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Playful Years 1
Running Head: THE PLAYFUL YEARS
The Playful Years
Alexandra C. Beerli
California State University, Chico
[CD 252 Fall, 2007]
Playful Years 2
Abstract
As a student in the Child Development 252 class we are required to observe the preschool
children enrolled in the Associated Students/Child Development Laboratory which is
located on the California State University, Chico campus. The main objective of this
paper is to observe the preschool children in the AS/CDL and correlate the observations
of their characteristics concerning their physical development, cognitive development,
and their socioemotional development to the textbook, The World of Children by Cook
and Cook. The paper will also include information about the AS/CDL Observation Booth
and the classroom environment.
Playful Years 3
The Playful Years
Child development is defined by Cook and Cook (2007) as a field of study in
which researchers from many disciplines work to describe and understand the important
changes that take place as children grow through childhood (p.6). A child’s development
is composed of physical development, cognitive development and socioemotional
development. Cook and Cook (2007) define physical development as the component of
development related to growth in size, strength, and muscle coordination. Cognitive
development is the component of development related to changes in how children think,
remember, and communicate. Socioemotional development is the component of
development related to changes in how children interact with other people (p.7). These
three forms of development are crucial in a child’s early years in life which makes it even
