Children Community Centre

Community Centre Proposal

To the members of the public present and representatives from the city council, let me state that it is from communal effort and collaboration that today we present a proposal for this child development community center. A center aims to provide a range of developmental programs to children within this community (McDevitt et al. 2010). Through the guidance of various professionals, parents, and community members, informative, practical, and fun activities have been designed for infants, toddlers, early childhood, middle to late childhood, and adolescents, taking place within various rooms (Hurlock, 1950). Every activity is designed to enhance brain, psychological, and physical development. The communal plan ensures that every child in the community gets an opportunity to grow within an educational and healthy environment.

Research findings informed this idea that eight out of ten American children under six are within some form of care outside the home due to work (McDevitt et al. 2010). Also, considering these children will spend most of their time within the child development center, the facility must be well designed and equipped to guarantee a safe, stimulating, and nurturing environment conducive to healthy child development.

Finally, this child development center will ensure that interventions adopted are academically and developmentally effective by testing every child upon task completion (Hurlock, 1950). Personalized training will ensure each child’s needs for the growth and development achieved. Therefore, my humble submission is that you consider my expert opinion on the rooms as outlined (McDevitt et al. 2010). Each room will include the followings.

The First Room- Infant Room

Physical Development Activity

Infants are known for head and arm-leg movements, mainly when they are still below six months of age. Most of them are rarely involved in much movement. However, between six to twelve months, most infants get posture, thus begin to sit by themselves, hold their heads up, begin walking with the support of objects, pull themselves, and attempt to stand while holding others’ hands, among other physical activities (McDevitt et al. 2010). At this stage, consequently, it is recommended that an infant receives posture and balance by walking or running, together with other activities that will require posture and balance (Gesell, 2021). The link between fine motor skills and postural control is a critical focal point when working on infants’ motor skills. Postural control can be considered the ability to maintain the middleweight over a moving or steady support base (Hurlock, 1950). It is an issue of proximal motor functions. Motor advancement usually begins around the head and trunk and later continues towards the distal body.

Cognitive Development Activity

According to Jean Piaget, one of most infants’ cognitive development achievements is the comprehension of object permanence. It is a milestone that children begin to experience from infancy. The development of object permanence is one of the sensorimotor stage’s developmental functions. According to studies, infants begin the hide and seek game at around 9 and 10 months (McDevitt et al. 2010). Hide and seek games enhance infants’ object permanence development and give them a feeling of achievement when they find a hidden item. This instills in them a sense of happiness.

As a result, this proposal intends to include hide and seek games as part of the programs within the infant room at this community development center (Hurlock, 1950). Caregivers will lead the program and engage infants by hiding behind objects while allowing infants to observe some sections of their bodies. Alternatively, Caregivers can hide infants’ favorite toys, with a section of the item left visible to the infant (McDevitt et al. 2010). The basis of this game will be to enable infants to begin comprehending that items still exist even when they are not physically observed.

Psychosocial Development Activity

Infants are believed to be at a stage of mistrust versus essential trust. A stage that usually begins from birth to 12 months old. According to Erickson, this infancy conflict originates around the infant’s parental responsiveness and reliance needs (Hurlock, 1950). Infants want to feel a sense of security that they will be supported, comforted, changed, and fed. Once the parents or guardians become reliable and responsive, infants become assured of obtaining their needs, thus, developing the feeling of trust (McDevitt et al. 2010). Therefore, to promote infants’ emotional and psychosocial development, this proposal intends to use security items to assist infants in evaluating how to shift to scary environments from familiar locations. Whenever infants feel secure and their needs are consistently provided, it inhibits the development of anxiety, suspicion, and mistrust.

Subsequently, using security items like security blankets in the room will provide the infants a feeling of comfort even when moving to new environments.

