Understanding and Supporting Your Child s Development Age 3 5 Years

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1 Understanding and Supporting Your Child s Development Age 3 5 Years Developed by Informed Parents Successful Children (IPSC)

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3 Overview The mission of Informed Parents Successful Children (IPSC) is to provide non-english-speaking parents and caregivers with tools to promote early childhood development and success. IPSC is funded by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). IPSC has prepared this booklet to provide parents with information on how preschool-age children learn and develop and what they can do to encourage their children s learning. What follows is a brief description of four areas of development: cognitive, physical, social-emotional, and language and literacy; along with overviews of developmental milestones; inexpensive activities you can do at home to encourage your child s healthy development; and health and safety guidelines. Children do not reach developmental milestones at the exact same age. Variations are expected from child to child. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the development of your child, please contact us (see contact information on back cover). 3

4 Developmental Areas Child development is commonly divided into four developmental areas: physical, cognitive, social-emotional, and language and literacy. These four areas are closely related and often overlap. Physical development refers to the development of large muscles (gross motor) and small muscles (fine motor). Gross motor includes balance, stability, and a child s ability to control large muscles in the body, especially the arms and legs. Fine motor includes using and coordinating small muscles in the hands and wrists. Cognitive development refers to the development of children s thinking, reasoning and problem-solving skills. Children develop their thinking from the simple to the complex and from the concrete to the abstract. 4

5 Social-emotional development refers to the process by which children learn to interact with others, communicate and express their feelings, and develop their identity and selfesteem. Language development refers to the process by which children learn to use symbols and sounds to communicate. Literacy development refers to the process by which children learn to read and write. 5

6 Physical Development During the preschool years, children gain strength, agility and coordination, which give them the confidence to try new and challenging tasks. Preschoolers bodies have more coordination and balance, leading to better use of muscles. They are able to run, jump, catch, and throw. Around three years, children can catch a medium-sized ball, march in time to music, go down the steps holding onto a handrail, and jump and land with both feet. Between four and five years, they can kick a ball into a goal, stand and hop on one foot, do a forward roll, and run quickly. They also begin to skip and gallop, in addition to running and walking. Fine motor development at this stage allows preschoolers to manipulate small objects, such as pencils, brushes or scissors. They can cut on a line with scissors, fold paper and draw a person. They are also able to pour water into a bowl or cup and string beads easily. Their drawings become more recognizable, and they are able to explain what happens in the picture. Their block buildings become taller, larger and more complex, including towers, roads, furniture, etc. 6

7 What Children Can Do March in time to music and play simple musical games. Jump and land with both feet together. Run/stop and run around obstacles. Hop on one foot. (4 5 years) Dress by him/herself. (4 5 years) Cut on a line when using scissors. (4 5 years) How Parents Can Help Play games with your child. Have your child dance around until the music stops and then sit down or freeze. Play some music and ask your child to pretend to be a tree blowing in the wind, a seed growing, etc. Get a jump rope or mini trampoline for your child and encourage him/her to jump while you count or sing. Go to a park or open room and play Stop and Go. Give instructions to your child. Green light to run around; yellow light to slow down; red light to stop; traffic jam to walk slowly. Draw squares and numbers on the ground with sidewalk chalk and have your child jump and hop from one to the other. Provide children with clothing items in a large box (old scarves, gloves, hats, shoes, pants, etc.) to help them practice playing dress up. Give your child newspapers, magazines and a pair of children s scissors and encourage him/her to cut out the pictures to make a collage. 7

