Early Childhood Services

Chapter Three: DevelopmentNotes

Prenatal Influences• FETAL STAGE: the third stage of prenatal development, begins 2 months after

conception and lasts until birth.• Fetus develops organs (such as lungs and heart), physical characteristics (eyes and

eye lids and sex organs, for example, at 6 months).• Fetuses are very vulnerable to viruses and toxins and chemicals.• The PLACENTA (the organ that connects the mother to the fetus), acts like a filter

and keeps some toxins away from the baby, but others can get through. The placenta also allows oxygen and nutrients to reach the fetus.

• HIV and other viruses, and drugs (including caffeine, marijuana, cocaine and heroin) can all pass through the placenta.

• TERATOGEN (te-rat-oh-gen) is anything that can harm a developing fetus (causing deformities or brain damage). It might be a disease (herpes), a drug (alcohol) or another environmental agent (chemicals).

• BIRTH DEFECTS & AMNIOCENTESIS: lots of genetic errors can be tested for with amniocentesis, during the fetal stage. It’s a medical test done between 14-20 weeks of pregnancy; a long needle is put through the mother’s belly into the amniotic fluid surrounding the fetus. The fluid can be tested for such things as Down Syndrome and 1000 other genetic disorders.

Drug Use & Exposure to Chemicals

• Cocaine, alcohol, tobacco, marijuna and other drugs cause infants to have low birth weight, poor feeding habits, and great risk for having a low IQ and poor coping skills.

• About 13% of pregnant American women smoke. Infants have 2.5 – 3 times the risk of getting ADHA and also of dying from SIDS or of having respiratory problems.

Lead & Air Pollutants• Children exposed to large amounts of lead (paint, gas, industry) during pregnancy

had lower IQ and problems with brain development. There is also a link to lead exposure and later committing antisocial acts (like assaults and disorderly conduct). These children are also likely to develop ADHD.

• Air Pollutants: gas, diesel, coal. All can cause problems with cognitive development (learning). Low birth weight and growth delays are also common (when the mom is exposed and pregnant).

• Alcohol: FETAL ALCHOHOL SYNDROME (FAS). In the US, alcohol is the leading known cause of mental retardation. It crosses the placenta and affects the baby. FAS can be the result, especially if the mother drank during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. It causes physical changes, such as short stature, flattened nose, and short eye openings, neurological changes, such as fewer brain connections. It can also result in behavioral problems (like hyperactivity), impulsive behavior, and problems learning. These children will have consequences for life.

Child Development

• Definition: change or growth in a child.

• Understanding growth & development helps us plan appropriate programs for children.

• For example, when you realize that two-year old like to run, that means you should provide space for them to move around.

Three Areas of Child Development1. Intellectual Development – mental processes used to gain knowledge. Thought,

language, reasoning and imagination. For example, understanding the difference between the colors.

2. Physical Development – physical body changes. Bone thickness, vision, hearing, muscles, movement, height and weight.

3. Social-emotional Development – these two areas are grouped together because they are so connected. Learning to get along with others is social development. Emotional development involves refining feelings such as trust, fear, confidence, pride, friendship, and humor.

Development goes from the head down. The CEPHALOCAUDAL PRINCIPAL refers to the fact that children first get control of their head, then their arms, then their legs. This happens in the first two months after birth.

The PROXIMODISTAL PRINCIPAL means that the spinal cord develops before outer parts of the body. The arms develop before the hands and the hands before the fingers. Finger and toe muscles are the last to develop.

Development depends on MATURATION. Maturation means the order of the biological changes in a child. It depends on changes in the brain and the nervous system.

Developmental Scales

• As you teach children, you often use developmental scales. They are lists of characteristics that are considered “normal” for children at certain age groups.

• This can help you plan for working with children. You can use the scales to help you assess each child’s development.

Growth• Each child develops on his or her own. Not every three year old, for

example, has the same skills. A child’s growth is often uneven in different areas. It really depends on maturation and environment (family, food, stimulation, experience, etc). Do not panic when a child does not match what is thought to be “normal” on the scales. Instead, try to figure out why. Seeing a doctor or public health is a good idea. Lack of opportunity (if the child’s family doesn’t talk a lot or does not allow the child to talk a lot, the child may not have “normal” language skills).

