This assignment will show the areas of development from conception to the age of sixteen, theories of development and examine how this influences practice. It will focus on physical development, as well as communication and language development in children aged three to seven. This assignment will also include theoretical perspectives related to my chosen areas of development and evaluation of how they can influence practice that affects children's development. During the first years of babies' lives, they will experience social, emotional, physical and cognitive development. Every child is an individual, which means that their development does not all happen in the same way or at the same time. Each child develops at their own pace and reaches milestones at different times in their development. In general, a child's development progresses: • From head to toe. Starting at the upper body and gradually moving down. • From the inside to the outside. First take control of the muscles near the head, then move outward so that the large muscles of the shoulders and upper arms are first and the extremities last. • From simple to complex. Children progress from simple words to complex sentences. • From general to specific. Emotional responses involve the whole body in young babies, but may involve only the face in an older child (HLC, ND). There are a total of seven areas of development. Each of the areas is interrelated and many activities can promote these areas of development. Physical development covers the aspects of development that we can see happening. This includes fine motor skills, gross motor skills, hand-eye coordination and motor skills. There are many different ways to maintain a continuous connection between the child's home life and their environment. D1D2 – Observations can be used to support planning to meet the child's needs. Observations can be made to find out if a child is making progress in their development. A child's likes and interests can be demonstrated through observation.A1 – Skinner believed that behavior in a reinforced environment tends to repeat itself and behavior that is not reinforced tends to disappear or be weakened . Positive reinforcement should be used to reinforce behavior. Negative reinforcement can also reinforce behavior because it ends or removes an unpleasant experience. Positive reinforcement can be demonstrated by rewarding good behavior with stickers and golden time. Negative reinforcement can be demonstrated by doing the opposite of positive reinforcement, without stickers or a golden period..