CASE STUDY OF A CHILD AGE 5

Kelsey Posatiere
EDU 220 -1001
 Physical development
* Activity level
* Physical abilities
* Muscle growth  Psychosocial/ Social
 Emotional development Development
CASE STUDY OF * Emotional and bossy
* Empathy growth

A 5-YEAR-OLD * Self- awareness

develops
* Friendships grow
*Imitation
CHILD * Self- control develops Moral/ Character Development

OVERVIEW * Self- confidence grows * Aware of right and wrong

* Shows compassion
Cognitive/ Intellectual
development * Wants more responsibility
*Inquisitive
*Imaginative
*Vocabulary growth
  Can be physically aggressive
 Active
 Muscles grow rapidly

TYPICAL PHYSICAL  Can get dressed and undressed by themselves

 Can go to the restroom by themselves
DEVELOPMENT  Has a large appetite. Eats plain foods, and may vomit
or complain of stomachaches when told to eat
something they dislike.
(University of Washington, 1993 )

Gross and fine motor skills are improving

Developing early sports skills
(Child Development Institute, 1999-2018)
 Extremely active
Have good control over their bodies
Flexible and resilient
TYPICAL Clumsy
PHYSICAL Has a hard time controlling hands and focusing
DEVELOPMENT eyes on small things. Causing a lack of hand-eye
ACCORDING TO coordination.

SNOWMAN Small gender differences in physical and motor

skill development become noticeable.
(Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015)
OBSERVATION: I observed a 5-year-old girl. She was extremely
active and enjoyed running around the
5-YEAR-OLD playground and chasing her friends. I noticed
PHYSICAL she tripped a few times, and it didn’t even seem
DEVELOPMENT to phase her. She would get right back up and
keep running. She was pretty average in height
and thin. She was told several times to take a
break and get some water, which she never
seemed to like very much.
 Provide a nutritious diet, including an ample
amount of protein. (University of Washington, 1993)

 Provide opportunities for a child to run, climb, and

PHYSICAL jump. (Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015)

DEVELOPMENT Provide rest time. Have quiet time after strenuous

activities. (Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015)
RECOMMENDATIONS
Encourage all children to partake in tasks that
emphasize gross and fine motor skills.
(Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015)
 TYPICAL EMOTIONAL BEHAVIORS
• Name calling starts.
• Can become very demanding
• Tests people
• Bossy
• Emotional. Frequently whines, cries, or
complains.
• Self-confidence grows
• Nervous habits begin to develop such as nail
biting, eye blinking, and thumb sucking.
(University of Washington, 1993)
• Self- Awareness: Has a good grasp of
basic emotions and is ready to talk
about what causes people to feel
certain ways.
• Self- Control: Able to articulate the
difference between appropriate and
inappropriate behaviors.
• Self-Confidence: Going between
wanting to do things by themselves or
having their parents do the task for
them.
(PBS Parents, 2003-2019)
TYPICAL EMOTIONAL BEHAVIORS ACCORDING TO
SNOWMAN
• Expresses their emotions freely and openly

• Has frequent anger outburst

• Jealousy
-More likely among classmates. They have
affection for the teacher and actively seek
approval. Sharing the teacher with 30 other
students all wanting the affection and attention of
one person, jealousy is bound to happen.

(Snowman, J. & McCown, R. 2015)

 OBSERVATION: 5-YEAR-OLD BEHAVIOR
CHARACTERISTICS
My 5-year-old seemed to be a little bossy. She
liked to be the leader of whatever game was
being played. She would show signs of
jealousy whenever somebody would tell her
other friend “good job.” When seeing another
friend get praised, she would do the same thing
and then show the adult and ask ” Look what I
did! Didn’t I do a good job?”.
 EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT RECOMMENDATIONS
•Let children express their feelings openly, allow them to recognize and face their
emotions. (Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015)
•When praising one child and not the other, do it privately or casually. (Snowman, J. & McCown, R.,
2015)

•Don’t act overly concerned when a child seems nervous or upset. (University of Washington, 1993)
•Don’t make a child’s fears seem unimportant. (University of Washington, 1993)
•Provide limits and stick to them. (University of Washington, 1993)
•Allow different outlets for emotional expression like talking. (University of Washington, 1993)
•Build positive self-esteem. Point out things that a child can do for themselves.
(University of Washington, 1993)
 More likely to engage in make-believe play.
Starts to build things out of items like Legos.
(Child Development Institute, 1999-2018)

Asks many questions, and has an insatiable

TYPICAL curiosity
COGNITIVE/INTELLECTUAL Has an interest in language, has a 1500-2000 word
DEVELOPMENTS vocabulary
Follows instructions and likes supervision
Knows colors and numbers
May be able to print some letters and begin to read
(University of Washington, 1993)
 Piaget
Thinking centers around the mastery of symbols, such as words.
Ages 2-7 are known to be at the preoperational stage of
cognitive development. Explained below.
-“Gradually acquires ability to conserve and decenter but not
capable of operations and unable to mentally reverse actions.”
TYPICAL
COGNITIVE/INTELLECTUAL (Snowman, J. &McCown, R., 2015 p.40)

