Term
| Developmental Themes- Preschool |
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Definition
Begin to use fundamental motor skills as a foundation for social expression and participation
Thinking is based on concrete perception and personal experience
Peer relationships are important |
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Term
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Definition
Technically, any child too young for mandatory school attendance
Most often used to refer to children between the ages of 3-5 years
Many children are enrolled in programs that emphasize pre-academic or school-readiness content |
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Term
| The Early Childhood Period |
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Definition
Between the ages of 2-6 years, children generally become slimmer as the lower body strengthens and baby fat melts away
By age 6 years, body proportions are similar to those of an adult, although muscles and stature are obviously quite different
Each year, children add almost 3 inches to height and gain about 4 1/2 pounds
By age 6 years, the average child is about 46 pounds and 46 inches |
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Term
| Brain Development in Early Childhood |
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Definition
Brain weight continues to increase faster than the child’s body weight, reaching 90% of adult weight by age 5 and almost 100% by age 7
Changes in speed of thought
Myelination- the process by which neurons become insulated with a coating of myelin, a fatty substance that speeds transmission of nerve impulses
Rapid changes in areas of the brain dedicated to memory and reflection |
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Term
| Connecting the Brains Hemispheres |
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Definition
Corpus Callosum- a band of nerve fibers that connect the left and right sides of the brain
Once completed, communication between the two hemispheres becomes more efficient, allowing children to coordinate functions that involve the entire brain or body
Lateralization- specialization of the two sides of the body or brain, so that one side is dominant for a certain function |
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Term
| Planning and Analyzing: Prefrontal Cortex as executive |
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Definition
Maturation of the prefrontal cortex is not completed until mid-adolescence
Specific functions include planning, analyzing, selecting responses, and coordinating messages from many parts of both cerebral hemispheres |
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Term
| Impulsiveness and Persevation |
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Definition
Impulsiveness is obvious- young children are inclined to act on sudden urges
Perseveration is the tendency to preserve, or stick to, one thought or action long after it is time to move on. At this age, perseveration is normal |
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Term
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Definition
Preschoolers develop strength and stamina as well as speed, timing, balance and coordination
Play with peers is preferred because adults have a hard time keeping up |
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Term
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Definition
Involves moving the body through space
-Walking, running, skipping, hopping |
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Term
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Definition
Involves changing of postures with stationar feet
-Bending, turning, pulling |
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Term
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Definition
Are those that involve the use of an object
-Kicking, throwing, writing, eating |
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Term
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Definition
Preschoolers combine all types of movement in social and active play
Importance of play space and appropriate equipment
Playgrounds with swings, slides, climbing structures, balls, tricycles
Running games
3 year olds love to play chase
4 year olds incorporate running and chasing into imaginary role play
5 year olds play running games with simple rules |
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Term
| Fine Motor Development- Preschool |
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Definition
The small muscles of the hands and fingers become more coordinated
Grasping, releasing, pushing, pulling, poking, squeezing, rolling
Self care activities
Creative and pre-academic pursuits |
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Term
| Preoperational Thought- Preschool |
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Definition
Children are not yet able to reason using abstract mental operations
Children egocentric and perceptually based thinking
Their thinking follows predictable patterns, but these patterns are different from the ones we use
-Literal interpretations
-Egocentrism
-Transductive reasoning
-Irreversible thinking
-Animism |
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Term
| Literal Interpretations - Pre school |
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Definition
Preschoolers attend primarily to the concrete aspects of whatever they see, hear, and touch
The resulting interpretations of events are usually quite literal
Children typically take the most concrete interpretation
The infamous “why” questions typically elicit responses that are too complex for preschoolers or that don’t make sense to them given the original question |
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Term
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Definition
The inability to distinguish between ones own and someone else’s perspective
The three mountains task was used to study egocentrism |
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Term
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Definition
Preschoolers use specific, concrete ideas to construct theories of cause and effect
Events that are similar in form and that occur close together in time are often linked |
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Term
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Definition
The appearance/ reality of distiniction
Limitied understadning of constancy
Cna think from A::B but not from B::A |
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Term
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Definition
The tendency to think something is alive if it moves or makes noise
Source of many childhood fears |
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Term
| Language and Literacy- Preschool |
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Definition
Learn to produce and comprehend increasingly sophisticated sounds, words, and sentences
Speak in short sentences of 4-5 words
Have difficulty conveying their thoughts in language when emotional or excited
Contextual cues are still important |
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Term
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Definition
Syntax- rules governing the ways words are combined to form acceptable phrases and sentences
During the preschool years, expressive language increases in complexity
Variety of speech parts
Prepositions, articles, auxiliary verbs
Regular morphemes-grammatical markers
Questions!
Length of utterances increases |
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Term
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Definition
Semantics- rules governing the meaning of words and sentences
Vocabularies reflect thousands of words by the time children enter kindergarten
Comprehension still precedes production
Master entire new categories of words that are more abstract and conceptual
Prepositions, opposites, pre-academic concepts
Continuing difficulties with idioms, similes and metaphors
Overgeneralization and over-restriction of concept labels gradually dimities |
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Term
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Definition
Pragmatics- social conventions conceding the use of language in discourse
Rules for civil discourse pretty much escape 3 year olds
By kindergarten, children have learned about the finer points of using language in conversation and for social purposes |
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Term
| A period of inititive - Preschool |
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Definition
Eriksons third crisis of initiative vs. guilt
Learning about the rules and consequences of social interaction
Bad behavior often reflects an incomplete understanding of those rules
The caregivers job is to nurture exploration while providing adequate guidance and limits
Children who are overwhelmed with rules and negative consequences are at risk of feeling guilty about the outcomes of their activities |
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Term
| Emotional Development - Preschool |
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Definition
Preschoolers exhibit self evaluative emotions, with the emphasis on the positive
Pleasure and pride in mastery
Few manifestations of shame when preschoolers dont meet their own performance goals
Emotions expressed in black-and-white fashion |
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Term
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Definition
Knowledge of concepts and classifications schemes allows preschoolers to compare specific characteristics of peoples appearance
Age and gender
Race and ethnicity |
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Term
| Gender Identity- Preschool |
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Definition
By 3 years old, children can accurately label their own and others gender
Consistent physical cues serve as the basis of labeling
Length of hair
Clothing
Voice differences |
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Term
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Definition
Involves understanding that a persons gender remains the same over the lifespan
Preschoolers master this concept by 4 years |
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Term
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Definition
The understadning that gender is an unalterable attribute that remains constant despite alterations in outward appearance
Preschoolers master this concept by 5-6 years
-BY 3 years children show gender consistent (toys, play) |
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Term
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Definition
Ethnic identity reflects the ability to accurately label racial and ethnic groups
Color and texture of skin, eyes, and hair
Differences in clothing, language and foods
Children develop concepts of race and ethnicity somewhat later than age and gender
By 4-5 years, children can consistently identify people who share their own racial or cultural background
By 6-7 years, children can categorize other people by ethnic characterizations
Some preschoolers seek out play partners from their own racial grips
Somewhat more likely for children of color than caucasian children
Ethnicity is a more subtly concept that takes longer to learn |
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