The Importance of Assessing Child Development

It is important for parents and teachers to assess both the mind and body when determining how well a child is developing. Motor skills and speech are two important factors to look at when seeing how well a child is growing mentally and physically. These aren’t the only important factors to look at though and parents need to pay attention to the behaviors of children to fully assess their development: writing, reading, putting on clothes, using the toilet, riding a bicycle, etc. These activities are behavioral representations of what is happening inside the mind and body of a child.  [source](https://www.idntimes.com/hype/throwback/iip-afifullah/tanpa-plonco-ini-8-momen-unik-masa-orientasi-siswa-era-lawas-c1c2/full) Children are curious and explore their surroundings as they grow developmentally as they get older. How developed a child is may be determined by their ability to master activities. Multitasking, learning new and advanced skills, and more come with age. School age children learn to master skills in reading, writing, and personal hygiene/grooming. How well kids do in school is a reflection of the maturity level of a child. If children are adept at learning new concepts and skills then they are successfully progressing developmentally. When children are old enough to attend school they reach a stage of development called the concrete operational phase. What this means is that children are old enough to understand cause and effect. A child can see how their actions will impact them and others and can predict the outcomes of various situations. When children begin school their mind shifts from play to work. Their minds are able to think logically about the world around them. Children think of logical solutions to problems and develop plans to achieve their goals. School age children understand that there are rules to follow in society and consequences exist for breaking rules.  [source](https://pixabay.com/id/sekolah-pertanyaan-siapa-apa-2253459/) By the time children are around the age of five, their thoughts become more mature. Children become empathetic to other peoples’ feelings and needs. For example, if a child sees their mother finishing a task they may determine they need to wait to ask for her help. At this age children should more easily control their actions to take cause and effect into account. As children grow, watching how they behave can aid parents and teachers in understanding how well they are maturing. Simple actions like showing empathy or learning a new task shows cognitive development. Children learn new skills and learn how to determine cause and the effect of taking different actions. By understanding their behaviors, parents and educators can better teach children to determine which kids are on track and which kids have developmental deficiencies.