DEVELOPMENTS
ACCORDING TO PIAGET Vygotsky
AND VYGOTSKY “Social interaction is the primary cause of cognitive
development.” (Snowman, J. & McCown R., 2015, p.52)
In early childhood, children tend to learn spontaneous concepts
in school (facts, concepts, and rules). However, scientific
concepts, “psychological tools that allow us to manipulate our
environment consciously and systematically”, (Snowman, J. & McCown
R., 2015, p.53) should be more of a priority.
 My 5-year-old fits a lot of the characteristics
described in my last 2 slides. She felt that she
OBSERVATION: could perform tasks that were obviously to
5-YEAR-OLD difficult for her. When I would offer to help,
COGNITIVE/INTELLECTUAL
DEVELOPMENTS she would tell me that she didn’t need help
and she could do it by herself. She enjoyed
using her Lego Friends set to build a
treehouse. She spent most of our time
together talking and asking questions.
 Give opportunities to write own name and other
words. (University of Washington, 1993)
Play word games (University of Washington, 1993)
Be patient when answering questions. (University of
Washington, 1993)

Don’t ridicule the importance of fantasy.

COGNITIVE/INTELLECTUAL (University of Washington, 1993)
DEVELOPMENTS Show interest when the child is talking (Snowman, J. &
RECOMMENDATIONS McCown, R,. 2015)

Admire and appreciate the child’s achievements

(Snowman, J. & McCown, R,. 2015)

Provide sharing time to allow the child time to talk.

(Snowman, J. & McCown, R,. 2015)
TYPICAL PSYCHOLSOCIAL/ SOCIAL DEVELOPMENTS
•Imitates adults
•Good imagination
•Knows gender differences
•Tries to conform to others
(University of Washington, 1993)

•Starts to develop a sense of empathy. Understands that other people have feelings and that
they might not be the same as their own.
•Start to build friendships. They like to ask friends questions and learn about their lives.
Likes to share toys and ideas.
•Motivated to solve social problems within the friendships that they have built.
(PBS Parents, 2003-2019)
TYPICAL PSYCHOSOCIAL/ SOCIAL DEVELOPMENTS
ACCORDING TO ERIKSON
•Initiative Versus Guilt
-Initiative: Ability to assess and
participate in physical activities
and to use language.
-Guilt: A child that is restricted
and feels as though their activities
and questions are a nuisance.
(Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015)
OBSERVATION: 5-YEAR-OLD PSYCHOSOCIAL/ SOCIAL
DEVELOPMENT
When playing with her LOL dolls, my 5-year-old had a vast
imagination. She would make them say and do things that I’m
guessing she saw on T.V. She was a little sassy and would occasionally
say something a little mean and I would tell her that it hurt my
feelings. She was good about apologizing and showed signs of
empathy. When asking her about her friends she told me that she had a
best friend who lived down the street and how she had a little brother.
She then went on to tell me all about her parents and what it was like
going to her house.
PHYCHOSOCIAL/ SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
RECOMMENDATIONS
•Teach the child the value of being different (University of Washington, 1993)
•Allow the child to partake in adult activities setting the table or feeding the pets. (University of
Washington, 1993)

•Take time to answer questions (Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015)

• Give the child the freedom to explore and experiment (Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015)

•Help teach children how to communicate, respect others, and collaborate (PBS Parents, 2003-2019)
 Aware of right and wrong
Wants to do what they think is right

TYPICAL May tell lies or blame others to please adult

(University of Washington, 1993)

MORAL/ Shows gratitude by consistently saying ”thank

you.”
CHARACTER Shows compassion by saying something nice or
DEVELOPMENT giving a hug
Shows responsibility by helping with chores or
getting ready for school
(PBS Parents, 2003-2019)
 TYPICAL  Level one: Preconventional Morality (Goes up to age 9)
Stage one: Punishment-obedience orientation
MORAL/ “The physical consequences of an action
determine goodness or badness. Those in
CHARACTER authority have superior power and should
be obeyed. Punishment should be
DEVELOPMENTS avoided by staying out of trouble.”
(Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015, p.61)

ACCORDING TO Stage Two: Instrumental relativist orientation

“An action is judged to be right if it is
KOHLBERG instrumental in satisfying one’s own
needs or involves an even exchange.
Obeying rules should bring some sort of
benefit in return.”
(Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015, p.61)
 My 5-year-old is pretty shy at first, but
then after warming up to a person, she is
OBSERVATION: a lot more talkative and outgoing. She is
aware of what is right and wrong. When
5-YEAR-OLD watching Beauty and the Beast, she said
MORAL/ that Gaston was a bad man for throwing
Belle’s dad in jail. When leaving she
CHARACTER hugged me and told me she had fun and
then thanked me for spending time with
DEVELOPMENT her. Even though she was sassy, she
showed a lot of compassion and
gratitude.
 TYPICAL MORAL/ Try to understand the child’s perspective (University of
Washington, 1993)

CHARACTER Help the child discover the consequences of their

behavior. (University of Washington, 1993)
DEVELOPMENT Always be a good role model
RECOMMENDATIONS
 REFRENCES
Child Development Institute (1999-2018). The ages and stages of child development.
Retrieved from https://childdevelopmentinfo.com/ages-stages/#
PBS Parents. (2017). Child development tracker Ages 2- 8. Retrieved
from http://www.pbs.org/parents/child-development/
Snowman, J. & McCown, R. (2015). Psychology Applied to Teaching. Stamford, CT: Cengage
Learning.
University of Washington. (1993). Child development: Using the child development
guide. Retrieved from
http://depts.washington.edu/allcwe2/fosterparents/training/chidev/cd06.htm