Growth and Development (Sir Andre): Pres-schooler

Age: 3-6 y/o

Developmental Task: Initiative vs. Guilt
Cognitive Development Stage: Intuitional Thought
Leading Cause of Death: Automobile Accidents (1st), Poisoning & Falls (2nd)

Major Assessment Findings

 Tonsils enlarged
 No new teeth develop
 Body contour is more childlike, not babylike
 Increased coordination, makes bicycle riding, running and kicking possible
 Genu valgus evident (knock knees)
 PR: decreases to 85 bpm
 Growth: Increase 2-3.5 inches a year

Physical Growth
 HANDEDNESS becomes obvious
 Can master two languages if exposed to a bilingual family
 Lymphatic Tissue increase in size
 IgG & IgA increases
 Innocent heart murmurs
 Bladder palpable over symphysis pubis
 Frequent voiding (9-10x a day)

Weight, Height, and Head Circumference

Weight: gains 4lbs a year
Height: gains 2-3.5 inches a year

Teeth
3 y/o: have 20 deciduous teeth
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M E M O R I Z E
3 years old
 Vocabulary of 900 words
 Asks questions with 400 words a day
 Undresses self
 Draws a cross
 Runs
 Alternate feet on stairs
 Rides tricycle
 Stands on one foot
 Able to take turns
 Imaginative
 Capable of sharing
4 years old
 Vocabulary of 1500 words
 Can do simple buttons
 Constantly in motion
 Jumps
 Skips
 Pretending is a major activity
 Enjoy playing in groups

5 years old
 Vocabulary of 2100 words
 Draws a 6-part man
 Can lace shoes
 Throws overhand
 Participates in mealtime conversations
 Imititative Playing
 Likes games with numbers and letters
 Begin to develop “best friendships”

Common Fears of Pre-schoolers

1. Fear of the Dark
 Avoid television, adult discussions, and frightening stories before bedtime
 Reassure them that they are safe
 Solution: Burning a dim night light

2. Fear of Mutilation
 Revealed by intense reaction of pre-schoolers to even a simple injury like scraping a knee
 Worried that if blood is drawn from their arm, all their blood will leak out of their body

3. Fear of Abandonment or Separation

 Reassure children, like, “Mommy will pick you up from school at noon”

Behavior Variations
1. Telling Tall Tales
 When asked, “What happened at the zoo today?” answer, “I saw a bear and it jumped out of the
cage and hit the boy beside me”
 This is not lying, but supplying an expected answer
 Solution: Say, “Okay that is a good story, now tell me what really happened

2. Imaginary Friends
 As long as imaginary friends do not take center stage in a child’s life or prevent them from
having real playmates, this should not pose as a problem.
 3. Difficulty Sharing
 Sharing is understood at 3y/o
 They understand that some things are theirs, some are others’
 They stand in line to wait for a drink, share crayons
 “This is my private drawer, no one touches it but me”

4. Regression
- reverting to behaviors they previously outgrew, like thumbsucking
5. Sibling Rivalry
 Evident during pre-school years
 Solution: Provide them a private drawer or box for their things that no one else can tough, but
them

Sex Education
 “How does James pee?” parents must answer, “Boys look different from girls. That part is called
penis.”
 Masturbation is common
 Teach them not to allow anyone to touch their body unless they agree it is alright
 “Where do babies come from?” parents must answer, “Babies grow in a special place in a mother’s body
called uterus”
 Right Statement about how babies get inside mothers: “When a man and woman love each other,
God helps a man plant a seed in the woman”
 Right Statement about how babies come out from mothers: “Mothers go the the hospital and the nurse
and doctor help get the baby get out from the vagina.”

Key Points
 They are EGOCENTRIC, they describe things in relation to themselves
- Example: A key, “What I use in opening doors”
 DOES NOT need many toys
 Imaginative; Imaginary Friends
 Pretend to be cowboys, teachers, store clerks
 Imitate parents
 If child is punished for trying new things, he will develop a sense of guilt
 Ready to be outside homes for new experiences
 Encourage creative play (paint, clay)
 They can be introduced to their parents’ work environment
 Cannot differentiate fantasy and reality (pretends to be rabbits, superheroes)
 No idea on the property of CONSERVATION
 Determines right or wrong based on their parents rules
- When asked, “Why is it wrong to hit the child?” they will say “Because mama says it’s wrong”
 Children this age enjoy prayer and grace before meals
 Offer fruits, cheese and milk rather than cookies or soft drinks
 Prefer bright colored clothes
 To solve the problem of mismatching: Fold together, matching shirts and pants
 Resist taking naps
 May refuse to sleep because of the fear of the dark
 Night walking can happen
 Love time-honored games like: ring around the rosy, London bridge
 One good toothbrushing period, is better than frequent half-hearted brushings
 Child can drink fluoridated water
 Parents should floss the teeth because a child can’t do this on his own
 Timeout is a good disciplinary technique (facing the wall)
  It is best if the pre-schooler is moved to a bed about 2-3 months in advance before the birth of a new
baby

Definitions
 Oedipus Complex – refers to the strong emotional attachment of a pre-school boy towards his mother
 Electra Complex – refers to the attachment of a pre-school girl towards her father
 Intuitional Thought – lack the ability to put themselves’ in another person’s place
 Property of Conservation – if you have 2 balls of clay w/ equal size, then you squash the other, it
becomes flat, the child will think that the flatter one is bigger
 Bruxism – grinding teeth at night, during sleep
 Telling Tall Tales – stretching stories to make them seem interesting
 Regression – due to stress, they revert to a behavior they previously outgrew (like thumbsucking)