Child Psychology: A Practical Guide for Parents

The childhood it is the stage of changes par excellence.

To support children who go through this troubled stage, there are not always professionals with a thousand and one specialization degrees and years dedicated to studying at the academy to know how to face the challenges of caring for the little ones, if not, in most cases occasions, Fathers and mothers moved by their will, their capacity for effort and, of course, the love and attachment they feel for their offspring. They are the true experts on the subject.

However, this does not mean that these fathers and mothers should dispense with the knowledge that the child psychology, given the large number of hours they dedicate and how much is at stake in their way of relating to their sons and daughters. This is a field of research and intervention in which there is much to learn and even more to discover, and can be extremely useful when it comes to knowing the mental processes and behavioral styles typical of the most youths.

What is child psychology?

Within the branch of evolutionary psychology (also called developmental psychology), responsible for the study of behavioral changes in human beings throughout their lives, the stage of childhood is of special importance. In this vital phase there are a host of situations that cause many changes to occur in our body on the one hand, and on the other hand On the other, let us be especially sensitive both to these internal dynamics and to those that have to do with the environment in which we grow up and we learn. That is why today it is common to use not only the concept of developmental psychology, but also, more specifically, that of child psychology.

Child psychology has important connections with biology and educational psychology, so that his most important fields of study have to do with the behavioral and neuroendocrine changes that have to experiencing children and, on the other hand, educational styles and learning strategies that can be better adapted to they.

Below you can see some of the great conclusions about the minds of children that have been reached through the lines of research in child psychology.

Understanding sons and daughters: 7 keys to child psychology

1. The stage with the most changes

The stages of cognitive development with which one works in evolutionary psychology place special emphasis on the period from the first months of life to adolescence, since it is in that age range where the greatest number of stages occur. This is what happens, for example, in the theory of cognitive development of Jean piaget.

This, of course, has implications for child psychology. The development of cognitive abilities (such as intelligence, the memory, etc.) develop more or less at the same rate as the most observable changes as a person grows. This means, among other things, that it is not uncommon in the first ten or twelve years of a child's life a child their personality, tastes or customs seem to change radically in some aspects.

2. The moment of greatest plasticity

Many studies suggest that childhood is the life stage in which the brain is most prone to change with the smallest external stimuli. This means that certain learning can be carried out more easily in the first months or years of life, but it is also possible that certain phenomena related to the context negatively affect both the cognitive development of children and their stability emotional.

3. Tendency towards self-centeredness

One of the main conclusions that has been reached both from child psychology and from the neurosciences the thing is all boys and girls have a clear tendency towards a style ofegocentric thinking. This does not mean that your morality was developed to place your needs and goals above those of your own. others, but directly your brain is not prepared to process information related to society or the good common. This ability will appear with the myelination of certain neural circuits that connect the frontal lobe with other structures.

4. There are many reasons not to use physical punishment

Beyond the ethical dilemma of whether to apply physical punishment to boys or girls, there are more and more research that reinforces the hypothesis that this option has negative effects that should be avoided. To know more, you can see the article The 8 reasons not to use physical punishment towards children.

5. Not all learning is literal

Although the little ones do not have the ability to grasp the subtleties of language correctly, only a very small part of what they learn has to do with clear statements and firm judgments about reality (usually from parents or teaching staff). Even at such young ages, actions teach more than words.

6. Boys and girls act according to a purpose

Child psychology teaches us that, although their behavior may seem chaotic and impulsive, there is always a logic that guides the actions of the youngest. Similarly, they may have trouble adapting to certain contexts if they fail to understand why certain rules should be respected. The adequate fit between our visions of reality passes through good communication with the sons and daughters, adapting the discourse to their ability to understand more or less abstract concepts.

7. More is not always better

Although it seems counterintuitive, Trying to make children learn everything they can in the shortest time possible is not recommended. Their brain development is dictated by times that do not have to keep pace with the difficulty curve of the lessons you are trying to teach them. This means, for example, that at certain ages it is not appropriate to be taught lessons that involve dividing or multiply, even if they have learned the previous steps that an adult would be able to learn these subjects.