 Change in size and proportion and muscle strength support

new gross motor skills. The child’s body becomes more

streamlined and less top-heavy.
 The shift of the center of gravity improves balance, agility
and flexibility supports refinements in running jumping
Body Changes hopping and ball skills

GROSS MOTOR SKILLS

 Change in size and proportion and muscle strength support new gross motor skills. The child’s body becomes more
streamlined and less top-heavy.
 The shift of the center of gravity improves balance, agility and flexibility supports refinements in running jumping
hopping and ball skills
 

FINE MOTOR SKILLS




TRY THIS! Try writing the first letter of your name using your non-dominant hand with these grasps!

PALMER – DIGITAL- STATIC- DYNAMIC

SUPINATE PRONATE TRIPOD TRIPOD
GRASP GRASP GRASP POSTURE
(1-1 ½ yo) (2-3yo) (3½ - 4yo) (4½ - 6yo)
 The brain is already 75% of its adult size by age 2 but the functions that
make us most human develop further after infancy.
BRAIN DEVELOPMENT By age 5, 90% the brain’s adult size is already achieved.

___________________________________
_ - Myelin, a fatty coating on axons, speed
up signals between neurons.

 Effects of myelination are most noticeable

 in early childhood

  It is due to myelination that preschoolers

are able to be much quicker than toddlers
and also be less clumsy


ACTIVITIES
For 3 year olds
 Provide art and craft materials for experimentation: crayons,
 clay, scissors, glue, etc.

Provide 3-wheeled tricycle: build eye-hand-foot dexterity

Gather packing blocks, short nails and small hammer to

 improve hand-eye coordination

For 4 year olds

 Encourage all kinds of outdoor activities

Continue to stimulate child’s interest in drawing and painting

 by providing new materials: using household items to paint
e.g. sponge, toy car, amrbles etc

Play indoor volleyball with a balloon

 For 5 year olds

Provide inexpensive materials (scraps) for cutting, pasting,

 coloring, folding, etc.

Plan cooking activities that allow children to chop, roll out,
measure, mix and stir.

Set up improvised target games to promote hand-eye

coordination: basketball, ring or beanbag toss. Ensure
RED FLAGS opportunities for vigorous play: in jungle gyms, using wheel
toys etc.