8 Cognitive Development Cognitive development involves how children think, perceive and understand the physical and social world. Preschoolers are able to accomplish many things in this area, but they need time and experience to further their learning. At this stage, children are able to sort and classify objects into different categories. They can group objects by color or shape and, later on, by color and shape at the same time. Children can also organize objects by length, size, ordering things from smallest to biggest, first to last, thinnest to thickest, etc. They also learn the meaning of cause and effect; they are aware their behavior can cause things to happen (e.g., If I eat all my vegetables, I will be able to have dessert. ). Preschoolers take what they hear literally. For example, if you say something like, it was a piece of cake, a preschool child may look for the piece of cake to eat. Also, at this stage children have no real concept of time. Telling children they have a play date next week may cause them to think next week means tomorrow. They also learn through repetition; they love hearing the same stories and singing the same songs. Repetition gives children the chance to gain new information and master new concepts. As a parent, you need to encourage your child to become a problem solver, giving him/her a chance to explore and figure things out. 8

9 What Children Can Do Be confused about present, past,and future. Sort and classify objects by color, shape, sizes, etc. Learn through causality (cause and effect) and problem solving. (4 5 years) Organize objects from small to big, light to heavy, etc. (4 5 year olds) How Parents Can Help When reading a story, ask your child what happened first, next and last. Use a calendar to count down days to anticipated events and to help him/her understand the passage of time. Ask your child to help you sort the laundry and separate light and dark clothes into different piles. Play I Spy and encourage him/her to identify things by color, or shape. Go on a shape/color hunt and try to point out things that are blue, green, round, square, etc. Encourage your child to find the solution to a problem by providing assistance rather than giving him/her the solution. Ask questions, such as, What do you think will happen if we take the snow inside the house? At bath time, ask, What do you think will happen if we put a heavy object in the water? Will it sink or float? Play games in which your child can sort objects from small to big (buttons, plastic containers, etc.) or light to heavy (feathers, cardboard, wood blocks, etc.). 9

10 Social-Emotional Development The preschool years are a time of many changes in children s social-emotional development. Children become more social, learn how to relate to other people, achieve a sense of self, follow rules and routines, and begin to express their feelings. During this time, they become more interested in and comfortable with groups of other children; are able to identify and choose their playmates, share toys and take turns; and begin to understand other people s perspectives and feelings. As children achieve a sense of self and independence, they also begin to feel a sense of power. For this reason, preschool children often share strong opinions about likes and dislikes, begin to ask more questions and may feel frustrated when they are not able to understand a concept or make something work. Preschool children often enjoy the responsibility of being a leader or helping out around the house, such as setting the table and helping with dinner. Children often look to their parents and other caregivers for role models on how to react to different situations. Therefore, parents need to model positive behaviors so their children learn how to act in certain situations. 10

11 What Children Can Do Act in a more confident, self-directed and purposeful manner. Follow classroom rules and routines with guidance. Want to do things on their own. Begin to understand other people s feelings and develop a sense of empathy (show concern when a friend gets hurt and cries). How Parents Can Help Give your child some choices in his/her daily routine. You can ask him/her if he/she would like to play with the blocks or paint, play in the sandbox, or go to the swings, etc. Be clear and consistent with the rules. Tell your child your plans for the day and give five-minute warnings or reminders in between each activity. You can say, We are going to have breakfast and then go to the park. Encourage your child to do things on his/her own and provide assistance. For example, teach him/her how to put on a coat using the flip and help him/her zip jackets, but encourage him/ her to pull the zipper without help. Read books about feelings and ask your child questions, such as, How is he feeling? Why do you think he is sad, angry, or happy? (4 5 years) Enjoy having responsibilities or jobs. (4 5 years) Use puppets to role-play and teach empathy and conflict resolution. Give your child small jobs around the house. For example, put his/her dirty clothes in the hamper, or set the table. 11

12 Language and Literacy Development During the preschool years, language development becomes the principal tool for establishing and maintaining relationships with adults and other children. Children s language grows in different areas, preparing them to learn to read and write in the future. Preschoolers verbal abilities increase noticeably. Children have improved pronunciation and are able to speak more clearly, but their intonation and fluency are less sophisticated than those of adults, so they still struggle with speech sounds throughout this period. At this stage, they are also able to understand the meanings of more words and use long, complex sentences. Preschoolers vocabulary grows immensely, and they begin to understand the meanings of more words than they are able to speak. Their newly acquired skills allow them to express their thoughts and feelings more clearly and use language to obtain something they want. For example, preschoolers learn to use language to communicate needs, feelings and intentions and to influence others. Language and literacy skills are interdependent; increased language experience leads to a dramatic increase in children s vocabulary, laying the foundation for later reading skills. 12