The Second Room- Toddler

Physical Development Activity

Toddlers are known for the age to start to advance physical growth and development. Due to the increasing level of imagination, they tend to explore more. Consequently, most toddlers play with blocks between 12 and 24 months of age. With blocks, toddlers must figure out what they want to structure frequently. In building, they also engage their brain on where to locate what kind of squares to make the structure much more extensive and taller (McDevitt et al. 2010). Such activities enable them to start developing acts of critical thinking.

Subsequently, during such block-building activities, toddlers will get the opportunity to do little work as they express themselves to one another and share what one has learned (Hurlock, 1950). Arranging the blocks will also enable toddlers to make friends, enhance their capacity to focus, establish confidence, learn to collaborate with others, and become independent. According to research studies, gross and fine motor skills are necessary for block playing. It ultimately helps toddlers grow their education and language capabilities, critical thinking, and mathematical capacities.

Cognitive Development Activity

To communicate with one another, toddlers majorly rely on cognitive skills. For example, when toddlers play with play-doh, they begin to think that play-doh is a different thing, instilling symbolic thinking. Moreover, activities that involve play-doh usually build up to other engagements like a presentation of shape and color ideas. Caregivers can prepare play-doh in various colors and use them to make different shapes like red strawberries and bananas.

This proposal, therefore, intends to include play-doh activities to promote cognitive development within the toddler’s room. This will allow the toddlers to use play-doh for arts and craft activities. For instance, toddlers can use play-doh by molding their imagination and creativity into different shapes (McDevitt et al. 2010). On the other hand, molding can also help physically strengthen toddlers’ arms, fingers, and hands.

Psychosocial Development Activity

This plan proposes a program that can promote toddlers’ psychosocial development. Specifically, the proposal intends to include Duck, Duck Goose activity in the toddlers’ room (Hurlock, 1950). While playing this activity, children usually sit circularly, with one chosen to go round and randomly choosing the other as a substitute (McDevitt et al. 2010). The process continues until everyone gets the opportunity to run around the circle. According to the game, each child must comply with a peer’s instructions and wait for their turn to go around the circle while running. The activity’s straightforward and organized objectives and rules enhance psychosocial development for toddlers as they involve themselves in group playing.

The Third Room- Early Childhood

Physical Development Activity

For this age group, dance can be one of the activities that, if adopted, can enhance physical development. For instance, this proposal intends to adopt the Hokey Pokey dancing game where the caregiver stands before the children and begins dancing while singing Hokey Pokey (Hurlock, 1950). The caregiver gives the dance command to the children to follow (McDevitt et al. 2010). The commands are included within the song. The dance is recommended mainly for this age group as it helps them to obtain balance, self-control, and coordination with the movement of various body parts.

Cognitive Development Activity

For cognitive development in early childhood, this proposal suggests learning alphabet letters for the children. When singing together, children can be given alphabet songs and puzzles to play with as the instructor reads the book about the alphabet. For instance, the caregiver can design unique alphabet letters and brightly color them (Hurlock, 1950). Mix them up and stick them at various locations in a room. Afterward, the instructor can simultaneously go through the letters one at a time, urging the children to find where the letter is located. This kind of activity will ensure that cognitive development is achieved for this age group (McDevitt et al., 2010). Moreover, the children will improve their skills in learning colors and letters, upscale their academic skills and build a knowledge base.

Psychosocial Development Activity

This initiative proposes incorporating a stacking game within the early childhood room for the psychosocial development of early childhood children. Stacking games will enhance psychosocial development since it encourages communication among children together with their peers. According to Susan Williams, activities like checker stack encourage kids to alternate and remain on topic.

The Fourth Room- Middle to Late Childhood

Physical Development Activity

The plan proposes to adopt indoor hopscotch of dimension length of 20 feet and width of 8 feet, number stencils, duct tape, plus spray paint to be used in numbering each double and single square set. The squares will be 15 inches long and 24 inches wide, while every child is given a beanbag as the marker (McDevitt et al. 2010). After installing hopscotch and all necessary accessories, various instructors will also receive training on the game before kickstarting it. The activity will help the children to achieve a more significant milestone in body control mastering (Hurlock, 1950). In addition, the activity will ensure that children manage body rhythm and build hand and eye coordination and balance.

