Children and Prjudice

Children and Prejudice
                                          Chapter 2
               
C             Child Development 114
                                        March 15, 2010

    There are many indications that young children are aware of differences in other children.   Children ages two through five has commented on and asked questions about the following:   People with disabilities, gender differences, physical differences, cultural differences, ethnicity, and family lifestyles.   Children will learn to understand the differences in the world with ongoing life experiences.   This is the nature of human development.
    The developmental process can be described as the progression of children’s awareness of and attitude toward human differences.   Awareness and understanding of racial and cultural differences and the development of prejudice is influenced by growth and changes in each of these areas.   The development of self-concept and self-esteem play an important role in learning to recognize and accept others.   In preschool, intellectual development brings the ability to notice how things are different and alike.   This mindful attention to detail results in an increasing awareness of how people differ from one another.   In later preschool years and early elementary, children began to understand concepts of group membership and physical permanence.
Infants:   The foundation of self-awareness is laid in the first years of life.   Newborn babies notice color contrasts and love to look at human faces.   Around 4 months they can tell the difference between people who are familiar and people who are strangers and they respond to and initiate more interaction with people they know.   This important time is the first step in developing love and trust.
Toddlers:   Between 15 and 18 months, the drive toward self-awareness reaches a high point when children can identify themselves as unique individuals.   This is where they also receive a form of...