LIFESPAN DEVELOPMENT
Early Childhood (Ages 2 to 6)
Overall Growth:
Coverage:
• Children grow 3 inches in height and gain 4 to 5
• Early Childhood
pounds each year.
• Brain Maturation • Growth occurs in spurts rather than at a
• Motor Skill Development continuous rate.
• Toilet Training • Average measurements:
• Sleep o 2-year-old: 23–28 pounds, 33–35
• Sexual Development in Early inches tall.
Childhood o 6-year-old: 40–50 pounds, 44–47
• Nutritional Concerns inches tall.
• Body proportions change: By age 6, the torso
• Piaget’s Preoperational Stage
lengthens and body proportions resemble
• Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory those of an adult.
of Cognitive Development Reduced Appetite:
• Information Processing • Growth slows compared to infancy, leading to a
• Attention reduced appetite.
• Memory • This change can surprise parents, but it’s
• Neo-Piagetians typical.
• Children’s Understanding of the • Caloric Needs:
o 2–3 years: 1,000 to 1,400 calories.
World
o 4–8 years: 1,200 to 2,000 calories.
• Language Development
• Bilingualism Brain Maturation
• Preschool
• Autism Spectrum Disorder Brain Weight:
• By age 3, the brain is about 75% of its adult
• Erikson: Initiative vs. Guilt
weight.
• Self-Concept and Self-Esteem • By age 6, it reaches about 95% of its adult
• Self-Control weight.
• Gender Myelination and Dendrite Development:
• Theories of Gender • Myelination (the process of coating nerve
fibers) and dendrite development continue,
Development
especially in the cortex.
• Transgender Children • This development supports improvements in
• Parenting Styles thinking, strategizing, and emotion
• Spanking regulation.
• Sibling Relationships Prefrontal Cortex Development:
• Growth in the prefrontal cortex (behind the
• Play forehead) allows better attention control and
• Children and the Media emotional regulation.
• Child Care • This helps children inhibit emotional
• Child Abuse outbursts and play games with improved
understanding, planning, and coordination.
• Adverse Childhood Experiences
Growth in Hemispheres and Corpus
(ACEs) Callosum:
• Left Hemisphere: Grows dramatically
between ages 3 and 6, primarily responsible
for language skills.
• Right Hemisphere: Continues to grow,
handling tasks like spatial skills, such as
recognizing shapes and patterns.
• Corpus Callosum: A band of fibers
connecting the brain’s hemispheres,
undergoes a growth spurt during early
1|Hikamac chi
, LIFESPAN DEVELOPMENT
childhood, enhancing coordination between children often drawing larger, more detailed
both hemispheres. figures, while rural children may draw smaller
• The corpus callosum allows the integration figures with fewer details.
of functions from both sides of the brain, such Cultural Influence on Art:
as visual information from the left eye being • In Western cultures, children tend to draw
shared with the right hemisphere. larger figures with more facial detail and
Improved Coordination: positive emotional expressions.
• As the corpus callosum matures, coordination • In non-Western rural cultures, figures tend
between the hemispheres improves, allowing to be smaller, with fewer facial details, and
for better physical tasks, like using both hands more neutral expressions, reflecting cultural
in activities (e.g., Etch A Sketch). values on the individual vs. the group.
• Younger children (under age 6) have Development of Coordination:
difficulty performing tasks requiring hand • Gross motor skills improve as children learn
coordination because their corpus callosum is to integrate and coordinate large muscle
still developing. groups (e.g., running, hopping).
• Fine motor skills develop as children gain
Motor Skill Development better control over smaller muscles, enabling
tasks like drawing and using utensils.
Gross Motor Skills (Large body movements):
• Ages 2-3: Toilet Training
o Begin to run with better coordination.
o Can kick a ball without losing balance. Timing of Toilet Training:
o Can pedal a tricycle at age 3. • Typically occurs between 24-36 months.
