Belinda Knowles Pre-Prep Early Years Teacher
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
on early childhood development There is a long-held appreciation of the importance of play-based learning for children in the early years of education. Through play, a child develops essential skills in preparation for brain development and healthy cognitive growth; however, what if a child is not afforded this opportunity? From birth to age five, a child’s brain develops more than at any other time in their life. At birth, the average child’s brain is about a quarter the size of the average adult brain (Berk 2006); however, by age of five, the brain has grown to about 90 per cent of its full adult size (Berk 2006). A child is born already having all their brain cells (neurons) that they will have to develop and use for their entire lifetime. However, it is the connections (synapses) between these cells that are required to be built to enable the child to develop physical movement, cognitive function, social interaction, and emotional regulation (Berk 2006; Ray 2016). It is during these first five years of a child’s life that these crucial connections are made through the child’s natural curiosity and play.
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This early brain development has a lasting impact on a child’s ability to be a successful learner and adult. Science has shown us that for healthy neural development the child must be immersed in three conditions: secure relationships, a safe environment, and positive interactions (Van der Kolk 2014). The combination of these three conditions in the child’s first years of life provides them with the best opportunity for the structural brain development of their limbic system, prefrontal cortex, and brainstem (Van der Kolk 2014).
How brain connections are built: attachment, environment, and interactions Theorists such as Bowlby (Holmes 2003), Ainsworth (1985) Piaget (1999), and Vygotsky (1978) believe that a child’s cognitive growth develops with their brain structures over time as the child employs play and curiosity as their mode of learning. Beginning in infancy, the child is thrust into a world that requires interaction for understanding. For an infant to process their new surroundings, it is essential that they feel safe and protected. Bowlby (Holmes 2003) and Ainsworth (1985) believe this initial stage of cognitive development best occurs in what they term a ‘secure’ attachment. This secure relationship begins with the child’s primary caregiver and is later shared with the child’s teacher. It is characterised by the shared bond between the child and the adult (Ainsworth 1985).
nature and development of human intelligence, specifically with the nature of knowledge itself and how children gradually acquire, construct, and use it (Piaget 1999). Children in the early years employ their five senses through play to explore their environment and gather information to develop an understanding of the world around them (Piaget 1999). Critical to this exploration is the child’s belief that they are safe within their surroundings, which encourages further investigation. Ultimately, Piaget’s theory relies on the child having a safe environment to explore their curiosity in experiences to build their cognitive understanding and schemes.
A secure attachment is built on responsive interactions between the child and their caregiver. In the early years, attachment and brain architecture is shaped using a ‘serve and return’ play response (Holmes 2003). For example, a child babbles or cries, and the adult responds appropriately with eye contact, words, or physical touch. Neurologically, this interaction begins to build connections in the brain that support the child’s development of communication and social skills ready for playful learning interactions throughout childhood.
Vygotsky (1978) focused on a child’s cognitive functions based on their social interactions, believing that children were born with four primary mental functions – attention, sensation, perception, and memory – and it is the child’s social and cultural environment that allows them to use these skills to develop and gain cognitive functioning. Vygotsky continues by stating that the child should be supported by a knowledgeable adult or caregiver that carefully scaffolds the child’s learning. This learning distance is what he termed the Zone of Proximal Development or ZPD. Like Piaget’s theory, which relies on a safe environment for exploration, Vygotskian theory is based on the child’s need to have a supportive, knowledgeable, and attentive caregiver for neural development (Vygotsky 1978; Piaget 1993).
Piaget’s (1999) theory of cognitive development continues to build on our understanding of a child’s mental processing. His theory focused on the
However, what happens if there is a disruption during this development and a child does not have the opportunity for positive interactions with their
