Preschool Development Notes

Preschool (3-6 years old)

• Growth slow and steady.
• Creative exploration.
• Participation in preschool and nursery school.

Physical Characteristics

• Height Increase: 2.5 - 3 inches per year.
• Weight Gain: 5-7 lbs per year.
• Body Proportions: Subcutaneous tissue is lost, making the child look thinner.
• Extremities grow faster than the trunk.

Muscle and Bone Development

• 75\% of weight gain is due to rapid muscle growth.
• Erect posture and steady gait.
• Fat replaces red marrow in long bones.

Dental Health

• Routine dental exam every 6 months.
• Use a small and soft toothbrush.
• Use fluoride fortified toothpaste.
• Brush teeth 2-3 times per day.
• Limit intake of high sugar foods.

Motor Development

• Gross Motor Skills:
  • Walking and running on tiptoes.
  • Hop and balance on one foot.
  • Climb and jump.
  • Dance
• Fine Motor Skills:
  • Self-care activities.
  • Draw and use scissors.
  • Copying.

Sexual Development

• Aware of genital organs and sexual identity.
• Curious about differences between males and females.
• Using the correct terms and encouraging questions about sex helps keep the lines of communication open between parents and children.

Psychosocial Development

• Trust
• Independence
• Pretend and explore.
• Initiative
• Set limits
• Strive to follow rules and please parents
• Impulse control
• Positive reinforcement
• Discipline
• Jealousy
• Responses to divorce
• Special Concerns

Cognitive Development

• Preoperational stage of development.
• Unable to focus on several aspects of a stimulus - centration.
• Lack reversibility – the understanding of how 2 actions may be related.
• Continues to develop language and memory.
• Highly creative.

Communication

• Can be taught their name, address, and phone number.
• Number of years of age is equal to the number of words in a sentence.
• Understands and asks "how" and "why" questions.
• Usually very talkative.
• Read to the child.
• Encourage storytelling.
• Gently correct mispronounced words.

Nutrition

• Develop food habits similar to their peers
• Fast food and highly advertised food among their favorites
• Best diet for young children includes foods containing proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, and limited fats
• 1 pint of milk per day for calcium requirements
• Encourage healthy living

Sleep and Rest

• Need 10-12 hours of sleep each night.
• Need daytime nap.
• Follow consistent bedtime routine.
  • Gently reassure child they are safe and proceed with bedtime routine.
• Nightmares are common
• Night Terrors
  • Extreme form of nightmare
  • Screaming but not fully awake
  • Rapid breathing
  • Rapid heart rate
  • Unable to recall the event in the morning

Cooperative/Associative Play:

• Understand limited rules
• Enjoy being with peers and interacting with them
• Dramatic play

Common Concerns

• Thumb-sucking
  • May cause malalignment of teeth
  • Eventually disappears
• Bed-wetting (enuresis)
  • Seen more in boys than girls
  • Stress and illness make it worse
  • Limit fluids in evening
  • Use the bathroom before bedtime
• Fears
  • Fear of the dark
  • Mutilation
  • Abandonment