so proud of herself. Together, mom and Libby, enjoyed muffins with a cold glass of milk, which Libby poured by herself.

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Identify the physical, intellectual, emotional, and social areas of development taking place in this scenario….

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Notebook Interactive Activity

• Draw a quadrant on right side of your notebook.
• Label the quadrant with PIES.
• As we watch this clip, write down examples of the PIES being represented in the clip.
• Students then share their examples, with partners first and then as a whole class.

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PIES

Station 1

Write 4 sentences, explaining what is happening developmentally in the picture.

Begin each sentence with the following:

• Physical development is happening because….
• Intellectual development is happening because…
• Emotional development is happening because…
• Social development is happening because…

PIES Picture Analysis

PIES - Test Your Knowledge

Take the Building Blocks Quiz.

Label the area/type of development that is best represented in the statement.

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Write your answers on the foldable.

Patterns of Physical Development

Station 2

Write a few sentences, explaining each of the Patterns of Development.

Begin each sentence with the following:

• Head to toe is …
• Near to far is …
• Simple to complex is…

Patterns of Physical Development

3 General Patterns

1. Head to Toe
2. Near to Far
3. Simple to Complex

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Resource: Pattern of Physical Development

Patterns of Physical Development: Head to Foot

Begins before birth

Continues after birth:

3 Months = Head

6 Months = Trunk

9 Months = Knees

12 Months = Feet

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Cephalocaudal

• Babies develop from head to toe because the body is top heavy at birth and the head is more developed than the lower body.

Patterns of Physical Development: Near to Far

Starts close to the trunk of the body and moves outward.

• Infant are able to scoot their entire body towards an object they want.
• Infant wave their arm at it.
• Infant then try to grab the object with the palm of their hand.
• Infant learn to pick up object with their thumb and forefinger.

Proximodistal

• Babies develop from the center of the body outward; the core of the body develops before the arms, and the arms before the hands and ultimately the hands before the fingers.

Patterns of Physical Development: Simple to Complex

Simple

Large Muscle Groups(Gross)

• Control head
• Control rolling
• Control reaching
• Control crawling

Complex

Small Muscle Groups (Fine)

• Control fingers

Large muscle development takes place first leading to more fine and complex abilities later.

Differentiation

• Means simple to complex, which is how babies progress.

Influences on Development

Station 3

There are two influences on development:

• Heredity
• Environment

Create a visual with the provided information to explain the influences on development.

Heredity

Heredity is the Biological transfer of certain characteristics from earlier generations.

Children inherit genes from their parents, and these microscopic DNA strands can have a considerable impact on physical growth. For instance, genes determine approximately 80% of a person’s adult height, and environmental factors like nutrition affect the other 20%.⁴ Also, a 2020 study reveals that genes influence head circumference and childhood intelligence.⁵

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Genes also shape children’s physical and mental health. Some infants are born with genetic disorders caused by mutations in their DNA strands. Conditions like Down syndrome, a chromosomal disorder, and spina bifida, a congenital spinal disability, significantly disrupt children’s growth and development.

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Environment

Environment are the people, places, and things that surround and influence a person. This includes family, home, school, and community.

Parents or guardians also play a crucial role in children’s growth and development. Parenting styles affect children’s behavior, cognitive processes, and personalities. For example, positive parenting practices like creating mealtime routines and feeding healthy snacks help children self-regulate their diet and weight. Similarly, authoritative parents with clear behavioral rules tend to raise confident and independent children. By contrast, kids raised by uninvolved parents may struggle to regulate their emotions and develop healthy social relationships.

Environment

Social Economics Factors

Family income and level of education contribute to children’s physical and cognitive growth. On average, kids born in families with high socioeconomic statuses grow taller than their lower-status peers. They’re also more likely to engage in physical activity and organized sports, boosting their health and social relationships.

In addition, socioeconomic factors impact mental well-being. A 2020 meta-analysis of population-based studies detected a link between low socioeconomic status and child psychopathology. Children raised in poverty are more likely to experience challenges like housing instability and traumatic experiences. As a result, they develop mental disorders at higher rates than youth from wealthier families.

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Environmental Factors

Children grow up surrounded by external influences that impact growth and development in complex ways. Environmental factors include climate, cognitive stimulation, diet, friends, housing conditions, infections, pollution, and stress.¹¹ Many of these forces, like pollution and weather, can negatively affect developing children. For example, a 2022 study reported that air pollutants affect child neurodevelopment, leading to poor academic performance.¹²

Peer relationships also shape cognitive development. Children who experience bullying perform worse on cognitive tests, have more behavioral issues, and get lower grades than non-bullied children.¹³

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Human Life Cycle

Station 4

Draw the human life cycle in your notes. Identify each stage of the human life cycle.

Identify the ages for each human life cycle stage.

Through your own research identify the major things that happens during each stage.

Human Life Cycle

Characteristics of Development

1. Development is similar for each individual.
2. Development is built upon earlier learning.
3. Development proceeds at an individual rate.
4. The different areas of development are interrelated.
5. Development is continuous throughout life.

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Resource: Explaining PIES Development