• Other problems could be the result of a physical problem. You might need to see a doctor and look into the possibilities. For example, a child may not talk much because of a hearing problem.

• http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/canada/regions/atlantic/work/e_k_4-eng.php Public Health

Attachment• Definition: a close, fundamental emotional bond that develops between the infant and his or her parents

or caretaker.• It’s a gradual process, that starts shortly after birth. Crying should result in care and sympathy. Don’t let

infants “cry it out”. Babies start to smile at 4-6 weeks and holding our their arms when their caretakers approach them. This is their way of expressing their needs. When you have good attachment, the baby will be more upset when the parent is not there.

1. SEPARATION ANXIETY is a baby’s distress (upset) through crying whenever the parent is not there. This is normal (and probably a good thing). It means the baby is attached to the parent. It also depends on the baby’s temperament (easy or difficult) and the parent’s attitude (caring or not responsive). Different kinds of attachment can occur.

2. SECURE ATTACHMENT: when the child consider their parents to be “a safe home base” and they can wander off and explore (and feel safe). These kids may cry when the parent leaves, but calm down when the parent return.

3. INSECURE ATTACHMENT: when the baby avoids or is indifferent to their parent. They may cling one minute and push away the next, they seem to mistrust the caregiver. A parent’s sensitivity, caring and responsiveness seems to affect this most. Attachments formed in babyhood may affect the child’s later relationships.

Physical Development in the First Two Years

• Things happen quickly in these years• The child’s size, shape, senses (hearing, seeing, smelling, etc) and organs (heart,

lungs, etc) change.• With each change, the child gets new abilities.• You must be aware of physical changes so that you can adjust activities, diets,

sleep schedules and safety policies. For example, children under four months can’t move around much, so you don’t have to worry about baby gates like you will need to when the baby starts creeping.

• Size & Shape: an infant’s weight may change almost daily. The average weight at birth is 7.5 pounds. The average newborn is 20 inches long.

• Twelve months later, the infant has usually grown 10 inches. By age two, they are usually about 32-36 inches.

• Boys are usually a little heavier & taller than girls. Most boys are half their adult height by the time they are two!

Reflexes• A REFLEX is an automatic body response. A person cannot control a reflex. Blinking when

something is coming toward your face is an example.

• Some infant reflexes are needed for survival. ROOTING and SUCKING are examples. Rooting is turning of the head toward anything that brushes their face (this helps them find their food, usually a nipple). Sucking helps them get their food.

• Doctors check reflexes to make sure there is not brain or nerve problems.

• Other Reflexes:1. MORO REFLEX: flinging arms outward (when startled).2. GRASPING REFLEX: gripping, usually tight enough that you can lift the baby into the sitting

position. Disappears by 3 or 4 months.3. BABINSKI REFLEX: toes fan up when the bottom of the feet are stroked. Usually disappears

after the first year.4. SWIMMING REFLEX: if you hold an infant face down in the water, you will see the swimming

reflex (last the first 6 months).5. STEPPING REFLEX: if you hold the infant so that he feet are flat, they will move their legs in a

walking motion. Disappears after the first few months.

Motor Sequence• Definition: The order in which a child is able to perform new movements. Each movement

builds on the last one. This depends on the development of the brain and the nerves.

• In the first few months a baby can lift his head from a surface and can watch a moving object by moving his head from side to side.

• 4-5 months: roll over, first from stomach to back and then from back to stomach.• 4-6 months: sit upright• Most babies can pull themselves up into sitting positions and then they crawl (pulls with the

arms and wiggles the stomach). Usually happens after they learn to sit up. • Creeping is when they support their weight on their hands and knees and move forward.• Then they learn to walk when held by an adult.• Soon they can pull themselves into a standing position.• Finally, they become true toddlers and are able to walk!