Cognitive Development Activity

The plan will guarantee cognitive development within the middle to late childhood room by incorporating baking processes within the program (Hurlock, 1950). Baking things like cupcakes, cakes, and brownies are essential for kids’ cognitive development. Moreover, this plan will also employ Piaget’s theory to make it much more effective (McDevitt et al. 2010). Besides, baking involves weighing and taking measurements, thus, instigating a sense of conservation among the children. As a result, some parts of Piaget’s theory will be included in the baking process. Also, containers used for measurements will be in various shapes, making it enjoyable for the kids to measure using various measuring tools.

Moreover, the caregivers will ensure that ingredients are categorized. For example, wet, dry, and cold ingredients, among others (Keenan et al. 2016). This program will also transform into an opportunity to learn since kids within the middle to late age group mostly enjoy assisting in the kitchen, especially when something like treats is heating.

Psychosocial Development Activity

Their room will be equipped with drawing equipment to enhance psychosocial development among middle to late childhood kids. Allowing this age group of children to make drawings make empowers their ability to be creative, allowing them to be more active (Hurlock, 1950). Children who make drawings obtain fresh energy to be creative and portray what is within their minds (Gesell, 2021). Typically, when drawing, kids encounter several choices (McDevitt et al. 2010). For example, the kid must figure out which color would be nice to use within a particular case? How do you draw speeding cars overtaking one another? Because kids cannot express themselves with activities and words, drawing becomes a vital means of communication.

Also, according to developmental theories, the industry versus inferiority stage varies between 7 and 11 years of age (Hurlock, 1950). At this stage, kids are believed to develop an increased confidence level and begin to grow their opportunities, become productive, take the initiative, and experience a sense of achievement. Subsequently, this age group can develop morals and emotions by practicing drawing (McDevitt et al. 2010). Furthermore, drawing complements the music, thus advancing emotional regulation and self-expression processes among kids.

The Fifth Room-Adolescence

Physical Development Activity

This plan proposes extensive physical development and activity for adolescents to ensure good physical health. We recommend yoga within the adolescent’s room. However, before starting a yoga activity, recommend an activity like a jumping jack that will be able to trigger many body movements (Hurlock, 1950). According to developmental theories and scientific findings, yoga contributes massively to the body’s health and fitness which is essential for the learning process of adolescents (McDevitt et al. 2010). Some yoga poses include upward facing dog, a plank, and a downward-facing dog: adolescents who practice yoga tone muscles and burn calories and excess fat. Equally, blood aeration through the brain and other body parts is enhanced.

Besides, yoga will also act as a therapeutic means for adolescents. For example, yoga practice and stances can treat health conditions like spiritual pain, ease pain, emotional pain, physiological pain, limitations, or suffering. According to the national institute of health, engaging in yoga improves physical development like the body’s flexibility and muscular strength (Hurlock, 1950). In addition, it improves cardiovascular and respiratory function, diminishes chronic pain, stress, anxiety, recovery from addiction treatment, quality of life and general health, and good sleep patterns (Gesell, 2021). As a result, yoga will be of tremendous value to physical well-being and emotional health.

Cognitive Development Activity

Considering that adolescents are people with developed thinking capacity, this proposal considers incorporating card games within their rooms at the child development community center. Card games like UNO and spades can enhance adolescents’ problem-solving and logical thinking skills (Hurlock, 1950). According to studies, children advance from the concrete operational stage to the formal operational stage during adolescence (McDevitt et al. 2010). Children start learning to use hypothetical thinking and deductive reasoning to establish multiple results at this phase (Keenan et al. 2016). To win card games like UNO and spades, hypothetical thinking and deductive reasoning must be enforced (Hurlock, 1950). Besides, card games, board games, and athletic games are non-competitive competitive and are attractive to adolescents. As a result, they are considered compelling perspectives to help ease tension, create an association with another party, and invigorate communication.