2 ½ to 5 years

Body continues to change

Adult-like proportions emerge

Grow approximately 3 inches in height

Gain 3-5 pounds per year

Physical Development

Increased skill and speed

Can ride tricycle, pull a wagon, walk sideways/backwards, tiptoe

Can run, stop suddenly, turn corners, and increase speed

Can alternate feet when using stairs

Gross Motor

With increases gross motor abilities, what types of

activities may be appropriate for preschool ages children?

Red rover

Musical chairs

Hokey pokey

Partner clapping games

Think…

Girls develop faster than boys

Improved hand-eye coordination

Right/left hand preference is established

Self-help skills: Button, zip, snap, wash hands, brush teeth/hair, feed self without major mess

Art skills: Cut, paste, trace, color

Fine Motor

Fine Motor Activity!(cutting, tracing)

Self-assertion and cooperation

Ways adults respond and guide conflict affect development in this area

Adults = role models

Social behaviors include: Friendships outside family

Sharing

View as male/female

Conflict resolution skills

See world through other viewpoints

Social and Emotional Development

Controlling and expressing

emotions: Learn how to appropriately

express and recognize emotions

Learn to verbally resolve issues instead of physically

Dependency Need an environment that

encourages independence

Prefer to do things themselves.

Social and Emotional Development

Read your situation.

What should the caregiver do in this situation?

These stories involve preschoolers who are trying to gain a sense of initiative (trying new things!) but fall short due to lack of ability or knowledge.

Punished = guilt and inability to try new things because of feeling bad

Social and Emotional Development

Round-Robin Read: Teaching Children to Resolve Conflict Respectfully

Tips…

Learn new ways to show love/caring

Learn that helping others shows love

In child care – may form attachment to 2-4 children

When those children are gone the child may feel lost

Love

Understand the difference

between real and imaginary

Can rationalize imaginary fear, but may still be afraid

More fear of being hurt because they are more aware of the world around them

Fear

Know how to express anger

Need to know that it is okay to be angry, but not okay to be aggressive

Anger

Learn by seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, smelling,

and comparing

Understand concepts:

Up/down, under/over, there/here

Small items in larger containers

Rearrange toys/objects

Intellectual Development

Time concepts are difficult

Do not quite understand

Yesterday

Tomorrow

30 minutes

Time

A child wants to go to the park, but you can’t take

them until one more hour passes. How can you explain this to them?

A child wants to know when winter is. It is currently June. How can you explain this?

Better: One (insert TV show) and then we will go

After breakfast

When it is Halloween it is Fall

When it snows that means it is Winter

Think…

Articulation improves (pronouncing difficult words)

Vocabulary increases dramatically

Develop grammar skills, word order, etc.

Language

Attempt to

portray the world through drawings –shows what they think!

Typically, they draw something and then decide what the picture represents

Drawing

Draw a picture about anything that is going on in the

world or your life. The picture should represent what you are currently thinking about.

MUST be colorful.

Write a brief description of what the drawing represents.

Ex: (just to get you thinking)

Family/friends

Is there a holiday coming up?

How are you feeling today?

Did your recently have something great, bad, sad happen to you?

Your Turn! (10 pts)