CASE STUDY

OF A 3 YEAR OLD
CHILD
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 BRIEF OVERVIEW OF A 3-YEAR-OLD CHILD DEVELOPMENT IN DEVELOPMENTAL AREAS

Physical Development: Emotional Development:

• Runs, kicks, climbs, throws a ball, jumps, Psychosocial/Social Development:
• Shows concern for crying friend
pull, pushes, etc.; enjoys rough-and-tumble •Copies adults and friends
play. • Shows a wide range of emotions
Shows affection for friends without
•Pedals a tricycle (3-wheel bike) • May get upset with major changes in
prompting
•Eye-hand coordination makes great gains routine
•Takes turns in games
during this year. • Separates easily from mom and dad
• Understands the idea of “mine”
• Scribbles in circles; likes to play with • Is sensitive about the feelings of other
mud, sand, finger paints, etc.; can begin and “his” or “hers
people toward self.
to put together simple puzzles and • Is developing some independence and
construction toys. self-reliance.
• Takes care of toilet needs more Cognitive/Intellectual Development:
• Is anxious to please adults and is
independently; can stay dry all day but •Can work toys with buttons, levers, and
perhaps not all night; becomes very dependent on their approval, love, and
interested in own body and how it praise. moving parts
works. •Plays make-believe with dolls, animals,
• Stands on one leg, jumps, draws simple and people
shapes •Does puzzles with 3 or 4 pieces
•Understands what “two” means
Moral/Character/Philosophical Development: •Copies a circle with pencil or crayon
• Begins to know right from wrong. •Turns book pages one at a time
• does recognize what may create friction or anger in •Builds towers of more than 6 blocks
caretakers. •Screws and unscrews jar lids or turns door
• Finds other's opinions of self to be important. handle
• Is more self-controlled and less aggressive.
• Uses extreme verbal threats such as, "I'll kill you,"
without understanding full implications.
 PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

ACCORDING TO SNOWMAN

“Large-muscle control is better established “Preschool children are extremely active

than small-muscle control and eye–hand
coordination.
Free play provides multiple benefits to young
children
Gender differences in toy preferences and
play activities are noticeable by
kindergarten”
(Snowman & McCown, 2014, p. 76-78)
They have good control of their bodies and
enjoy activity for its own sake.
Preschoolers’ large muscles are more
developed than those that control fingers
and hands. Therefore, preschoolers may
be quite clumsy at, or physically
incapable of, such skills as tying shoes
and buttoning coats.”
(Snowman & McCown, 2014, p. 77-78)
 PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

OBSERVATION OF A 3-YEAR-OLD CHILD

Meets development milestones:
• While outside his favorite thing is to ride
the tricycles. He can pedal but doesn’t
always want to.
• He likes to put puzzles together when he
doesn’t nap. He likes to put together a 6-
piece bug puzzle that they have. He even
turns the pieces around to get them to fit.
• His does run, climbs easily, jumps, hop on
one foot, but he can not skip.
• He has started to rough-and-tumble play
with his other classmates.
• He does have accidents sometimes and he
doesn’t tell anyone when he does.
 T O N
L N T I
A E A
IC P M D
S O EN
H Y E L M
P EV M • Provide new/more
D EC O challenging
R puzzles
S • Complete potty
training.
 EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
ACCORDING TO SNOWMAN

“It is probably desirable “Anger outbursts are

to let children at this more likely to occur
age level express their when children are
feelings openly, at tired, hungry, or
exposed to too much
least within broad adult interference.
limits, so that they
can recognize and Jealousy among
classmates is likely to
face their emotions.” be fairly common”
(Snowman & McCown, 2014, p. 80-81)
(Snowman & McCown, 2014, p. 80-81)
 EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
OBSERVATION OF A 3-YEAR-OLD
CHILD

Meets development • He wants to do

milestones: everything himself.
• When one of the He wanted to change
other children was himself after he had
crying, he went over an accident.
to comfort the kid.
He hugged him and
said, “it’s ok.”
 L N T IO
N A E AT
I O PM D
T N •
O LO M E
Give approval through
facial expressions,
M
E EV ME gestures, and verbal

D EC O responses. Avoid
negative remarks
about the child.
R S Emphasize the
N family's love for the
child.
• Encourage
independent play.
("Child development guide: Three to four years,"
n.d.)
 COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

ACCORDING TO PIAGET

Preoperational Stage • Language development is

one of the hallmarks of
(2-7 years old) this period
• children begin to engage • Role-playing also
in symbolic play and becomes important—
learn to manipulate children often play the
symbols. However, roles of "mommy,"
Piaget noted that they do "daddy," "doctor," and
not yet understand many other characters.
concrete logic. (Snowman & McCown, 2014,
(Snowman & McCown, 2014, p. 41-42)
p. 41-42)
 COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
OBSERVATION OF A 3-YEAR-OLD CHILD
Meets development milestones:
• The three-year-old boy that I
observed loves to role play. He
likes to sit in the teachers chair
with a book and act like he’s
reading to the other children.
• When he is reading, he does
turn the book one page at a
time and when he found a page
that was ripped, he showed the
teacher and asked for tape.
• Like to cook in the
dramatic play area and
use the manipulatives
as food.
• He put together a 6
piece after his friend
got frustrated with it.
He even turned the
pieces to get them to fit
into the right spots.
 T O N
E N T I
I V E A
IT PM D
N O E N
O G E L M
• Provide many sensory experiences, e.g.,
sand, water, pictures.

