PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES 2

Psychosocial Development Activities

Babies are innately social creatures, and from the earliest days, they begin to connect to
their caregivers and collect information from their actions. even newborns can imitate facial
expressions after observing their caregivers. Within weeks after a baby has been born, he or she
starts responding in rhythm to what the caregiver is saying, smiles intentionally, and starts
cooing. A child’s psychosocial development can be measured by looking at the intensity of an
infant’s emotional reactions. it also depends on how well a child is able to soothe himself or
herself. Erik Erikson postulated that there are eight stages of psychosocial development, that
begins with infancy. At each stage of psychosocial development, there are activities that foster a
child’s development.
Peekaboo games with infants below 12 months
An infant faces a lot of separation anxiety every time she or he does not see the caregiver.
Peekaboo games help the caregiver show the baby that she or he may not always be in front of
her, but will always be near. Using a sheet, hands, or by going behind the door, and peeping
helps a child deal with anxiety (Lerner & Parlakian, 2019). The mother or caregiver stands up in
front of the child and starts walking away for a few steps out of the room. Tells the kid, “I am
going. I will be back”. Gives the child a few seconds then reappears.
Erikson referred to this stage as the Trust vs. Mistrust stage, which is the most
fundamental in a child’s psychosocial development ((Mossler, 2014). The peekaboo game helps
a child develop trust, and he or she feels secure. The game assures the child of the caregiver’s
presence and emotional availability. The child knows that he or she may not always see the

PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES 3
caregiver, but the caregiver will always be near to feed, nurture, and respond to his or her needs.
A child develops trust, which is critical to the child’s emotional development at this stage.
At this stage, children seek relationships that engender security and trust. Through
peekaboo games, a child succeeds in mastering the basic psychosocial goals and is able to
advance and develop a secure sense of security. It is only from a place of secure attachment that
a baby feels safe. These games assure a child that help will always be near when he or she needs
it.
Practice pouring at 2 to 3 years
The activity requires a clean empty container and some cereals. Show the child how he or
she can drop a few pieces of cereals inside the container. Give the child the container and the
cereals and watch as she or he tries to figure out how to remove the cereals outside. The child
may try shaking the container, dropping it, turning it upside down, but eventually, he or she
manages to remove the cereals inside. The activity is effective in building problem-solving skills
in a child.
The activity is effective for children between two to three years old. Erikson mentions
that at this stage, children want autonomy ((Mossler, 2014). They want to be let alone to do
things on their own such as dress themselves or feed themselves. Toddlers develop a sense of
autonomy when caregivers encourage self-sufficiency. The child starts to believe in his or her
abilities to solve problems and have things done by himself or herself. the activity helps children
to gain autonomy and take the initiative.
Create a sticky note pad holder at adolescence (12-18)

PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES 4
Adolescents have a lot of energy that can be used constructively. In this activity, they
come up with a nice way of organizing sticky pads. The materials required for this activity
include stickers, sticky note pads of nay shape and color, a white satin ribbon, plain cardboard,
and a polka dot wrapping paper. They stick the polka-dotted sheet to the cardboard. Then place
the cardboard vertically on the table and tie the white satin ribbon in the middle around the
cardboard. Place the sticky note pads below the ribbon in any way that one desires. The last step
would be to decorate the top end with stickers. The sticky note pad holder is ready.
The activity encourages group work. The basic conflict for adolescents between the stage
of 12 to 18 years is identity versus role confusion (Mossler, 2014). Social relationships are very
important to individuals at this stage. As they try to develop a sense of self-identity, success
means a lot to them. completing small projects successfully boosts their confidence. Failure, on
the other hand, leads to confusion. Thus, small successful projects are effective in fostering the
development of identity as a teenager tends to feel in control.
Overall, a child’s psychosocial development largely depends on his or her interaction
with the environment. Erikson believed that a child experiences a conflict that positively or
negatively changes his or her development. Conflicts are centered on either fostering the
development of a psychological quality or failing to develop it. As such, there are activities that
ensure that conflicts affect the development of a child in a positive way. Such activities, such as
practice pouring, peekaboo, and creating a sicky note pad holder, ensure that a child’s
development is nurtured.

PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES 5

References

Lerner, C., & Parlakian, R. (2019). Play Activities for 12 to 24 months. Retrieved 25 November
2019, from https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/167-play-activities-for-12-to-24-
months
Mossler, R. A. (2014). Child and adolescent development (2nd ed). Retrieved from
https://content.ashford.edu/