Assessment Instructions In preparation for this assessment, take some time to visit an infant toy section at a local store or on a Web site that features toys for young children. Survey the toys available for children between birth to age 24 months. Note the kinds of toys that are labeled educational and the features that manufacturers say will enhance learning and development. Reflect on what you know about child development to critically evaluate the claims of these toys. Imagine that you will serve as an advisor to a group of parents who are wondering what kind of toys to buy for their infants or toddlers (somewhere between birth and age 2). As such, write a 3 -page article, with citations, suitable for publication in a parenting newsletter. Highlight a toy recommendation for a specific age group (birth to 6 months 6–12 months 12–18 months or 18–24 months) support your recommendation thoroughly with citations from the Resources or other scholarly sources. Keep in mind that Piaget’s theory of cognitive development could be a helpful resource in framing your recommendations. Include the following in your finished article Identify the specific age range you are addressing. Choose from birth to 6 months, 6–12 months, 12–18 months, or 18–24 months. Describe the key developmental milestones associated with the specific age range you are addressing. Address each of the following areas of development. Cognitive language and thinking skills. Physical gross and fine motor. Social and emotional. Biological reflexes, sensory systems, and so forth. Describe the research methods used by child development experts aiming to investigate developmentally appropriate toys. Highlight a toy that you believe would work to support the development of children in the range you selected. Draw on the ideas you gathered in your assessment preparation to select the toy you would like to feature. Assess how this toy addresses each of the developmental domains—cognitive, physical, social and emotional, and biological—for a child at the specific age you have selected. Explain how theory or theories of child development justify your toy selection. What evidence do these theories provide that supports your case?.
ASSESSMENT 2Top of Form
Bottom of Form
Infant And Toddler Development
Overview
Write a 3 page article suitable for publication in a parenting newsletter. In your article, recommend a specific toy for an infant or toddler, grounded in your understanding of child development and your knowledge of developmental theories.
Context
Imagine an infant and then take a moment to imagine a child who just turned one year old. In the span of a mere twelve months, the helpless infant changes to a walking, talking child with definite temperament, likes, and dislikes. The first three years of a child’s life mark a period of tremendous growth and development that is unlike any other period during the human lifespan.
Resources
Suggested Resources
The following optional resources are provided to support you in completing the assessment or to provide a helpful context. For additional resources, refer to the Research Resources and Supplemental Resources in the left navigation menu of your courseroom.
Capella Resources
Click the links provided to view the following resources:
FMG Video
Click the following link to view a video purchased through Films Media Group for use in this Capella course. Any distribution of video content or associated links is prohibited.
Emotional Development of Children. | Transcript.
This film focuses on the importance of emotional education during the various stages of childhood development and explains how caregivers and parents can monitor this vital growth.
Run time: 18 minutes.
Library Resources
The following e-books or articles from the Capella University Library are linked directly in this course:
Krapp, K. (Ed.). (2005). Psychologists and their theories for students. Farmington Hills, MI: Cengage.
Thompson, R. A., & Colman, R. A. (2000). Infancy: Early experience and socialization. In A. E. Kazdin (Ed.), Encyclopedia of psychology (Vol. 4, pp. 284–288). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Bornstein, M. H. (2000). Infancy: Emotions and temperament. In A. E. Kazdin (Ed.). Encyclopedia of psychology, (Vol. 4, pp. 278–284). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Course Library Guide
A Capella University library guide has been created specifically for your use in this course. You are encouraged to refer to the resources in the PSYC-FP2700 – Child Development Library Guide to help direct your research.
Internet Resources
Access the following resources by clicking the links provided. Please note that URLs change frequently. Permissions for the following links have been either granted or deemed appropriate for educational use at the time of course publication.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. (1991).Infant attachment: What we know now. Retrieved from http://aspe.hhs.gov/daltcp/reports/inatrpt.htm
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014). Infants and toddlers (ages 0–3)—Milestones and schedules. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/parents/infants/milestones.html
Bookstore Resources
The resource listed below is relevant to the topics and assessments in this course and is not required. Unless noted otherwise, this resource is available for purchase from the Capella University Bookstore. When searching the bookstore, be sure to look for the Course ID with the specific –FP (FlexPath) course designation.
Berk, L. E. (2012). Infants and children: Prenatal through middle childhood (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
Chapter 3, “Prenatal Development.”
Chapter 5, “Physical Development in Infancy and Toddlerhood.”
Chapter 6, “Cognitive Development in Infancy and Toddlerhood.”
Chapter 7, “Emotional and Social Development in Infancy and Toddlerhood.”
Assessment Instructions
In preparation for this assessment, take some time to visit an infant toy section at a local store or on a Web site that features toys for young children. Survey the toys available for children between birth to age 24 months. Note the kinds of toys that are labeled educational and the features that manufacturers say will enhance learning and development. Reflect on what you know about child development to critically evaluate the claims of these toys.
Imagine that you will serve as an advisor to a group of parents who are wondering what kind of toys to buy for their infants or toddlers (somewhere between birth and age 2). As such, write a 3 -page article, with citations, suitable for publication in a parenting newsletter. Highlight a toy recommendation for a specific age group (birth to 6 months; 6–12 months; 12–18 months; or 18–24 months); support your recommendation thoroughly with citations from the Resources or other scholarly sources. Keep in mind that Piaget’s theory of cognitive development could be a helpful resource in framing your recommendations.
Include the following in your finished article:
Identify the specific age range you are addressing. Choose from birth to 6 months, 6–12 months, 12–18 months, or 18–24 months. Describe the key developmental milestones associated with the specific age range you are addressing. Address each of the following areas of development.
Cognitive: language and thinking skills.
Physical: gross and fine motor.
Social and emotional.
Biological: reflexes, sensory systems, and so forth.
Describe the research methods used by child development experts aiming to investigate developmentally appropriate toys.
Highlight a toy that you believe would work to support the development of children in the range you selected. Draw on the ideas you gathered in your assessment preparation to select the toy you would like to feature. Assess how this toy addresses each of the developmental domains—cognitive, physical, social and emotional, and biological—for a child at the specific age you have selected.
Explain how theory or theories of child development justify your toy selection. What evidence do these theories provide that supports your case?
Be sure to cite all scholarly sources throughout your article.
You are urged to use Capella University’s Writing Center to help you develop clear and effective writing. Through the Writing Center, you will be able to receive feedback on your writing, use writing resources, discover new writing strategies, and explore different ways to draft, revise, edit, and proofread your own work.
If you wish, you may use the APA Paper Template, linked in the Resources, to complete your assessment.
Additional Requirements
Written communication: Ensure that your writing is free of errors that detract from the overall message.
APA formatting: Format your paper according to APA style.
Length: Write 3 typed and double-spaced pages.
Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.
Portfolio Prompt: You may choose to save this learning activity to your ePortfolio.