Draw hopscotch figure

Create Obstacle courses that involves hopping,

crawling, jumping over etc.
CONCEPTS
(Jean Piaget) - Stages of Cognitive
Development
THE PREOPERATIONAL STAGE
2-7: preschoolers – symbols to
represent sensorimotor discoveries
Extraordinary increase in
representational or symbolic activity
- Magical and self-centered
- Lacks logic
LANGUAGE & THOUGHT
Dual representation: exposing young
children to diverse symbols helps them
appreciate that one object can stand
for another
Language development is a key
benefit to symbolic thought
A child must understand that
letters symbolize sounds, that words
symbolize things or actions, and
sentences symbolize idea units
Written language is symbolic:
without symbolic thought, children are
unable to recognize that written
language means something
PARALLEL PLAY
Play in the same room as other
children but they play next to others
rather than with them
Language / Speech:
externalize thoughts rather than to
communicate
o Toddlers pretend to be people they
Perceptual and cognitive development
 Listens attentively to age-appropriate stories.
 Makes relevant comments during stories, especially those that relate to
home and family events.
 Likes to look at books and may pretend to “read” to others or explain
pictures.
 Plays realistically:
o Feeds doll, puts down for nap, covers it.
o Hooks truck and trailer together, loads truck, drives away making
motor noises.
 Attempts to draw; imperfectly copies circles, squares, and some letters.
 Understands triangle, circle, square; can point to requested shape.
 Sorts objects logically on the basis of one dimension, such as color,
shape, or size; usually chooses color or size as basis for classification.
 Shows understanding of basic size-shape comparisons much of the time;
will indicate which is bigger when shown a tennis ball and a golf ball; also
understands smaller of the two.
 Names and matches, at a minimum, primary colors: red, yellow, blue.
 Counts objects out loud.
LANGUAGE AND SPEECH DEVELOPMENT
 Talks about objects, events, and people not present.
 Talks about actions of others.
 Answers simple questions appropriately.
 Asks increasing numbers of questions, particularly about location and
identity of objects and people.
 Can keep a conversation going
 Calls attention to self, objects or events in the environment.
 Recites nursery rhymes, sings songs.
 Speech is understandable most of the time.
 Produces verbs with “ing” endings; uses “-s” to indicate more than one;
often puts “-s” on already pluralized forms: geeses, mices.
 Indicates negatives by inserting “no” or “not” before a simple noun or
verb SOCIOphrase: “Not baby.”
 Answers “What are you doing?”, “What is this?”, and “Where?”
questions dealing with familiar objects and events.
 Perceptual and cognitive development
 Indicates if paired words sound the same or different:
sheet/feet, ball/wall.
 Near the end of this year, may name eighteen to
twenty uppercase letters and write several; print own
name; recognize some printed words (especially those
that have a special meaning for the child).
 A few children are beginning to read simple books,
such as alphabet books with only a few words per page
and many pictures.
 Likes stories about how things grow and how things
operate.
 Delights in wordplay, creating silly language.
 Understands the concepts of “tallest,” “biggest,”
“same,” and “more”; selects the picture that has the
“most houses” or the “biggest dogs.”
 Understands the sequence of daily events: “When we
get up in the morning, we get dressed, have breakfast,
brush our teeth, and go to school.”
 When looking at pictures, can recognize and identify
missing puzzle parts (of person, car, animal).
LANGUAGE AND SPEECH DEVELOPMENT
 Produces elaborate sentence structures.
 Uses the prepositions “on,” “in,” and “under.”
 Uses possessives consistently: “hers,” “theirs,”