BABY (birth to one) → toddler (one-three) → preschooler (three-four)

Intellectual Development in the First Two Years

• Most movements are due to reflexes at first.• Then, they learn how to make things happen.• They learn to coordinate the movements

needed to grab a bottle and suck from it.• Two main things influence a child’s

INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT: 1) heredity 2) environment.

Opportunity• Children need opportunities to use their learning. As a caregiver, you have to provide an

environment that lets them develop their full potential.

• Children need to hear people talking, to get loving care, and to have opportunity to explore. • Seeing, hearing, feeling, tasting and smelling are important to learning. These sense develop

in the first two years. Sight and hearing develop first.

• Birth – three months = vision is blurry. Start to see better and like patterns and faces. They are startled by loud noise and react by crying. They react to human voices, and ignore other sounds. If they see their own hands, they think it’s someone else, so often scare themselves. They suck everything!

• Three – Six months = start to focus. Now they examine objects. Can tell between familiar and unfamiliar faces. They can use judgment; they prefer the voice and smell of their parent. They try to locate noises. They start to make noises themselves (cooing). They smile and coo when you touch them and talk to them. They use judgment to try to figure things out (give them something new and they will look at it, put it in their mouths, shake it). This is how they learn.

• Six – Nine Months = object permanence develops (understanding that objects exist even when you can’t see them). This shows that they are developing memory and thinking skills.

• Nine – twelve months = they get definite ideas of what they want. They start to expect certain events, such as that when mom puts her coat on, she is leaving.

• Twelve – eighteen month = problem solving starts to develop. They experiment with objects to find new ways to use them (tossing, bouncing, rolling). Cause and effect fascinates them (hit water and watching it splash). Language becomes a bigger part of communication. They can say a few words, such as daddy and mama. They also understand more words. Don’t know how to put words together yet. Books should become a part of their life! Point out the pictures and the child might give them names.

• Eighteen – Twenty-four months = they start to think before they do things. They are able to problem solve (if I stand on the stool I can reach the sink). Because they can think and move so well, they can be exhausting to care for! They want to find out as much as they can about new places and things. They are not old enough to understand danger. Pretending is a big part of their world. DEFERRED IMITATION is watching someone else’s behavior and imitating it. They often pretend to be animals and to play with “babies” (dolls). They are learning more words and can combine two words into little sentences.

Please Help! Letters• For each of the letters, write a response, using the information in the your

notes.1. Our 9 month old baby keeps falling when we encourage her to walk. What is

wrong with her?2. My one year old keeps bumping into things – tables, chairs, people – could there

be something wrong with his eyesight? What do I do?3. My 3 month old is not rolling over and my mother-in-law keeps telling me she is

delayed. Is she?4. My 8 month old cries every time she sees me put on my coat. Is she super-

intelligent? 5. My 18 month old wants to wander around the living room, but I want to keep him

in his playpen (but he cries). I am afraid he will get hurt if he explores. What can I do to make him happy to stay in the playpen?

6. I was a heavy drinker until I realized I was pregnant (I found out when I was 15 weeks). Now I am worried my baby may be affected. What do I watch for?

7. My baby seems really attached to me, but my husband thinks I am spoiling him. He wants me to let her cry and not to pick her up so much. Who is right?

More Letters

8. My 18 month old is only using 1 or 2 words to try to talk. Should I be concerned?

9. My mother tells me I shouldn’t bother reading to my 22 month old yet, because it won’t have any effect. Is she right?

10. My five-month old puts everything in his mouth! I try to stop him, but worry that he keeps doing this. Is it normal?

11. My baby used to pull his toes up when I rubbed the underside of his feet, but now he doesn’t seem to feel it anymore. Why?

Two-and-Three-Year-Olds

Physical Development:• Still growing, but not as fast as before• They will grow 2-3 inches & add about 5lbs• Organs (eyes, stomach, stomach, heart & lungs) get

stronger• Digestive system matures slowly. Some days they are

great eaters, some days they don’t want to eat at all. • Coordination gets better; less top-heavy .• If they have lots of equipment, space & support, their

gross motor skills take off.

Gross Motor

• Definition: improvement of skills using the large muscles, such as running, skipping & lifting weights.

