Child Development Theories

Start with the key ideas

Begin with the mind map Constructivist Theory for an overview of ideas associated with Piaget and Vygotsky. It includes stages of cognitive development and opportunities for learning. The mind map Theorists offers another route into the topic, with material on Bandura, social learning and Piaget’s constructivist approach. Looking at both can help you organize the names and ideas before moving on to more detailed resources.

Explore theorists and development

The flashcards in Cognitive Development - Bruner cover Bruner, similarities with Piaget and Vygotsky, and scaffolding. Use them to practice recalling individual terms after looking at the maps. For a different focus, the flashcards in Child development and Behavior Guidance ask about temperament, personality and attachment. The mind map Theorist street map also covers attachment, including Bowlby and Ainsworth, alongside social behavior.

Combine a quiz with a map

The quiz on constructing new knowledge is a starting point for testing your understanding. Try its questions after studying a map, then return to the ideas you want to review. You can also use flashcards to practice recalling terms before trying the quiz. This gives you different ways to work with the page’s material: maps for seeing connections, flashcards for recall and questions for checking your understanding.

Use this section within the unit

Child Development Theories is a section of the Child and Human Development unit in Education and pedagogy. The resources bring together different perspectives on development, so you can use this section to organize ideas within that unit. They were made by GoConqr users, and each offers its own way into the material. Choose a map to explore, then try a quiz alongside it.