“baby’s.”
 Speech is almost entirely intelligible.
 Begins to correctly use the past tense of verbs.
 Refers to activities, events, objects, and people that
are not present.
 Changes tone of voice and sentence structure to
adapt to listener’s level of understanding.
 States first and last name, gender, siblings’ names,
and sometimes own telephone number.
 Answers appropriately when asked what to do if tired,
cold, or hungry.
 Recites and sings simple songs and rhymes.
PRETEND / MAKE-BELIEVE PLAY
 Children practice and strengthen newly acquired representational schemes
 Toddlers pretend to be people they are not (Policeman, Superhero)
 Symbolic play: cardboard box is a racecar
 3 y/o - flexibly understand that an object may take on one fictional identity in one pretend game and another fictional
identity in a different pretend game
 4-5 y/o - build on one another’s play ideas, create and coordinate several roles, and have a sophisticated
understanding of story lines
Sociocultural Theory by Lev Vygotsky
 Understands concept of same shape, same size.
 Sorts objects on the basis of two dimensions, such as
color and form.
 Sorts a variety of objects so that all things in the
group have a single common feature (classification
skill: all are food items or boats or animals).
 Understands the concepts of smallest and shortest;
places objects in order from shortest to tallest,
LANGUAGE AND SPEECH DEVELOPMENT
smallest to largest.
 Rote counts to 20 and above; many children count to
100.
 Recognizes numerals from 1 to 10.
 Understands the concepts of less than.
 Some children can tell time on the hour.
 Knows what a calendar is for.
 Beginning to count and save money.
 Asks innumerable questions: Why? What? Where?
When?
 Eager to learn new things.
 Vocabulary of 1,500 words or more.
 Tells a familiar story while looking at pictures in a book.
 Defines simple words by function:
 States the name of own city or town, birthday, and
parents’ names.
 Answers telephone appropriately; calls person to
phone or takes a brief message.
 Speech is almost entirely intelligible.
 Uses past tense of irregular verbs consistently
 Uses past-tense inflection (-ed) appropriately to mark
regular verbs
CONCEPTS
 By the 4th birthday, the child should
 Have intelligible speech most of the
time
 Understand and follow simple
commands and directions
 State own name and age
 Use three-to-four-word sentences
 Ask questions
By the 5th birthday, the child should
 State own name in full
 Recognize simple shapes
 Speak so as to be understood by
strangers
 Appear interested in, and responsive to,
surroundings
 Respond to statements without
constantly asking to have them
repeated
By the 6th birthday, the child should
 Speak in a moderate voice
 Follow simple directions in stated order:
 Use 4-5 words in acceptable sentence
structure
 Sit still and listen to an entire short
story
RED FLAGS
3 year olds: ACTIVITIES
 Collect books + daily reading sessions.
 Have trips to the library! Child should make own book
selections.
 Walk and explore: name things along the way.
 Sort blocks according to color, size, or shape.
 Play find the matching piece / other half!
4 years olds:
 Fix puzzles with 5-10 pieces.
 Use simple scientific and math materials.
 Spontaneous rhyming, chanting, silly name-calling, jokes,
riddles.
 Child retells a story.
 “Looking things up”
 Talk about the changing seasons.
 Experiment: Sink or float?
5 year olds:
 Acting out of family and worker roles with dress-up and
props.
 Visit and talk about community activities
 Encourage play with puppets and cut-out cartoons.
 Experiment: Why does it appear to have more water in a tall,
thin container than in one that is short and wide?
 Plan a meal or snack that children in another culture might
enjoy.
 Encourage children to paint to music. Have them tell a story
about their work