13 What Children Can Do Ask why and other questions to keep a conversation going. Develop writing skills and recognize that drawings, paintings and writing are meaningful representations. How Parents Can Help Be patient and try to answer your child s questions. Remember that this is a sign that your child is learning, and you need to be supportive. Show your child pictures of letters and numbers and say the letter or number out loud. Use long complex sentences of more than five words; use future tense. (4 5 years) Have conversations with your child: ask him/her what he/ she did at school and tell him/her what you will be doing on a given day. For example, We are going to go to the grocery store and then we will go to the park. Recognize certain symbols and know their meanings, recognize their names on name tags, recognize a stop sign, etc. (4 5 years) Encourage him/her to try to guess what will happen next when you read a story, and ask him/her about his/her opinions, experiences, and feelings. Point out symbols that naturally occur in the environment, such as traffic signs. Label the places where toys belong with simple signs and pictures. Point out the letters that are in your child s name. 13

14 Health and Safety Preschoolers are more aware of dangers in the environment, but it is still very important to maintain a safe and healthy environment at home and to teach children general safety precautions. Generally, preschool-age children sleep in their own bed. No child under eight years of age should sleep in a top bunk bed. You should also check periodically to make sure that electrical outlets are covered and that toys are not broken or missing small parts. Shelves and dressers should be secured with anti-tipping devices, electrical cords should be secured to prevent them from being pulled from the socket. In addition, make sure that all cleaning products, medicines, lighters, and matches are kept out of the reach of children and locked away if possible. At this age, children should still be in an approved car or booster seat and should remain in the backseat of the car until they are 12 years old. Children who weigh 40 pounds or less should use a car seat, and those who weigh between 40 and 80 pounds must use a booster seat. Parents should also instill healthy nutrition habits, making sure their children eat enough fruits, vegetables, and whole grains; reduce their sugar intake, and get enough physical activity. 14

15 Typical Behaviors and Common Situations Sleeping in their own bed. Wanting to ride in the passenger seat or without a car seat. Wanting to eat sweets. Getting up in the middle of the night. Watching TV shows and video games. What Parents Should Do Provide bed rails to prevent a fall during their sleep. Do not allow any child younger than 8 years of age to sleep in a top bunk bed. Do not allow your child to ride in the passenger seat. Make sure your child uses a car seat if he/she weighs 40 pounds or less and a booster seat if he/she weighs between 40 and 80 pounds. Try to look for healthier store-bought snacks and recipes. You do not need to prohibit your child from eating sweets but do limit the amount of sugar he/she eats throughout the day. Keep a small night light to prevent falls during the night. Ensure that your child s schedule includes enough physical activities and restrict the amount of time he/she is allowed to watch TV or play video games. Take the time to watch and select programs that are appropriate for your child. 15

16 IPSC Staff María del Rosario (Charo) Basterra Director ext. 124 Katie Farbry Research and Technology Specialist ext. 114 Leonor Guillén Senior Parent Training Specialist (Spanish) ext. 122 General Information/ Referral Services ext. 122 Informed Parents Successful Children (IPSC) River Road Suite 340 Bethesda, MD Phone: Fax: IPSC is funded by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). Additional MAC Parent Information Website: Maryland Parental Information Resource Center Special thanks to Paloma Panesi and Chris Chen; and to the following organizations for allowing us to publish and disseminate photos of the children portrayed in the pamphlets. Organizations: Chinese Culture and Community Service Center (CCACC), Montgomery County Child Care Resource Center (MCCCR&RC), and the Spanish Education Development (SED) Center. Individuals: Carol Chen and Isela Khouri Informed Parents Successful Children (IPSC), Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium, Inc.