Child psychology is a fascinating area of research and intervention, in addition to being one of the most important.
Knowing better or worse the way little ones behave, think and feel can have very important implications for their physical and mental development. Not in vain, childhood is a stage in which we are especially sensitive to what is happening around us, and if we do not have the knowledge or adequate supervision as parents and guardians, the consequences can be very negative.
Therefore, in the following lines we will see a selection of fundamental ideas belonging to the world of child psychology with which it is possible to better understand the little ones.
These are several fundamental ideas that are worth knowing as parents, guardians or educational professionals when helping children develop.
1. Children are not incomplete adults
One of the most erroneous ways of understanding what childhood is is to believe that boys and girls are like adults who are missing components.
It is much more appropriate and realistic to understand that They have their own way of thinking and feeling, and although as they grow their mind will evolve they are already “complete” people by themselves: they create their own explanations about what they do not know, they develop their own way of playing and relating, they create their codes of behavior in all areas of life, etc.
There are those who strive for their children to learn as much as possible in the shortest time possible. This is a mistake; in the childhood, The possibility of enjoying free time, socializing and playing are essential, in addition to being an inexhaustible source of learning performed spontaneously.
3. The children’s references are the rest of the children
Another key idea of child psychology is that as adults who raise them, give them love and contribute to educating them, our role is very important in promoting the good development of children. However, The vast majority of children have as their main references children their age or a little older than them
This is something natural and has nothing wrong in itself; There is nothing wrong with our children not adopting our values, our tastes or our way of thinking, and of course, it is totally harmful to try to “force” this to happen. What we can do is allow these ideas, knowledge and values to be available in the home in which our children grow up, so that if they are compatible with their way of being, they have the opportunity to make them their own as well.
4. They need an environment with stimulation, contact with others, and affection
Scientific research shows that all children need regular physical contact with other people and with environments that contain a variety of stimuli. If not, they can develop severe psychological and psychiatric disorders. In any case, the majority of homes and families already meet these conditions.
Curiosity is one of the hallmarks of childhood, and it is through it that most learning situations take place. Therefore, we should not make them feel ashamed for asking too many questions, even if that may exhaust our patience.
6. Incentives are much more effective than punishments
In the medium and long term, create an incentive system (not necessarily material, they can also be symbolic or based on praise and admiration) is more effective than punishing children when they misbehave. In this way, it is easier for them to share goals with their parents or caregivers.
7. Imagination and play cannot be separated
As a general rule, boys and girls who do not have opportunities to play alone or with others will not have as many opportunities to imagine.
The habit of getting lost in imaginary situations is an extension of the game that occurs by interacting with the environment: Instead of manipulating toys and exploring places, imagined elements inspired by the stimuli that the child has encountered in the real world are manipulated and explored.
Therefore, being able to allow themselves to play, read, watch movies… all of this gives them more references with which they can create more interesting imaginary situations rich in nuances.
Berk, L. E. (2015). Infants and children: Prenatal through middle childhood (7 ed.). London: Pearson. Cromdal, J. (2009). Childhood and social interaction in everyday life: Introduction to the special issue. Journal of Pragmatics. 41 (8): pp. 1473 – 1476. Grotewell, P.; Burton, Y. (2008). Early Childhood Education: Issues and Developments. New York: Nova Sciences Publishers, Inc. Taylor, LC; Clayton, J.D.; Rowley, S. J. (2004). Academic Socialization: Understanding Parental Influences on Children’s School-Related Development in the Early Years. Review of General Psychology. 8 (3): pp. 163 – 178.
