A study shows that almost 40% of Brazilians are underdeveloped in early childhood. Find out what the stages of child development are

According to a research, conducted by the PIPAS Project, 39.6 per cent of children have underdevelopment in early childhood. In addition, on average, 42.8 per cent of the adults interviewed reported never having received information about child development.

The study also found that 24 per cent of children in early childhood had no children’s books or picture books in their homes. In other words, almost a quarter of Brazilian children have no access to books at home.

Finally, the issue of child development also suffers as more than 75 per cent of Brazilian children spend days without stimulating activities, reading books, drawing and playing.

What is child development?

First of all, we need to understand that child development involves the child’s growth in physical, motor, social, emotional and cognitive aspects. All these areas are closely interconnected. It is worth emphasising that when all aspects are aligned, full development is achieved.

For each age group, the child is expected to develop certain skills – what are called phases or stages of child development. This concept was developed in the 1920s by psychologist Jean Piaget.

According to the theory, a child’s learning is directly related to the environment and stimuli to which they have been exposed. It is also closely related to the child’s ability to adapt to the environment, which provides the means for evolution in the different aspects that make up a person.

There are four stages in all, related to the child’s age:

• Stage 1 – sensory motor: runs from birth to two years of age. The child begins to discover their own body, learning about flavours and smiles. It is also the time of the first words and learning to walk;
• Stage 2 – preoperative: comprises the skills between the ages of 2 and 7. This is when the representation of reality through one’s own thoughts begins. This is the origin of imagination and the curiosity to find out why. In addition, communication becomes clearer and more objective, and the child develops a sense of individuality;
• Stage 3 – concrete operatory: Between the ages of 7 and 11, children become more susceptible to empathy, seeing themselves in the other person’s shoes and better understanding what is right and wrong. Logical reasoning is improved. In other words, children become more agile problem-solvers, thinking of solutions to their problems;
• Stage 4 – formal operational: From the age of 11. This is the last stage of children’s development, when their cognitive capacity already resembles that of an adult, being able to hypothesise and make deductions, with critical thinking and autonomy.

Stimulating development

For a child to develop fully, adults need to stimulate their growth through certain activities. These include everything from sports to reading and critical thinking.

Knowing this, the Ramacrisna Institute offers children participation in various workshops through the Ramacrisna Educational Support Centre (CAER). The classes take place during the school day and help broaden the students’ horizons, opening the door to a more equal and just world.

The workshops use high-tech equipment, such as the digital literacy table – an electronic panel with interactive blocks that represent letters – and the digital whiteboard, which has internet access and allows children to enter the world of innovation. The children also work with educational IT to expand their cognitive and creative capacities. Educational and research software is used to enrich content and teaching processes, as well as programming and robotics classes. Special activities are aimed at girls, promoting their digital insertion and getting them into university and a decent job.

The institute also has various sports activities, which help not only with physical and motor development, but also contribute to the students’ social development and discipline.  Classes are offered in chess, futsal, football society, shuttlecock, judo and volleyball.

The children receive lunch and snacks every day, including during the holidays, as an incentive for their families to keep them at school. This has significantly reduced school drop-outs and child labour, which are common practices in the region, and increased the level of schooling of children and adolescents.

Get to know Ramacrisna

With the full development of children in mind, the Ramacrisna Institute has been working for 64 years to improve the lives of thousands of boys and girls, with leisure, sports and cultural options that guarantee growth in all human aspects. The projects also help to improve school performance, with after-school activities aimed at literacy and mathematical learning.

The boys and girls also have a library, which brings them closer to the world of letters, and storytelling. In addition, the Institute provides a healthy and balanced diet, with nutritional monitoring.

In this way, Ramacrisna offers a safe place for children, allowing parents and carers to keep their jobs and improving the quality of life for the whole family.

Get to know the initiatives and contribute to transforming the lives of boys and girls in situations of social vulnerability.