Child Development: The Development Of Children In Preschool

Development of Children in Preschool Children who are in preschool are generally between the ages 3 to 5. During this preschool age, children go through many different changes and stages of development. The development that occurs in this stage, just as in other stages, supports the child and sets a foundation for future development. The child goes through physical, psychosocial, cognitive, moral, and various other types of development during this stage of life.
Physical Development Children in the preschool years go through much physical development and changes. They begin to slim down and get taller. Their proportions change as they go from toddlers to children. They have stronger muscles and bones. During this stage, they have a lot of

Erik Erikson defined this period of psychosocial development. It occurs during ages three to six. He called this stage initiative versus guilt. During this stage, the child is faced with taking independent action and dealing with the results. They are exploring different things and taking risks. The child, during this stage, is trying to find their identity apart from their parents, or their self-concept (Feldman, 2011). They will attempt to imitate their parents. If the parents dislike what they are doing, a sense of guilt may occur in the child (Fleming, 2004). If there is positive reinforcement of the child’s behavior or questions, initiative will be the result (Elkind, 1970). They will have to experience both initiative and guilt to come to an appropriate resolution. Whichever strength arises during this stage will help shape their identity. If the strength is the opposite of the basic strength, this can lead to issues. If they succeed, the child will find a sense of purpose. However, if they fail, they will get a sense of inhibition. This greatly influences a child’s psychosocial development. The child must pass this stage to move on to the next stage. (Fleming,

This stage of development was described by Piaget as the preoperational stage. Children are often in this stage from ages two to seven. Children in this stage begin using symbolic thinking. Their reasoning skills begin to develop as well. Cognitive development is also very important in this stage of a child’s life (Feldman, 2011). Their thinking is partially logical, however they are limited (Fleming, 2004). They can only look at things from their perspective, which is called egocentrism. They cannot yet understand steps for transformations. They also do not comprehend that appearances can be deceiving. They do, however, develop their use of symbolic function. This is their ability to use symbols to describe something. Vygotsky also said that cognitive development is the result of social interactions. Children are guided and supported in solving problems (Feldman,