This is the fourth in a series of 10 articles about meeting the needs of children during the first five years.

Q: What are additional principles of child development and learning during the early years?

A: The National Association for the Education of Young Children endorses a set of principles widely accepted as empirically sound upon which to base early childhood learning. The first principle states development in different areas is interrelated and learning or lack of development in one area can affect the rate of development in others. These domains include cognitive, emotional, physical and social development.

A second principle from early childhood programs is learning occurs in an orderly manner and also is sequential and predictable. Such a framework means children learn simple knowledge, tasks and skills and later build more complex knowledge tasks and skills based upon what previously is learned. In other words, a child cannot learn to run before that child learns to crawl and walk.

Although there are norms for development in children, there are several exceptions that necessitate that parents maintain flexibility in their expectations of growth and development patterns in their children. First, a particular child might not develop at the same rate in all areas of learning. For instance, a child might be advanced in cognitive and emotional development but slower in physical and social development.

Some children might be ahead or behind the majority of children in their age groups. Children with special learning needs will not follow normative patterns, especially if their learning problems are not identified early. When parental expectations exceed children's developmental abilities, children develop low self-esteem and doubt their own competencies.

Both positive and negative early experiences can have cumulative effects on children later. For example, social, sensory and motor experiences of children during the first three years have lasting implications in children's learning capacities. Using rewards to reinforce behavior in small children is effective but does not transfer into motivation for older children to continue such behavior. For example, paying children to read or do chores might not motivate older children to continue these activities.

The first three years are the optimal years for language development. Trying to catch up later for youngsters deprived of early language development opportunities requires a lot of work. These children are at a real disadvantage when starting preschool and school. Another development that is optimal for preschool children is motor development, including skills such as running, hopping, skipping and jumping.

Learning in young children occurs in the contexts of family, school, community and society. Children might have positive environments at home but be subjected to bullying at school because of their race or ethnicity. Culture shapes all children because of the values and beliefs it teaches and the behaviors and customs it sanctions.

Young children are active, rather than passive, learners. They form their own ideas from observing and interacting with other adults and children. They learn by asking questions and reflecting on their observations and impressions. Children learn from the first-hand experiences of doing activities and from the symbols of language, i.e., the alphabet and numbers.

Play ranks among the highest learning modalities for children because play provides the context in which children can practice new skills, practice new roles, attempt challenging tasks or solve complex problems. Play also provides parents with opportunities to listen to and observe their children. In many instances, children will act out their concerns in play.

Play touches on all arenas of development and provides a safe outlet for children to deal with emotions and gain a sense of competency. Moreover, play develops creativity and imagination in children.

An important principle to understand about learning in children is children need to experience success in negotiating learning tasks in order to maintain motivation and perseverance. Repeated failures cause children to stop trying. On the other hand, children are motivated to stretch themselves by trying to learn new tasks. These efforts need to be supported by parents and significant others, such as extended family and teachers. Children first master new tasks with support, then independently.

Another principle of learning in early childhood is children have differing modes of learning, such as visual, auditory or hands-on. Preferred modalities also extend to older children and adults.

A final principle of learning is based on Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. He theorized physical and psychological needs for safety and security have to be met first before children can learn. Many children today live with unmet basic needs for security and safety and inadequate resources to meet these deficiencies.

* Next week's discussion will be about social and emotional well-being in young children.

Judy Caprez is associate professor and director of social work at Fort Hays State University. Send your questions to her in care of the department of sociology and social work, Rarick Hall, FHSU.