Untitled Flashcard Set

Physical Growth Patterns

Height and weight increase by approximately 2-3 inches and 4-5 pounds per year during early childhood.

Body Proportions

Children's body proportions become more adult-like as they grow, with a decrease in head-to-body ratio and longer legs.

Brain Development

The brain reaches about 90% of adult size by age 6, characterized by continued myelination and synaptic pruning.

Lateralization

The specialization of certain functions in each hemisphere of the brain, such as language in the left hemisphere and visual-spatial skills in the right hemisphere.

Handedness

Preference for using one hand over the other, established during early childhood, with about 10% of the population being left-handed.

Nutrition in Early Childhood

Key components include carbohydrates for energy, proteins for growth, and fats for brain development.

Sleep Needs

Children aged 3-6 require 10-13 hours of sleep daily; consistent sleep patterns are important for cognitive functioning.

Vaccinations

Important for preventing serious diseases and contributing to community immunity, including common vaccines like MMR and DTaP.

Gross Motor Development

Development of large muscle movements, which includes skills like running, hopping, and skipping, typically increasing in complexity through early childhood.

Fine Motor Development

Development of small muscle movements, including skills such as using utensils, cutting with scissors, and writing letters.

Play Types

Various forms of play in children, including unoccupied, solitary, onlooker, parallel, associative, and cooperative play.

Preoperational Stage (Piaget)

Developmental stage for children aged 2-7 characterized by symbolic representation, imaginative play, and limitations like egocentrism and centration.

Theory of Mind Development

Understanding that others have different thoughts and beliefs; develops significantly between ages 3 to 6.

Information Processing Theory

Describes cognitive development in terms of attention, memory, and executive function during early childhood.

Memory Development

Children's capacity for autobiographical memory and the emergence of recognition before recall, improving with age.

Sociocultural Influences on Cognition

Vygotsky's concepts emphasizing social interaction and cultural context in learning, including the Zone of Proximal Development.

Emergent Literacy Skills

Early reading and writing skills, including print awareness and phonological awareness, which are enhanced through supporting activities.

Language Development Milestones

Key milestones in children's speech and language abilities, including vocabulary expansion and the complexity of sentences.

Environmental Influences on Language

Factors affecting language development, such as exposure to words, quality of interactions, and socioeconomic status.

Multilingual Development

Children's ability to develop language skills in more than one language, maintaining similar timelines to monolingual peers.

The Importance of Play

Play is essential for learning, social skills development, and overall health, but is increasingly challenged by societal changes.