• At two, they like to play with balls (can kick a large ball). They can walk up and down stairs placing each foot on each stair. They can balance on their toes and jump several inches. They can sit on a riding toy and move it by pushing their feet.

Fine Motor Development

• Definition: improvement of skills using small muscles, such as grasping, holding, cutting & drawing.

• Two year olds are very quickly getting more fine motor control.

• They can put a key in a lock and turn pages in a book one at a time.

• They can string beads and lace cards.• They can hold scissors properly.• They often switch hands for activities at this age.• They scribble, and it usually looks like tangles of lines.• They become good at building blocks.

Self-Help Skills

• They begin to help dressing.• First they learn to undress themselves.• They can work snaps.• Then, they learn to dress themselves.• Zippers can be zipped and unzipped.• They still need help.• They can drink from a cup without help. (they still spill often).• They can use a spoon, but mostly prefer their fingers.• They start to potty train, but it’s usually 33 months (around 3)

before they are completely trained.

Cognitive Development

1. Language Comprehension: understanding language. – They can follow directions, but might not be able to say

more than a few words.– They can understand and answer routine questions.– They can usually identify 6 body parts.– They start to understand pronouns like I, my, mine and

me. – They can give good answers to yes and no questions.– They can follow two-step commands like “take off your

coat and put it on the chair.”

Expressive Language Skills• Definition: the ability to produce language forms. They can

express their thoughts to others.• Expressive language develops quickly at this age.• Their environment is very, very important to help them

develop this skill. • They talk in simple sentences, at first only 2 words “Johnny

hurt”, “Olivia up”. And then they move to 3 words, “See my truck”– FEEDING-In: you help them with their language. If the child is building

with blocks, you say, “you are building with blocks.”– EXPANSION: you help them build on their language. If the child says

“car”, you might say, “This is a small blue car.”

– Their vocabulary is usually between 50-200 words. Girls usually develop language faster.

– They don’t use grammar properly, “milk all gone?”– They often make negative sentences. “No milk” which

might mean she doesn’t want milk.– They start to use prepositions between 27 and 30 months,

“cookies in jar”. They also start to use plurals, “cookies” or “candies”.

– They start to use modifiers, some, a lot, all, one, mine, his, hers, pretty, new, blue.

– They start to use “ed” with verbs around 34 months, to show past tense.

Social-Emotional Development• They tend to be negative at this age.• They like instant gratification• They have a hard time waiting• You have to have a lot of patience to work with 2-year-olds• They play next to one another, not with one another: co-

playing. • They are more interested in adults• They like to act like adults when they play, driving a car,

making a bed, talking on the phone• They tend to be possessive and do not like to share• They use body language to show how they feel about their

possessions (they can push, shove)• Despite this, 2-year-olds are usually very affectionate and like

to help!

Emotional Development

• They are often frustrated & angry because they don’t have as much control as they would like to have.

• They get angry when they try to do things that are too difficult for them.

• Temper tantrums (cry, scream, kick, stamp, bite)• Fears are common at this age. They are often afraid of being

hurt. – Many fears are because of their imagination; they can’t separate

pretend from real (monsters and bad guys).– As a teacher, you need to comfort children when they are afraid. It’s

real to them. Treat them with respect.– They need a lot of love and care at this age. They need to know that

they are still loved even if they get angry. To build trust and security, they need REGULAR ROUTINES.

Teaching Two-Year-Olds• Try to be patient• Have gentle, but firm, guidance.• They often say no even if they want to do what you suggest.• Understand that they are egocentric (all about me). They

can’t see it from anyone else’s position. This is not the same as being selfish (they are too young to understand).

• They want to do things at their own pace. Don’t rush to do it for them.

• It’s very noisy! Be prepared and let them be loud.• They are curious (and this is a very good thing). Provide

opportunities to let them explore. Introduce different toys and materials often.

• Gross motor is huge! Let them run and give them opportunity to get outside.

• They like to act out life experiences. • They like to imitate adults.• They need a dramatic play corner with housekeeping items,

mirrors, dolls, dress-up clothes, toy telephones, trucks & cars (play kitchens are a hit at this age).