Sociocultural Theory by Lev Vygotsky

 Cognitive development = product of the person’s interaction with the environment
 Learn from the more skilled members of the community
 GUIDED PARTICIPATION: skilled mentors help novices learn not only by direct instruction but also shared
involvement in the activity
 Children as “apprentices in thinking” develop intellectually through the simulation or direction of older and more
skilled member of the society
CONCEPTS
TRY THIS! TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE!

1. _ r _ _ p e _ a _ _ o _ _ l S _ _ g _ is Piaget’s second stage in which rapid development of representation

takes place.
2. M _ _ e - _ e l _ _ v _ P _ a _ is a kind of play where children are able to practice and strengthen newly
acquired representational or symbolic schemes.
3. D _ _ l r _ p _ e _ _n _ a t _ o _ is the exposition of young children to diverse symbols helps them
appreciate that one object can stand for another
4. _ _ r _ l _ _ l P l _ y is a form of limited participation in which the child plays in the same room as other
children and plays with the same materials but does not interact with them.
5. According to Lev Vygotsky’s S _ c _ _ c _ l t _ _ _ l _ h e _ _ y, cognitive development is a product of
the child’s interaction with his environment. Children learn from the more skilled members of their community.

7. At age three, the child is able to sort objects _ o _ _ c _ l _ y on the basis of one dimension. Sorting may be
Erik Erikson’s “Initiative vs. guilt”
Erikson’s third psychological crisis, in which
children undertake new skills and activities and
feel guilty when they do not succeed at them.
___________________________is saying
something new, extending a skill, & beginning a
project
____________________________ makes them
afraid to try new activities
_____________________________ the belief in
one’s own ability, a personal estimate of
success and worthiness
______________________________ is a
person’s understanding of themselves, which
encompasses not only self-esteem but also
awareness of traits such as gender and size.
________________________________ Erikson
recognized that typical young children have
immodest self-concepts holding themselves in
high self-esteem
CONCEPTS
Emotional Regulation AT AGE 3
 Has occasional nightmares and fears the dark, monsters, or
fire.
 Shows affection toward children who are younger or children
who get hurt.
 Often talks to self.
 Defends toys and possessions; may become aggressive at
times by grabbing a toy, hitting another child, hiding toys.
Play
 Engages in make-believe play alone and with other children.
 Joins in simple games and group activities, sometimes
hesitantly.
 Observes other children playing; may join in for a short time;
often plays parallel to other children.
Making friends, building relationship with
AT AGE 4
peers
 Outgoing; friendly; overly enthusiastic at times.
 It is quite normal for 4-year-olds to prefer to play alone rather
than with strangers. (Berger)
 •Cooperates with others; participates in group activities.
Emotional Regulation
 Moods change rapidly and unpredictably; laughing one
minute, crying the next; may throw tantrum over minor
frustrations (a block structure that will not balance); sulk over
being left out.
 Relies (most of the time) on verbal rather than physical
aggression; may yell angrily rather than hit to make a point.
 Name-calling and taunting are often used as ways of excluding
other children.
Pride
 Boasts, exaggerates, and “bends” the truth with made-up
stories or claims of boldness; tests the limits with “bathroom”
talk.
 Shows pride in accomplishments; seeks frequent adult
approval.
 Often appears selfish; not always able to take turns or to
understand taking turns under some conditions; tattles on
other children.
Initiative vs. guilt
 Insists on trying to do things independently, but may get so
frustrated as to verge on tantrums when problems arise.
Play (drama and playing)
 Enjoys role-playing and make-believe activities.
 Establishes close relationships with playmates; beginning to
have “best” friends
 CONCEPTS
Functionalist Approach to Emotion
emphasize that the broad function of emotions is
to energize behavior aimed at attaining personal
goals
________________________ arise from ongoing
exchanges between the person and the
environment, flexibly serving different functions as
the individual’s circumstances change
Functionalist theorists: “emotions are central in all
our endeavors- cognitive processing, social
behavior, and physical health.”
Contribute to emergence of self-awareness
1. Emotions and Cognitive Processing
-impact of anxiety on performance
-emotions powerfully affect memory
-relationship of emotion and cognition:
bidirectional-dynamic interplay.
2. Emotions and Social Behavior
-children’s emotional signals (smiling, crying)
affect behavior of others, vice versa.
-social referencing-checking others’ emotions
3. Emotions and Health
-stress reactivity
C. Moral Development (in school)
PRE CONVENTIONAL MORAL REASONING -
Reward & Punishment
Stage 1 Might Makes Right: maintain appearance
of obedience; avoid punishment (egocentric),
advance self-interest
Stage 2 Look Out For Number One: being nice to
others so they will be nice to you
5 years old
 Continue to collect props and dress-up
clothes that allow more detailed acting
out of family and worker roles - visit and
talk about community activities
 Encourage play with puppets
 Assist in creating a stage (a cut out caton
works well)
AT AGE 5
Making Friends, relationship with peers (Play)
 Enjoys friendships; often has one or two special
playmates.
 May not engage in cooperative play with unfamiliar
peers in cultures that value individualism. (Berger)
 Is often generous: shares toys, takes turns, plays
cooperatively (with occasional lapses).
 Participates in group play and shared activities with
other children; suggests imaginative and elaborate play
ideas.
 Is affectionate and caring, especially toward younger or
injured children and animals.
Initiative vs Guilt
Generally does what parent or caregiver requests; follows
directions and carries out responsibilities most of the time.
Emotional regulation
 Has better self-control; fewer dramatic swings of
emotions.
 Likes to tell jokes, entertain, and make people laugh.
 Continues to need adult comfort and reassurance.
Pride
Boastful about accomplishments.
3 years old
 Watch a children’s videotape talk about
feelings and emotions that are portrayed in the
videotape
 Set out lots of simple hats, clothing, and shoes
for pretend play. An old mirror makes this
activity more exciting
4 years old
 Appreciate (and sometimes join in) the child’s
spontaneous rhyming, chanting, silly name-
calling, jokes, and riddles
 Involve the children in cooking activities. Have
them wash the fruit, stir cake batter, cut out
cookies. Have them set a table, carry plates to
the sink for washing
 Teach them responsibility. Have them feed the
hamster, bring in the newspaper, dust the
furniture, fold laundry
ACTIVITIES
3 years old
 Stay with an activity for three or
four minutes; play alone several BIBLIOGRAPHY
minutes at a time.
 Enjoy playing near or with other
children.
Y
Berger, K. (2009). The Developing Person for se
Through
edition. New York, NY: Worth Publishers
Childhood, 5th
 Understand and follow simple
commands and directions.
Berk, L. (2009). Child Development. Boston: Allyn and Bacon
4 years old
 Appear interested in, and Allen, K. (2000). By the Ages: Behavior and Development of
responsive to, surroundings. Children Pre-birth through 8. Africa: Delmar-Thomson
 Respond to statements without
Publishing
constantly asking to have them
repeated.

5 years old
 Maintain eye contact when spoken
to (unless this is a cultural taboo).
 Play well with other children.

RED FLAGS for se