Preschooler Development Notes PDF

ANSWER KEY PRESCHOOL PHYSICAL Physical Characteristics and Skills: Physical growth slows down greatly, but size varies due to individual growth patterns Very active & energetic Skills are practiced by participating in the action again & again Bodies hav...

ANSWER KEY PRESCHOOL PHYSICAL Physical Characteristics and Skills: Physical growth slows down greatly, but size varies due to individual growth patterns Very active & energetic Skills are practiced by participating in the action again & again Bodies have become straighter & slimmer & the protruding stomach from babyhood flattens. The neck becomes longer, & the legs lengthen & grow straighter & firmer Gross Motor Development should include: Becoming more skilled at running, jumping, early throwing, and kicking, catching a bounced ball Pedaling a tricycle at 3 years Becoming able to steer a tricycle well at around age 4 Hopping on one foot (at around 4 years), and later balancing on one foot for up to 5 seconds Doing a heel-to-toe walk (at around age 5) Fine Motor Development Milestones At About Age 3: At About Age 4: At About Age 5: - Drawing a circle - Drawing a square - Spreading with a knife - Drawing a person with 3 - Using scissors, and - Drawing a triangle parts eventually cutting a - Beginning to use straight line children's blunt-tip scissors - Putting on clothes - Self-dressing (with properly supervision) - Managing a spoon and fork neatly while eating  ANSWER KEY PRESCHOOL SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL Social/Emotional Characteristics: More able & willing to share with others Gaining stronger inner self-control & self-management of emotions & can begin to relate to other’s emotions Peer oriented & realize that having friends outside of their family is fun Can learn specific social skills in the preschool environment…taking turns, sitting still for longer periods, raising hands, improving manners, etc. Erickson’s Stage of Initiative vs Guilt Initiative = the decision & motivation to accomplish more tasks than expected or asked The desire to accomplish tasks is based on the child’s motivation and self-worth Play is a child’s work & children are initiating play during this stage Children who are encouraged, allowed, and supported in these efforts develop self-confidence (the belief in one’s abilities) Repeated discouragement or punishment may lead to feelings of guilt, inferiority, or inadequacy Cooperative Play: where children play and interact with one another i.e. building a sand castle together, playing store, acting out a play, etc. Preschooler Moral Behavior: Preschoolers are beginning to: understand the reasons behind the rules develop a conscience (inner sense of right and wrong) This guides their behavior & helps them to make proper judgments Caregivers have a responsibility to help a child develop moral behavior. be a good role model of it set clear standards of behavior respond to inappropriate behavior & talk about it in private continue to show love despite the misbehavior  ANSWER KEY PRESCHOOL COGNITIVE Cognitive Characteristics: Form attitudes about learning that can last a lifetime Learn from concrete (hands-on and tangible) evidence Egocentric: still think in terms of their own activities & their perceptions now ○ continue to struggle with abstract terms ○ continue to learn through make-believe play ○ are learning that objects & words can be symbols and represent an idea ○ Limited view on ideas because these are based on the child’s perceptions Preschool Children are in Piaget’s Preoperational Stage of Cognitive Development Children are inquisitive & ask many questions because they are curious & want to understand the world around them Preschoolers learn by participation and involvement in everyday experiences Terms Related to Preschool Cognitive Development Conservation: even though one property of an object changes, the other properties remain the same EXAMPLE: liquid is the same amount even though it is poured into differently shaped glasses Classification: putting objects into sets based on common trait EXAMPLE: cats and dogs, toy blocks and toy trucks, pants and shirts Sorting: placing classified objects into smaller groups based on how they’re alike and different EXAMPLE: sorting cats by color, sorting blocks by shape, shirts by color etc Seriation: putting objects in an order based on size, weight, etc. EXAMPLE: lining crayons up in order from shortest to longest Transformation: the change of an object from one state to another. EXAMPLE: a popcorn kernel to popcorn, bread dough to bread, Jell-o powder to Jell-O, etc Reversal: what can be done can also be undone EXAMPLE: sand castle can be built & knocked down, a jacket can be zipped up & unzipped  ANSWER KEY Development of Understanding Between Reality & Fantasy: The imaginary life of kids is powerful and sways their perceptions of the real world until they master adult rationality and logic Having imaginary friends is common, normal, and shows good social and emotional skills. If the child does not play with real friends, then this could be a concern. Benefits of Reading to Children: - Develop listening skills - Improve comprehension - Form new ideas - Increase their vocabulary - Learn people read from left --> right - Learn the direction pages are turned - Stretch their imagination - Increase attention span - Feel important - Gain knowledge about the world - Increase communication skills Read Aloud Guidelines: - Begin reading to children as soon as possible - Set aside a traditional time for stories - Preview the book ahead of time - Before beginning, read the title, author & illustrator - If it’s the child’s first time reading it, ask what they think it will be about - Use expression in your voice! - Allow the child enough time to view pictures. Don’t read too fast! - Read stories of different lengths & topics - Read books with repetition to infants & toddlers - Read predictable books to preschoolers