Developmental Milestones for Preschool & School-age Children

Preschool (3-5 yrs) social/emotional

- energetic learners

- guilt: belief they have misbehaved or unable to accomplish a task

- self-concept: good about themselves with mastering skills

- during stress, insecurity, or illness - can regress

- emotional growth: about 3 1/2 become insecure and exhibits emotional extremes

Preschool (3-5 yrs) language/cognitive

- magical thinking: thoughts are all powerful and can cause events to occur

- animism: ascribing lifelike qualities to inanimate objects

- centration: focus on one aspect instead of considering all possible alternatives

- time: begins to understand the sequence of daily events

- language becomes primary method of communication

Preschool (3-5 yrs) social/emotional

- energetic learners

- guilt: belief they have misbehaved or unable to accomplish a task

- self-concept: good about themselves with mastering skills

- during stress, insecurity, or illness - can regress

- emotional growth: about 3 1/2 become insecure and exhibits emotional extremes

Preschool (3-5 yrs) language/cognitive

- magical thinking: thoughts are all powerful and can cause events to occur

- animism: ascribing lifelike qualities to inanimate objects

- centration: focus on one aspect instead of considering all possible alternatives

- time: begins to understand the sequence of daily events

- language becomes primary method of communication

3 year old gross motor

- rides a tricycle

- jumps off bottom step

- stands on one foot for a few seconds

4 year old gross motor

- skips and hops on one foot

- throws ball

- catches ball reliably

5 year old gross motor

- jumps rope

- walks backward

- throws and catches a ball with ease

Preschool (3-5 yrs) fine motor

- improvement in fine motor skills, which will be displayed by activities like copying figures on paper and dress independently

- 3 yr old can draw a circle

- 4 yr old can draw a cross/plus sign

- 5 yr old can draw a square

- 6 yr old can draw a triangle

School-age (5-12 yrs) social/emotional

- awareness of themselves in relation to others

- gains confidence

- young school-age: parents are primary

- older school-age: peers and teachers more valuable

- difficult to own up to misdeeds

- sometimes steals money or attractive items

School-age (5-12 yrs) language/cognitive

- transition from perceptual to conceptual thinking

- about 9 yrs masters conservation (mass, weight, volume)

- learns to tell time

- classifies more complex information

- able to see the perspective of others

- able to solve problems

- thinks about past & can tell stories

School-age (5-12 yrs) gross motor

- physical growth slows for both weight & height

- motor development increase in strength and refinement of previous skills

- overexertion of muscles & bones can lead to injuries

- prepubescence (11-13 yrs): greatest difference between boys and girls

- puberty begins 10yrs for girls and 12 yrs for boys

School-age (5-12 yrs) fine motor

- play and interactions with other is essential

- complete ability to attend to their activities of daily living