• They like routine – a certain time of the day for nap, snack, story time, play-date time, etc.

• They have lots of temper tantrums but it’s normal. Stay composed. Use a calm voice. If a child is kicking, hold his legs; if he is hurting others, remove him from the room.

Physical Development of Three Year Olds

• Playing is exploring• Constantly moving, tasting, smelling, touching• Body coordination shows great improvement• Arms, legs, hands, feet are becoming coordinated• Bodies are less top-heavy• Their walk is more natural and they don’t have to stand with

feet wide apart (to stay standing)• Throwing, jumping and hopping improves• They can climb stairs with alternating feet• Balance is improving• They can catch large balls• Can balance on one foot for up to 8 seconds

Fine Motor (3 yr olds)• Cutting skills get refined• They can cut along a line, staying within an

inch of it.• Better drawing skills. They draw simple

shapes• They like drawing faces (features not in

proportion yet)• They like using blocks and puzzles

Self-Help Skills (3 yr olds)

• Increasingly self-sufficient.• They don’t need a lot of help • Can turn on water, wash and dry hands and face, brush their

own teeth.• Better at dressing themselves• Can put on their own shoes (velcro, not laces)• Not able to work small buttons and hooks• Have a hard time telling the difference between the front and

back of clothes (clothes with pictures on front work for them)• They can spread butter, pour liquid.• They are usually potty trained.

Cognitive Development (3 yr olds)

• They can solve simple problems (if you put something under one cup and not the other, they can figure it out)

• Do not think logically (still egocentric); ex: if something seems big to a small person, they think it also seems big to a tall person.

• They get confused about time

Language Comprehension (3 yr olds)

• They can give you two objects, when asked• They can remember and follow three-part instruction• They understand pronouns you and they and words like who,

whose, why and how• They can answer questions like “who lives at the North Pole”

and “why is the girl crying?”• Space concepts become more clear: toward, up, top, apart,

next to, in back of

Expressive Language (3 yr olds)

• Can use more than 900 words• Improved grammar • Make sentences of four or five words• Understand the difference between past and present: “I

talked”, but don’t understand exceptions to the rule, “I runned”, “I goed”

• They understand possessive nouns, “mommy’s car” and negatives like no, not, can’t, don’t

• They start asking questions with words like why and when• When they play they often talk out loud to themselves

Math Readiness (3 yr olds)

• They start to understand things like full, less, smaller and empty

• They can understand largest, by 42 months• They can recite numbers in order (higher than

three) but might not be able to count objects• They know the difference between one and

many

Social Development (3 yr olds)• They love to help others (especially adults)• They are learning new ways to show concern for others• They are more willing to accept attention from adults and children they

don’t know well• They adjust to new people better• They start to play with, rather than beside, other children• Their play isn’t entirely organized, though (each kid may be the daddy

when playing house, for example)• They are not as possessive as they were at two, but they still don’t like to

share much• They can communicate better, so this makes sharing and explaining the

rules of sharing, easier• They start to learn gender roles (what’s expected of girls and boys)

Emotional Development (3 yr olds)• Strong visible emotions• They get excited, they get angry, they get discouraged• They start to realize there are appropriate ways to express

themselves• They are more eager to please others• They are less likely to get frustrated when they have trouble

doing something• They are more patient• They use words more often when they are angry, not their

fists and feet• They don’t cry as much as a two year old does• They start to develop a self-concept: their name, their

possessions, their physical appearance

Teaching Three Year Olds

• They are social, happy and agreeable• They are eager to please• They are more likely to accept your suggestions• They adjust easier to new classmates, adults and situations• They love to play! • You should introduce themes into their play• Again, have cooking supplies, tools, phones, and suitcases• They love to play pretend, to cook, to repair things• They are becoming very independent.• They need encouragement, so use phrases like “you can do it”

and “wow, you are sure trying hard and doing good work!”

