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Introducing Caring for Children and Young People

Did you think of any of the following?

• Gross motor skills – walking, running, climbing stairs

• Fine motor skills – brushing teeth, writing or typing, holding and using a
spoon, knife or fork, using a touchscreen or keypad on a phone or tablet.

Social development is linked to how we interact with others and how we learn
about ourselves.

Babies are usually very social – they like being spoken to and will respond to smiles.
They like being cuddled and can show pleasure or frustration. Young children begin to
understand how to play with other children – sharing toys and taking turns. They start
to make friends but can become anxious and unsure when meeting new people.

Emotional development helps us to understand our needs and those of others, and
is linked to how we feel and behave. Babies copy the emotions of those close to them
– they will smile back, but they can also get upset if their carer is upset or anxious. In
young children, emotional development is linked to becoming more independent. They
like to do things for themselves and can become frustrated when they are prevented
or restricted from doing so. As they get older, encouragement and support from
understanding adults helps them to accept boundaries and adapt their behaviour.

Intellectual development is the development of the brain. It includes thinking skills,
remembering, imagining and reasoning. When you are wondering what to do next, or
thinking about how to cross the road safely, you are using your intellectual skills.

Intellectual development is not as easy to see as physical development. Parents often
comment when their child crawls or takes their first steps. However, babies and young
children are learning and thinking, and making sense of the world around them, all the
time, and use intellectual skills to do this. These are sometimes also called cognitive
skills.

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