Amanda Thomas & Alyson Lewis 
Child Development From Birth to 8 Years 
An Interdisciplinary Approach

An understanding of Child Development is necessary for early childhood students as it underpins all early year’s practice and curricula. This book provides students with an in-depth understanding of the research, theory and current practice, supporting them through a complex area. Offering a fresh take, this book examines child development through a range of disciplines including psychology, education, sociology, anthropology and philosophy. Chapters are structured to support readers in understanding complex theory, with key features such as case studies which put theory into practice, reflective questions to encourage critical thinking, chapter summaries, further reading, and more.




Amanda Thomas is Senior Lecturer in Education at University of South Wales.

Alyson Lewis is Lecturer in Education Development at Cardiff University.

Table of Content

Introduction

PART 1: Understanding interdisciplinary approaches to child development

The Psychology of Child Development

The Sociology of Child Development

The Economics of Child Development

The Anthropology of Child Development

The Philosophy of Child Development

The Neuroscience of Child Development

The Education of Child Development

PART 2: Exploring child development domains with an interdisciplinary lens

Physical Development and Growth

Social Development

Emotional Development

Creative Development

Spiritual Development

Cognitive Development

Language Development

PART 3: Understanding contemporary aspects of early childhood practice

Understanding Play through the Disciplines and Domains

Understanding Well-being through the Disciplines and Domains

Understanding Global Curricula through the Disciplines and Domains

Understanding Inclusivity through the Disciplines and Domains

Understanding How Shared Spaces Support Child Development and the Role of the Adult within this

Opportunities to Recap and Reflect (The Conclusion)

About the author

Dr Alyson Lewis has worked in a range of sectors including Early Years/Primary Education, Further and Higher Education and the Welsh Government as a social researcher. In Further Education she led two Foundation Degrees and a Top-up Degree and was award leader at Bath Spa University for the BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies and delivered modules to students in China studying the transnational education programme. She is currently lecturer in education development at Cardiff University teaching on the fellowship programme. She completed her Ph D in 2017 which examined the concept and practices of well-being in the early years curriculum. She co-authored ‘An Introduction to the Foundation Phase in Wales’ with Amanda Thomas and has published papers relating to well-being and children’s rights.