Growth and Development of the Preschool-aged Child (Nursing)

00:00 All right, let's go over the important preschooler developmental milestones.

00:06 We're going to review the growth, motor, cognitive and language milestones for the typical preschooler.

00:12 Preschooler is age 3 to 5.

00:15 Let's start with growth.

00:18 Not much to say here, they're continuing the growth pattern that started in the toddler years.

00:23 So they are gaining about 2.2 kilos or 5 pounds per year.

00:29 All right, let's go on to motor milestones for the preschooler.

00:33 The preschooler is moving all over the place.

00:37 By age 4 their hopping and standing on one foot for up to about two seconds.

00:41 They can catch a bounce ball, they can pour liquids, so now they can actually help retrieve their snacks and drinks.

00:48 And they can cut and mash food with supervision.

00:52 By 5, they can stand on one foot for at least 10 seconds.

00:55 And they can start to do many things that are fun part of being an active preschooler such as hopping, tumbling, and doing a somersault.

01:05 They often enjoy gymnastics classes at this age.

01:08 Both my kids Greg and Jenna took tumbling classes and then eventually gymnastics classes.

01:12 It's great for their growth and development.

01:14 They can also swing and climb and use a fork and spoon correctly.

01:20 And by 5 they should definitely be using the toilet independently.

01:24 Let's move on to cognitive.

01:27 So, Cognitive development.

01:29 Remember Piaget from our other growth and development lectures.

01:33 At this stage, the preschooler is in the pre-operational stage.

01:37 And it's marked by the goal of symbolic thought.

01:41 Remember the stage and the goal for each of Piaget stages.

01:46 Symbolic thought means it's the ability to understand that a word or object can stand for something else.

01:53 It can symbolize something else.

01:55 These kids are not yet capable of logical or operational thought.

02:00 They can't really problem solve.

02:02 So this is when it gets really interesting to live with a young child.

02:06 Their imagination is really on fire.

02:09 The preoperational stage is when something called magical thinking and animism occur.

02:15 Magical thinking refers to making cause and effect connections between two things that are totally unrelated.

02:21 Such as, if they're bad, at home or at school, that they'll get a shot a doctor's office, they think the shot is a punishment for being bad.

02:30 And that can actually, sometimes you really need to clarify that because obviously you don't want them to think that a shot is a punishment.

02:36 It's not a very good habit to set up.

02:38 Or if they wish for a new bike before they blow out their birthday candles.

02:42 They might think that there's gonna automatically be a new bike showing up in the driveway the next morning.

02:48 Animism is another fun way of thinking that preschoolers are known for.

02:53 So this means, it's when they refer to it when they really believe that inanimate objects such as plants, foods, even the weather have lifelike qualities.

03:04 For example, a preschooler may believe that the sky is sad when it's crying, or that a flower is happy because it's blooming.

03:10 It's really really adorable.

03:13 And fun fact, even as adults, not all of us grow out of magical thinking and animism.

03:18 Many of us still hold on to some of our favorite magical thinking, especially in times of stress.

03:24 We just have more grown up words for it.

03:28 So if you avoid walking outside under ladders at all costs, or if you cross your fingers, when you really want something to happen, you're still practicing magical thinking.

03:36 We all need a little magic in our lives.

03:39 All right, let's get back to what the preschoolers actually learning.

03:42 So by age 4, they should be able to name some colors and numbers and start to understand time.

03:49 They also can understand "same" and "different" so it's a really good age to start giving them sorting puzzles, small puzzles or matching games.

04:00 They can also use scissors, which is really exciting to them at least.

04:04 And they can play some board games or card games with their family.

04:08 By 5, they should be able to count about 10 objects and draw a person with at least six body parts even though you may not necessarily recognize what body parts they are.

04:19 They can print some letters or numbers, and copy real shapes other than circles.

04:25 All right, let's go over language milestones of the preschooler.

04:29 By age 4, they should be able to say their first and last name, which helps keep them safe if they get lost.

04:35 And at that point, they should also start understanding grammar and pronouns such as he and she.

04:43 They can tell stories.

04:44 They may be imaginary or they may be real stories, and they can repeat and sings short songs from memory.

04:49 So you better be careful about what you let them hear.

04:53 By 5, they can speak very clearly and then helps them as they began to prepare for kindergarten.

04:59 They and also state their full name and address.

05:03 They can use future tense when they're telling the stories, whether real or imaginary.

05:08 And they can tell simple stories and full sentences.

05:13 And that is it for preschoolers.

05:15 We're going to move on to the next growth and development lecture which is school age.