Letters 2-3 yr Olds1. Some days my 2 yr old seems very hungry and some days she won’t eat a thing! Should I take her to the

doctor? Is she sick?2. My 2 ½ year old is so selfish! He won’t share with his cousins, at all! Is he a mean child?3. Now that my baby is almost 2, she doesn’t seem to like the toys she used to love. What kind of toys /

things should I have for her at this age?4. My son wants to hold his own cup, but spills constantly! Does he have some sort of muscular problem?

He just turned two.5. My mother in law tries to correct my 2 year old’s grammar all the time. I think the way she speaks is

normal, but she says we need to correct her grammar. Should I be worried?6. I get so frustrated with my little girl. She cries about the monsters under her bed and won’t believe me

when I tell her there is no such thing. My husband teases her and tells her she is being a baby. Is she immature for her age? How should we deal with this?

7. When will my son start to learn to climb the stairs by alternating his feet? Right now, he puts each foot on each stair and takes forever to get to the top.

8. Does my two year old still need a schedule or can we become more flexible now that she is two?9. My son just turned three. Should we be encouraging him to dress himself? 10. My three year old doesn’t seem to be able to count when I ask her to try. Should I be worried?11. My sister’s son is only one month older than mine. They are both 3 ½. But my little boys cries all the

time and seems to get frustrated easily. Shouldn’t he be outgrowing this by now?12. My daughter doesn’t seem interested in other kids, at all. She is almost four, but doesn’t want to play

with other kids. Should I be concerned?13. How many words should my three year old be using now? She uses around 400. Is that normal?

Four-and-Five-Year-OldsPhysical Development

Body proportions are changing, by now, for example, their legs are about as long as their body. When they were toddlers, they had shorter legs.

Running, jumping and balancing has become easier. Their bones are getting harder and stronger and their “big” teeth are growing.

They need good nutrition to help their bones & teeth from properly: calcium and vitamin D.

Gross Motor

• Getting many new skills! They can hop on one foot by age 4, they can balance on one foot for 10 seconds.

• Close to age 5, they may learn how to skip. They start to ride a bike. They can walk forwards and backwards on a balance beam (My Gym). They can climb fences and march to music.

• Throwing and catching becomes easier.• Careful because some 4 and 5 year olds become

reckless, they are so anxious to try new things.

Fine Motor

• Skills are really coming along.• They can string beads, and can work with smaller

puzzle pieces and games. They get good at using clay and can sculpt simple figures and forms.

• Writing and drawing really gets more “refined”. They can better understand their drawings.

• They can copy shapes and letters.• They can stay in the lines when coloring. Most can

print their first names and like copying letters and simple words.

Self-Help Skills

• They are more and more self-sufficient. They can dress and undress themselves.

• They can tell the front from the back, of clothing.

• They can button and use snaps and velcro.• They often like to help serve food and they

can clean up their place, after a meal.• They get better with a toothbrush and

facecloth & start to brush their own hair.

Intellectual Development

• They are more understanding of their world.• They have much more language than younger

children and that can help them solve problems and express themselves.

• They start to create their own symbols, not just following adults. For example, they might use a hat for a bowl (pretend).

• They make drawings that represent a lot of things. They like to name their drawings. By age 4, they often decide what they want to draw and do so.

Symbols• Understanding symbols will become very important

in language, math, science, social studies, so intellectual development during these years is very, very important.

• They ask a lot of questions! They are trying to make sense of the world.

• They still have flaws in their thinking, but they are getting much more logical.

• When working with kids this age, you should provide new opportunities to help their vocabulary grow (go to a farm and see a goat. Talk about its size, color, how it eats, what we use it for, etc)

Language Comprehension Skills

• New words related to space can be added – beside, bottom, backward, forward, down, low. Also, more words (descriptors) like different, thin,behind, etc.

• They get better at following three-step directions: Pick up the puzzle, put in on the table and wash your hands.

• They plural words (if you saw they should take a sandwich at lunch time, they know to take one); they understand passive voice: the orange was eaten by Tom. (they no longer think the orange ate Tom!)

Are you Serious?

• They still think literally, so some things like “I’m dying of hunger” might scare or confuse them.

• Some kids, who “get it” start to love puns because they understand the humor (some words mean more than one thing).

