Early Childhood

Physical Development

Slower than during infancy

By age 6, average weight is 45 lbs and average height is 46 inches.

Skeletal and muscle development helps child assume a more adult appearance:

Legs/lower body tend to grow more rapidly than head, arms, and chest.

Muscle coordination allows a child to run, climb, and move freely.

As muscles of the fingers develop, a child learns to write, draw, and use a fork and knife.

By age 2-3, most teeth have erupted and the digestive system is mature enough to handle most adult food.

Between 2-4, most children learn bladder and bowel control.

Mental development

Advances rapidly during early childhood.

Verbal growth develops from use of several words at age 1 to a vocabulary of 1,500 to 2,500 words by age six.

2-yr-olds:

Short attention span, but are interested in many different activities.

Remember details

Begin to understand concepts

4-yr-olds:

Ask frequent questions

Usually recognize letters and some words

Begin to make decisions based on logic rather than trial and error.

6-yr-olds:

Very verbal and want to learn how to read and write

Memory has developed to where a child can make a decisions based 

on both past and present experiences.

Emotional development

Ages 1-2:

Begins to develop self awareness and to recognize the effect they 

have on others or on other things.

Limits are usually established for safety, this can cause 1-2yr olds to either accept or defy the limits.

Feel impatience and frustration as they try to do things beyond their ability

Anger, often in the form of “temper tantrums” occurs when they 

can not perform as desired.

Also like routine and become stubborn, angry, or frustrated when changes occur.

Ages 4-6:

Begin to gain more control over emotions.

Understand what is right or wrong

Have achieved more independence, and are not frustrated as much by lack of ability.

Most show less anxiety when faced with new experiences, because they 

have learned that they can deal w/new situations. \n

Social Development

Expands from a self-centered 1-yr-old to a very sociable 6-yr-old.

Early years:

Usually strongly attached to parents and fear of any separation.

Begin to enjoy company of others, but still very possessive

Playing alongside other children is more common than playing with other children.

Later years:

Learn to put “self” aside, and begin to take more of an interest in others.

Learn to trust other people

Make more of an effort to please others by becoming 

more agreeable and social

Friends of their own age are usually important to a 6-yr-old.

Needs

Needs still include food, rest, shelter, protection, love and security.

Also need routine, order, and consistency in daily lives.

Must be taught to be responsible and must learn how to conform to rules.

Can be accomplished by making reasonable demands based on their ability to comply.