DEVPSY

• Early Childhood


  As toddlers develop into preschoolers, there are physical, cognitive, and language changes that typically occur during this growth stage
• Physical Changes in Early Childhood


  • Body Growth and Change
  • The Brain
  • Motor and Perceptual Development
  • Sleep
  • Nutrition and Exercise
  • Illness and Death
• Body Growth and Change

  Growth in height and weight is the obvious physical change that characterizes childhood
• Average child grows 2 and ½ inches in height and gains 5 to 10 pounds a year during early childhood. During preschool years, both boys and girls slim down as the trunks of their bodies lengthen
• Growth patterns vary individually. Some were naturally taller, shorter, some fatter, some thinner, some were stronger, some weaker. Much of the variation was due to heredity, but environmental experiences were also involved
• Growth hormone deficiency


  The absence or deficiency of growth hormone produced by the pituitary gland to stimulate the body to grow
• Why are some children unusually short?

  • Congenital factors (genetic or prenatal problems)
  • Growth hormone deficiency
  • A physical problem that develops in childhood
  • Maternal smoking during pregnancy
  • An emotional difficulty
• The Brain


  The brain holds one of the most important physical developments during early childhood
• Although the brain continues to grow in early childhood, it does not grow as rapidly as it did in infancy
• Myelination


  An important process in the development of a number of abilities during childhood because it has the effect of increasing the speed and efficiency of information traveling through the nervous system
• At age three (3) - Brain is three quarters of its adult size
• At age six (6) - Brain has reached about 95 percent of its adult size
• Between age three (3) to fifteen (15) - Brain undergoes dramatic anatomical changes
• Between age three (3) to six (6) - Brain's rapid growth takes place in the frontal lobe areas that are involved in planning and organizing new actions, and maintaining attention to tasks
• Motor and Perceptual Development

  • Gross Motor Skills
  • Fine Motor Skills
• At age three (3) - Children enjoy simple movements. This includes: hopping, jumping, and running back and forth wherein they take considerable pride in showing how they can run across a room and jump all of 6 inches
• At age four (4) - Children are still enjoying the same kind of activities but they have become more adventurous
• At age five (5) - Children are even more adventuresome than when they were 4. Five-year-olds run hard and enjoy races with each other and their parents
• According to recent studies, children who have higher motor proficiency were found to have higher levels of physical activity in adolescence
• At age three (3) - Although children could pick up the tiniest objects between their thumb and forefinger, they are still clumsy at it. Three-year-olds can build high block towers with intense concentration, even though they are not placed in a straight line. Three-year-olds also have difficulty positioning objects
• At age four (4) - Children's fine motor coordination has improved substantially and become much more precise, although there is still some trouble in stacking objects perfectly
• At age five (5) - Children's fine motor coordination has improved further. Hand, arm, and body all move together under the better command of the eye
• Sleep


  Getting a good night's sleep is important for children's development
• Experts recommend that young children get 11 to 13 hours of sleep each night
• Most young children sleep through the night and have one daytime nap. Not only do children need a certain amount of sleep, but also uninterrupted sleep
• Children can experience a number of sleep problems. These include narcolepsy (extreme daytime sleepiness), insomnia (difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep), and nightmares
• Sleep problems in early childhood

  Associated with subsequent attention problems that in some cases persisted into early adolescence
• Preschool children who slept seven hours per day or less


  Had a worse school readiness profile (including language/cognitive deficits and emotional immaturity)
• Preschool children who used electronic devices three or more hours per day


  Had shortened sleep durations
• Preschool children with a longer sleep duration


  Were more likely to have better peer acceptance, social skills, and receptive vocabulary
• Short sleep duration in children


  Linked with being overweight
• In 2- to 5-year-old children, each additional hour of daily screen time


  Associated with a decrease in sleep time, less likelihood of sleeping 10 hours or more per night, and later bedtime
• Four-year-old children who had insomnia


  Characterized by hostile-aggressive and hyperactive-distractible problems
• To improve children's sleep

  Make sure the bedroom is cool, dark, and comfortable; maintain consistent bedtimes and wake times; build positive family relationships
• Helping the child slow down before bedtime often contributes to less resistance to going to bed. Reading the child a story, playing quietly with the child in the bath, and letting the child sit on the caregiver's lap while listening to music are quieting activities
• Nutrition and Exercise


  • Eating habits
  • Exercise and physical activity
• Overweight Young Children


  Being overweight has become a serious health problem in early childhood
• Young children's eating behavior is strongly influenced by their caregivers' behavior. Young children's eating behavior improves when caregivers eat with children on a predictable schedule, model choosing nutritious food, make mealtimes pleasant occasions, and engage in certain feeding styles
• Forceful and restrictive caregiver behaviors are not recommended
• Exercise


  Routine physical activity should be a daily occurrence for young children