Social and Emotional Development
4, 5, and 6 Year Olds
What will we learn today?
• Standard:– ET-ECE-8: Explore the growth, development, and
care of the preschool child.• EQ:– How do 4, 5, and 6 year old children develop
emotionally?
Quick Review
• What is NATURE and what is NURTURE when it comes to child development?– Nature: Heredity – Nurture: Environment
• How long should 4-6 year-olds sleep at night?– 10-12 hours
• What may need to change if a child is overweight or underweight?– Their diet and physical
activity
• How long should you wash your hands for?– 20 seconds
Emotional Patterns:4-year-olds
• Very loving and affectionate at times • VERY self-centered, defiant, impatient, loud• Might be bossy or argue with adults/other
kids
Emotional Patterns:5-year-olds
• Eager to explore their world, but– Fearful of unfamiliar places/people/things
• Start to feel empathy– Makes them better able to play together and
cooperate because they can see another’s point of view
Emotional Patterns:6-year-olds (school age child)
• Experience rapid mood changes
• Crave praise and approval
• Easily hurt and discouraged
• Very stubborn• Begin to experience
deeper feelings of happiness/joy– Appreciate more
activities
Fear and Imagination Go Hand-In-Hand
• Imagination is a major emotional force in 4-6 year-olds– often leads them to fear various kinds of danger• Fear can lead imagination and play
• For example: preschoolers are often afraid of monsters and use this in their imaginative play
Caregivers can help children deal with fears by:
• Helping them develop self-confidence– Build self-confidence by
selecting activities that are challenging, but not overwhelming
• Being understanding of the fear
• Letting the child express the fear without ridicule
• Helping the child feel able to face the fear
Starting school is a huge social and emotional milestone for 4-6 year-olds
• For most, it is the first time they are around unfamiliar adults and large groups of other children
• Make them feel at ease about starting school by:– Explaining what they will
expect at school– Visiting the school and
meeting the teachers– Having playdates with
classmates
Going to school for the first time can cause:
• Toileting problems• Why?– not know where the
bathroom is and afraid to ask
– out of normal routine– fear of unfamiliar
environment
• Conflict with peers• Help children resolve
conflicts with peers by:– encouraging them to talk
about their feelings– modeling appropriate
ways to deal with conflict
• Children to express emotions– Fear/Anger/Jealousy
Some children (~2 million in the US) are diagnosed with ADHD in the early school years
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder• Most common characteristics:– Inability to pay attention– Hyperactivity– Acting on impulses
• Do you think a child with ADHD would be lazy?– NO!
Daily Grade Break
• You will work with a partner to find/create FOUR lesson plans.– A lesson plan for 4 year-
olds– A lesson plan for 5 year-
olds– A lesson plan for 6 year-
olds– A lesson plan for a child
with ADHD
• You must have four DIFFERENT lesson plans
• You MUST choose a math, science, language arts, history, music, or art lesson plan
• Your lesson plans MUST involve social interaction between the students
Lesson Plan Example
• Name of Lesson• Grade Level• Subject– Remember: each lesson
plan should have a different subject!
• Description of Lesson– Copy and paste link here– Write a short description
of the lesson
• Picture
1st Grade Math Lesson:“Candy Math”
In this lesson, students will use candy to review addition and subtraction
problems.
http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/3934?ref=search