C EV M
I didn’t observe any sensory play or
experiences for the child/children.

D EC O • Provide props for dramatic play, e.g.,

old clothes, shoes, make-up.
They weren’t allowed to have dress up clothes
R at the school because of corvid 19 so I would
recommend it for home.

S • Explain things to the child, answer

questions honestly, and help child put
feelings and ideas into words.
Most questions were answered but weren’t
answered honestly
(Child Development Guide Three to Four years 1993)
 PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
ACCORDING TO ERIKSON
Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt
 18 months to 2/3 years old.
• children at this stage are focused on
developing a greater sense of self-
control.
• Gaining a sense of personal control over
the world is important at this stage of
development.
• Children at this age are becoming
increasingly independent and want to
gain more control over what they do and
how they do it.
• Children who successfully complete this
stage feel secure and confident, while
those who do not are left with a sense of
inadequacy and self-doubt.
• This stage also serves as an important
building block for future development.
Kids who have confidence in their skills
are more likely to succeed in subsequent
tasks such as mastering social, academic,
and other skills.
(Snowman & McCown, 2014, p.
28-29)
Initiative versus guilt
3 – 5 years old
• children begin to assert their power
and control over the world through
directing play and other social
interaction.
• experience a desire to copy the adults
around us and take initiative in
creating play situations.
• We also begin to use that wonderful
word for exploring the world
—”WHY?”
• If they have successfully completed
the earlier two stages, kids now have a
sense that the world is trustworthy and
that they are able to act independently.
Now it is important for kids to learn
that they can exert power over
themselves and the world. They need
to try things on their own and explore
their own abilities. By doing this, they
can develop ambition and direction.
(Snowman & McCown, 2014,
p. 28-29)
 PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
OBSERVATION OF A 3-YEAR-OLD
CHILD

Meets Development Milestones: • He understand sharing

Current Stage: and taking turns. He
Initiative versus guilt
wanted a Pete the Cat
I would say this child is just entering this
stage. book that his classmate
• He wants to do everything for was reading, the
himself. Everything is, “no, I do it”
He had an accident and he wanted to teacher told him that
change his self.
the other kid was
• He like to act like he’s the teacher.
He will get a book and sit in the reading it right now
teacher chair and start reading.
and he said, “then it’s
my turn?”
 A L
I T O N
O C N I
S E AT
H O P M D
C O E N
S Y E L M • Allow him to taking
P EV M initiative by planning
activities, getting his
D EC O lunchbox, etc..
• Provide enough materials
R so that several children can
use them together. Have
S multiple copies of a
popular books so children
can read them together.
(Child Development Guide Three to Four years
1993)
 MORAL/CHARACTER/PHILOSOPHICAL
DEVELOPMENT
ACCORDING TO KOHLBERG
Level 1: Preconventional
Morality Stage 1: Punishment- Obedience
• a child’s sense of morality is Orientation
externally controlled • focuses on the child’s desire to
• Children accept and believe obey rules and avoid being
the rules of authority figures, punished.
such as parents and teachers.
  Stage 2: Instrumental Relativist
• Orientation
focuses largely on external
consequences that certain • the person is said to judge the
actions may bring. morality of an action based on
• divided into two stages how it satisfies the individual
needs of the doer.
(Snowman & McCown,
2014, p. 28-29) (Snowman & McCown,
2014, p. 28-29)
 MORAL/CHARACTER/PHILOSOPHICAL
DEVELOPMENT
OBSERVATION BY A 3-YEAR-OLD
CHILD

Meets development Milestone • He does follow the rules that

I would say that the
child is in level 1,
preconventional,
stage 1: obedience
and punishment
orientation.
the teacher sets and if another
kid isn’t, he will go tell the
teacher.
• When he think the other
children are doing something
wrong, he will go to them and
call them a “bad” boy.
• He does things that his teacher
ask him to do, such as cleaning
up, lining up, washing hands
etc. and rarely told her “no”.
 C T
A A L
AR C
H H I N
/ C P NT IO
L SO E AT
R A O M D
O IL O EN P ● Provide clear limits; enforce them

M /PH EL M
consistently, but not harshly.
● Notice and reinforce child's self-

R EV M
control, e.g., the ability to wait, to
share belongings.

D EC O ● Praise the child whenever you

honestly can. Focus on behavior; be

R explicit, e.g., "You ate all the peas,

and peas are good for you," or "That

S drawing has such beautiful colors,"

instead of "I like that drawing.“
(Child Development Guide Three to Four
years 1993)
 REFERENCES
References
• CDC. (2019, February 19). Child Development Basics. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/facts.html
• Child Development Guide: Three to Four Years. (n.d.). Depts.Washington.Edu.
Retrieved July 2, 2020, from
http://depts.washington.edu/allcwe2/fosterparents/training/cdevguid/cdg05.htm
• Know Your Child Better By Learning The Ages & Stages Of Child Development.
(n.d.). Child Development Institute. https://childdevelopmentinfo.com/ages-
stages/#.WR3Id_QrLrc
• PEPSI - 3rd Year. (n.d.). Jan.Ucc.Nau.Edu. Retrieved July 2, 2020, from
http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jde7/ese504/class/pepsi/PEPSIObserv/year3.html
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