Developmental Overview: Ages 3-5

5 areas of developmental stages for 3-5yrs

Intellectual Development

    * Imaginary play is a notable milestone of this stage

    * Children begin to name colors & begin to understand simple counting

    * important to stimulate your child’s intellectual development by reading aloud to him every day

    * Kids gradually begin to understand the concept of time

    * By age 3, preschoolers know 300 words
- that expands to 1,500 words by age 4, and to 2,500 words by age 5
- stimulate their language development through reading, talking & asking them questions

Physical Development

    * Hopping, climbing, swinging, and doing somersaults begin at this stage
- by age 5, many kids can stand on one foot for at least 10 sec
    
    * Children can draw a person with up to four body parts by age 5
- they draw circles and begin to learn how to copy a square & some capital letters
- they learn how to use scissors


    * Kids often become frustrated with wanting to do something physically & not being able to do it yet
- they have lots of falls & mishaps

Social Development

    * Interaction with other children increases

    * A great deal of social development occurs through fantasy play & imagination

    * Children this age need to learn how to deal with conflict & how to solve problems without so much emotion

Emotional Development

    * Kids move easily between fantasy and reality, and can become quite emotional about their imaginary play
- they often do not know the difference between fantasy and reality, so imaginary monsters under the bed or in the dark are as frightening to them as a real threat
  
    * Take your child’s emotions seriously
- help her make sense of her emotions
- some preschoolers can throw wild, long tantrums
- calm her down and teach her how to deal with her strong emotions

    * See a pediatrician if your child is extremely aggressive or fearful at this age

Spiritual Development

    * Children have an active imagination & are open to the supernatural

    * You might hear your child say insightful or profound things about God, the world, and life

    * Kids respond to concrete spiritual stories, symbols & experiences

    * Your child will tend to be a black-and-white thinker
- he knows about good and evil

    * Children at this age begin to use the religious or spiritual language of the family