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🧒 Early Childhood (Ages 2–6)




🧠 Physical Development



  • Growth: +3 inches & +4-5 lbs per year.

  • Brain: 95 % of adult size by 6 yrs.

    • Myelination = better attention & memory

    • Corpus Callosum = better coordination

    • Prefrontal Cortex = less impulsive, more focus


  • Lateralization: brain sides specialize → hand preference (right/left).

  • Motor skills:

    • Gross: running, jumping, throwing.

    • Fine: drawing, tying, cutting.


  • Sexual awareness: touching for comfort is normal → teach “safe vs unsafe touches.”




🧩 Cognitive Development



  • Piaget – Preoperational (2-6 yrs) → think symbolically but not logically

    • Egocentrism: only own view

    • Centration: one feature focus

    • Irreversibility: can’t mentally undo

    • Focus on appearance: fooled by looks

    • Conservation = not yet mastered


  • Theory of Mind: awareness that others think differently (~age 4–5).

    • False-belief test: “Where will puppet look?”


  • Autism: delayed theory of mind, repetitive behaviors.

  • Language:

    • Fast-mapping = learn words quick

    • Overregularization = “goed” instead of “went”

    • Private speech = self-talk to guide behavior


  • Vygotsky: learning = social.

    • ZPD: can do with help

    • Scaffolding: support from others

    • Overimitation: copy adults exactly





❤ Psychosocial Development



  • Self-concept: who I am (values, traits).

    • “Looking-glass self” → see ourselves through others.


  • Self-control: delay gratification (Marshmallow test); autonomy vs shame.

  • Independence: initiative vs guilt → pretend play builds purpose.

  • Peer Play: moves from parallel to cooperative play.

  • Gender:

    • 2 yrs = identity set; 4–5 yrs = constancy understood

    • Influences = biological (hormones), behavioral (modeling), cognitive (gender schemas)


  • Parenting Styles (Baumrind):

    • Authoritative = best outcomes

    • Authoritarian = strict, low warmth

    • Permissive = too lenient

    • Neglectful = uninvolved


  • Discipline:

    • đźš« Physical punishment = bad (model aggression)

    • âś… Use time-out, loss of privilege, positive reinforcement







🧑‍🏫 Middle Childhood (Ages 6–11)




đź’Ş Physical Development



  • Growth: +2 inches & +5-7 lbs per year

  • Brain: adult-sized by 7 yrs; better coordination & motor skills

  • Lose baby teeth ~6-12 yrs

  • Childhood Obesity Risks: diabetes, heart problems, teasing → prevent with healthy diet & activity.




🧠 Cognitive Development



  • Piaget – Concrete Operational (6-11 yrs):

    • Logic about concrete things

    • Identity: same object despite change

    • Reversibility: can mentally undo

    • Reciprocity: change in one dimension affects another

    • Classification: sort into categories

    • Conservation mastered


  • Information Processing:

    • Better attention & memory (rehearsal & metacognition)


  • Language: 40k words by 5th grade, understands jokes & puns.




🏫 Learning & Special Needs



  • Autism: social/communication deficits + repetitive behavior.

  • ADHD: inattention + hyperactivity before age 12 in 2+ settings.

  • Learning Disorders:

    • Dyslexia (reading), Dyscalculia (math), Dysgraphia (writing)


  • Special Ed Process: Referral → Assessment → Diagnosis → IEP

  • Education: Least restrictive environment → mainstream → inclusion

  • IQ Tests: measure potential but can be biased

    • Sternberg: analytic, creative, practical intelligence

    • Gardner: 8 multiple intelligences





đź’¬ Psychosocial Development



  • Freud: Latency → sexual energy repressed

  • Erikson: Industry vs Inferiority → mastery & competence

  • Self-esteem: becomes specific (academic, social, athletic, appearance).

  • Self-concept: more realistic and detailed.

  • Bullying: repeated power imbalance.

    • Bullies → low grades, aggressive homes

    • Victims → anxious, lonely


  • Kohlberg’s Moral Development:

    • Preconventional: avoid punishment/get rewards

    • Conventional: please others/follow rules

    • Postconventional: principles & ethics

    • Heinz dilemma tests reasoning, not behavior.







🧠 Quick Memory Tricks



  • Piaget order: Sensorimotor → Preoperational → Concrete → Formal
    → (Silly People Chase Fairies)

  • Erikson early→middle:

    • 1–3 Autonomy vs Shame

    • 3–6 Initiative vs Guilt

    • 6–12 Industry vs Inferiority


  • Parenting Styles Tip: Authoritative = Awesome

  • Vygotsky: “Learning lives in the ZPD zone.”