Childhood it is the period of growth that goes from birth to puberty, that is, from zero to twelve years of age.
According to the Child and Adolescent Statute, it is considered as kid the person with up to twelve incomplete years, while between the ages of twelve and eighteen there is adolescence.
Etymologically, the word "childhood" originates in latin infantry, from the verb fari = speak, where fan = talking and in it constitutes the negation of the verb. Therefore, children it refers to the individual who is not yet able to speak.
Major Developments in Childhood
Early Childhood (0 - 3 years)
- All senses function at birth;
- Fast physical regeneration and development of motor skills;
- Ability to learn and remember, even in the first few weeks of life;
- Rapid development of understanding and speech;
- Development of self-awareness in the second year of life;
- Attachment formation to parents and others at the end of the first year;
- Increased interest in other children.
Second Childhood (3 - 6 years)
- Increased strength and simple and complex motor skills;
- Predominance of egocentric behavior, but with increased understanding of the perspective of others;
- Illogical ideas about the world due to cognitive immaturity;
- Play, creativity and imagination become more elaborate;
- Increased independence, self-control and self-care;
- The other children are starting to become important, but the family is still the nucleus of life.
Third Childhood (6 - 12 years)
- Decrease in physical growth;
- Improvement of strength and physical ability;
- Decrease in egocentrism;
- Begins to think logically, though predominantly concretely;
- Increased memory and language skills;
- Improved ability to take advantage of formal education through cognitive gains;
- Development of self-image, which affects self-esteem;
- Friends become of fundamental importance.