We all have different temperaments, thoughts and feelings that influence our actions and decisions and become a vital part of our psychology. This defines our personality. Well, this basic ideology is not just limited to adults but is applicable to kids too. In fact, child psychology is a trending study these days, that throws light on the importance of children’s mental health. Surprisingly, kids, go through a myriad of emotional imbalances and feelings that may not even be expressed. It is difficult to understand their actions when they do not conduct themselves different from the “normal”. We fail to understand that their conscious and subconscious mind affects their behavior and way of thinking. Their circle, emotions, peers, family contribute to their mental development which is very important for a healthy and flourishing life ahead.
Two major aspects of child psychology for parents and educators are:
- Understanding your Child
- Boosting their Self-Esteem
Understanding your child- As parents and educators understanding the students or your child is one of the major aspects that should be learnt the moment you are in an authoritative position. This makes it easier to relate to your child on their level and also makes them comfortable in sharing their thoughts. Understanding opens the door to a wonderful relation between educators and students. Every child is unique and different and this defines them. In a class of 50 students, educators need to comprehend that every student will have a different grasping capacity and they need to work around that.
A few ways that children’s psychology can be understood is by observing them while they eat, play or even while they sleep. Parents and educators can observe their actions, expressions, conducts and judge accordingly whether the child is being anxious, lonely or deprived of attention. All these aspects are very important that can have lifelong effects on the fragile mind of the child. Keeping an eye on their likes and dislikes and trying to gauge their mood swings can be an effective way to understand your child.
Self Esteem – We often come across people who have low self-esteems and we a quick to judge them. But study has proven that every behavioral trait has a history that may also be leading to one’s childhood. In fact, major issues in personalities are developed due to emotional imbalances during childhood. Hence it is very important to boost a child’s self-esteem. Many schools and educational institutes conduct effective training and sessions on developing self-esteem and has proven to be an excellent way of stimulating confidence. However, children depend on their close ones to motivate them. What their parents, teachers and peers think of them, is an important thought that keeps floating in their innocent minds.
A positive impression stays with the child forever, likewise a negative influence creates a scar on their lives forever, which can damage their self-esteem for life. Hence it is extremely important to appreciate children and students even when they fail at something. You may not understand the damage one wrong word can do. Spending time with them, creating a comfortable atmosphere, applauding their failures, making them feel good about themselves are vital aspects in the development of mental health.
The Importance and Significance of Educators in Child Psycholog
Child psychology is a vast topic and studies the development of a child from the womb of its mother. There is a considerable impact of the events that happens during this period on the development and growth of a child. This makes it an important study for educators before they begin dealing with children. A good understanding of child psychology will help educators identifies behavioral issues or other learning issues and help children overcome them.
Educators need to be aware of the physical, cognitive and emotional development in a child. Ignorance to any of these aspects can lead to an incomplete development in a child. Each of these aspects has a great impact on the overall development of a child and hence educators should be aware of them.
Physical development is the development of the child’s body. An educator needs to look out for the growth in a child comparing it to the benchmark that is set for physical development. Keeping a vigil on the physical growth will help identify any delays in development and will help address them at an early stage.
Cognitive development is the process of acquiring knowledge through thought, experience and reasoning. Learning is constant, it is never ending and hence it plays a crucial role in the overall development of a child. Cognitive development comprises of memory, observing and understanding things around, imagination, making decisions, dealing with a problem, learning a language, etc. The environment around has a major influence on these aspects of a child’s development. Educators need to carefully study this aspect to create an environment that will nurture a child’s cognitive development. Margaret Mead rightly said, ‘Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.’ This will lead the way to innovation in the days to come.
Emotional development looks at the emotions that a child feels, understands and expresses. A child will experience emotions differently at different age groups. Their expression and understanding towards these emotions will also vary. The basic emotions of happiness, sadness, anger will be seen at an early stage in their lives, keeping a watch on how strongly these emotions are expressed will help in understanding the child. More complicated emotions pride, jealousy, confidence will emerge as the child grows. Educators need to be sensitive towards a child’s emotional development and find various ways to help them understand their emotions. These emotions can have an impact of the social development of the child as well. Social development is the ability to connect well with the people around them. Building early relations can have a huge impact on their social skills. Friendship, managing conflicts, respecting elders are some examples of social development.
Educators who spend a quality amount of time in understanding or studying child psychology will be able to have a positively lasting impression on the life of a child. This in turn will help raise individuals who will contribute to the well-being of the society in a different and creative way.
Educators or teachers are a vital part of every student’s life. Whether negative or positive students are like a clay that take the shape they are given. Hence, educators need to understand that they are in the real business of shaping lives and giving student’s a new perspective in life.
