By: Inas Essa
Child development is a long journey during which caregivers and educators work together to support a child's healthy development. During this process, the child changes over time to reach full independence after being fully dependent on adults. This process incorporates four main, separate yet intertwined, aspects: physical, intellectual, social, and emotional growth, as well as communication. Each aspect influences the other as the growth in one leads to progress in another.
Introducing children to tinkering activities could start from a very young age. As such, it is crucial to learn more about a child's development characteristics to identify what is suitable and what is not, to help them fully use their abilities without too much pressure.
Development Stages Related to Tinkering
Starting in the womb, the child's development journey goes through different paces for each previously mentioned aspect. Here, however, we highlight the stages from 2 to 5 years of age.
Physical Development
From age 2 to 3 years old, the child starts to:
- Manipulate small objects with increased control;
- Hold the crayon with thumb and fingers;
From age 3 to 4 years old, a child develops the ability to:
- Push, pull, and steer toys;
- Build a tall tower of blocks;
As a child reaches 3-5 years of age, they can:
- Cut on a line continuously;
- Copy squares and crosses;
Intellectual Development
This aspect includes a child’s ability to think. The more their brain gets stimulated from a very young age, the more they get curious with positive results on their brain development.
Children know the environment around them through exploring and trying things out to know what works and what does not. They learn during an early stage, from 2 to 3 years old, through exploration, as well as responding to simple directions from adults. They can also:
- Group objects by category;
- Stack items in order of size; and
- Observe and imitate more complex adult actions.
From age 3 to 4 years old, children:
- Understand concepts like grouping and matching;
- Organize materials on their own;
- Actively seek information through “why” and “how” questions; and
- Learn by observing and listening to adults’ explanations.
From age 4 to 5 years old, children become able to:
- Point to and name many colors;
- Understand order and process;
Social and Emotional Development
Social development is about how children interact with other people and things. They need this kind of engagement as it helps stimulate their minds and teaches them to respond; it is closely related to intellectual development.
Concerning emotional development, babies are born with the ability to show basic emotions like happiness or distress; this allows parents to know how to respond to their child’s needs. Then, a baby’s emotions broaden as they socialize during childhood; they learn and display different kinds of emotions.
Between 3 and 4 years of age, children tend to explore everything. From 4 to 5, they follow a series of simple directions, develop friendships, and start work with others to accomplish a task.
Communication Development
This is how children ask their questions and embody their understanding of things they have learned.
From age 2 to 3 years old, they can point to common objects when they are named, name objects based on their description, and respond to “what” and “where” questions.
Between ages 3 and 4 years old, they can understand size comparisons, such as big and bigger; they understand relationships expressed by “if . . . then” or “because” sentences, and follow a series of two to four related directions.
By reaching age 4, they start asking “when, how, and “why” questions and understand the sequencing of events when clearly explained.
Tinkering Through Different Development Stages
As an educator, giving the children space and tools to tinker would be a great chance for them to learn and create. However, if these tools are not suitable for the development stage they are at, this could be an obstacle that obstructs their growth or a source of pressure on them, even though trial and error are basic in learning to help them develop a wide range of skills, including resilience.
If well introduced, children can learn a lot from tinkering and making activities. They can learn the secret sauce of success hidden in trial and error, tweaking and thinking differently. They learn that the path to success is filled with obstacles, yet they have the abilities and skills to resolve and pass them.
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