Reading

• Most 4 and 5 year olds can’t read, but they are developing the abilities to do so. They need to understand first that a group of letters make a word, that groups of words on a page are sentences.

• They know the alphabet and their own name. • They love having stories read to them (sometimes

over and over again). They will pick out words that they understand. They will often pick words that start with the letter that their name starts with, but might look at ball and guess baby.

Expressive Language Skills

• They tend to be very talkative! • They love talking to others as their skills develop.

They tend to talk to you, rather than have a conversation with you. They tend to interrupt a lot.

• They can articulate sounds better (speaking clearly and making lots of sounds). Many still have trouble with “th” (bodder) and “s”.

• Some preschoolers stutter. It’s usually because they are thinking faster than they can speak. The problem tends to disappear.

Vocabulary

• It grows quickly! Most four-year-olds have about 1500 words and five-year-olds have about 2000.

• Abstract words like “freedom, unfair” are tricky.• They tend to imitate grow-ups and tv (That cake is

delightful).• Their grammar gets better. A three year old might

say “Why sky blue?” but a four year old would say “Why is the sky blue?”

• Some things are still tricky (Him and me are going to the zoo).

Math Skills

• Rote counting (reciting numbers in their proper order) gets easier. By five, they can usually count to 20. Different kids are come along at different paces, though, so remember this when teaching them.

• TRUE counting (understanding that each object stands for the number named) develops more slowly. They have trouble really counting more than three objects.

• They start to recognize numerals at this age. A four year old usually recognizes 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. Five year olds add to this and recognize 6-10.

• They are better at recognizing shapes. Most five year olds recognize squares and rectangles. They use words that relate to size and number (short, tallest, same size, first, last).

• They start to understand money too. They can identify a penny, a nickel, a dime. But, they don’t really understand the true value of money (the nickel would be worth more in their mind).

• Time starts to become more clear to them. They start to understand the difference between today, tomorrow and yesterday.

Social-Emotional Development

• They are helpful and cooperative.• They become more involved with each other.• Friendships become important.• Attention and approval are important to them. • They don’t always want adults to play with them;

want other kids more.• They prefer friends of the same gender.• They are more likely to share their toys.• Play involves more interaction; groups are small,

usually 3-4 kids.

• They talk to each other more. Play is still not very organized.

• They accept supervision and they realize that adults have “rules”

• Emotionally, they start to realize new ways to show love and caring. Helping shows love and so does sharing!

• They like to try new things, but want your reassurance.

• They develop a sense of humor! They love to laugh at things that are unusual (dogs meowing). They need role models to teach them that harm done to others is not funny.

Fear and Anger• They know more, so they can be more fearful

(someone might steal us, the car might kill us, sharks might eat us).

• They work through fear through play, pretend to be afraid of a dog, and what would happen.

• Anger: they don’t have as much cause for anger as a three-year-old would, but they get frustrated if they can’t reach their goals. They express anger physically, on objects or other children. They don’t often take it out on adults because they know it won’t be accepted.

Jealousy & Sadness

• Jealousy is common and they might use tears, acting younger than their years, or get stomach aches or nightmares. They need to be reassured and may need a little “special one-on-one time”.

• Sadness: They start to learn that situations are sad, become aware of the concept of death, may lose a dog or grandparent and start to understand. They need role models to help them express themselves. It’s ok to cry. Using play to work through such feelings is a good idea.

Teaching Four and Five Year Olds• They like to help, so give them opportunity to do so.

They love feeling needed. • Be sure not to always choose the same “helper”• Even those who are shy will want to be asked

(monitor at Montessori).• They are talkative so spend time talking to them!

They are learning.• Be careful what you say! They will repeat you. • You don’t have to be as much a playmate anymore, if

there are other kids around. But you might have to handle disputes. Be fair and thoughtful when you do so.

• They may have an imaginary playmate, be supportive.

• They are proud of their possessions and their family. Talk to them about those things that matter to them. Ask them questions, engage them.

• They love projects! The ideas come from play – clay, art, cooking, woodworking, etc.

»Letters!With the notes on four and five year olds,

make up 10 questions. We will trade and answer one another’s