• Ages 4-5: • Average age for girls: 29 months, for boys:
o Improved balance (can hop on one 31 months.
foot). • 98% of children are trained by 36 months.
o Can throw a ball overhand with Factors for Readiness:
coordination. • Physical readiness: Can the child stay dry
o Skips, jumps, and hops with good for long periods (e.g., 2 hours)?
balance. • Emotional readiness: Does the child show
o Stays balanced while standing on one interest in the potty chair or toilet?
foot with eyes closed. • Other signs of readiness:
Fine Motor Skills (Small body movements): o Can follow simple directions.
• Ages 2-3: o Can express discomfort about dirty or
o Able to build a tower of 6-7 cubes. wet diapers.
o Can put on simple clothes (though o Can pull pants up and down.
better at removing clothes). Training Tips:
o Can draw a person with 3 parts by age • If training is started too early or met with
3. resistance, take a break and try again later.
o Can copy a circle and place small • Daytime bladder control is usually mastered
objects in small openings. first (2-3 months of consistent training).
• Ages 4-5: • Nap and nighttime training may take
o Can cut out pictures with scissors. months or years to master.
o Draws a square and can copy a Signs a Child May Not Be Ready:
triangle. • If a child resists training or it doesn't seem
o Manages a spoon and fork neatly successful after a few weeks, it's okay to
while eating. pause.
o Can use a knife to spread soft foods. Elimination Disorders:
Children’s Art Development: • Enuresis: Repeated urination in bed or
• Age 2: Children begin with scribbles (around clothes (5-10% of 5-year-olds).
20 types). • Encopresis: Repeated passage of feces in
• Age 3: Start creating basic shapes and inappropriate places (1% of 5-year-olds).
combine them to make complex images. • Both conditions may require professional
• Age 4-5: Produce more recognizable intervention.
drawings, often of people or the world around • More common in males than females.
them. Tips for Parents (from Mayo Clinic):
• Tadpole Drawings: At age 3, children often • Observe interest in potty training tools (potty
draw “tadpoles” (simple figures of people). chair, underwear).
These drawings vary culturally, with Western
2|Hikamac chi
Early Childhood (Ages 2 to 6)
Overall Growth:
Coverage:
• Children grow 3 inches in height and gain 4 to 5
• Early Childhood
pounds each year.
• Brain Maturation • Growth occurs in spurts rather than at a
• Motor Skill Development continuous rate.
• Toilet Training • Average measurements:
• Sleep o 2-year-old: 23–28 pounds, 33–35
• Sexual Development in Early inches tall.
Childhood o 6-year-old: 40–50 pounds, 44–47
• Nutritional Concerns inches tall.
• Body proportions change: By age 6, the torso
• Piaget’s Preoperational Stage
lengthens and body proportions resemble
• Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory those of an adult.
of Cognitive Development Reduced Appetite:
• Information Processing • Growth slows compared to infancy, leading to a
• Attention reduced appetite.
• Memory • This change can surprise parents, but it’s
• Neo-Piagetians typical.
• Children’s Understanding of the • Caloric Needs:
o 2–3 years: 1,000 to 1,400 calories.
World
o 4–8 years: 1,200 to 2,000 calories.
• Language Development
• Bilingualism Brain Maturation
• Preschool
• Autism Spectrum Disorder Brain Weight:
• By age 3, the brain is about 75% of its adult
• Erikson: Initiative vs. Guilt
weight.
• Self-Concept and Self-Esteem • By age 6, it reaches about 95% of its adult
• Self-Control weight.
• Gender Myelination and Dendrite Development:
• Theories of Gender • Myelination (the process of coating nerve
fibers) and dendrite development continue,
Development
especially in the cortex.
• Transgender Children • This development supports improvements in
• Parenting Styles thinking, strategizing, and emotion
• Spanking regulation.
• Sibling Relationships Prefrontal Cortex Development:
• Growth in the prefrontal cortex (behind the
• Play forehead) allows better attention control and
• Children and the Media emotional regulation.
• Child Care • This helps children inhibit emotional
• Child Abuse outbursts and play games with improved
understanding, planning, and coordination.
• Adverse Childhood Experiences
Growth in Hemispheres and Corpus
(ACEs) Callosum:
• Left Hemisphere: Grows dramatically
between ages 3 and 6, primarily responsible
for language skills.
• Right Hemisphere: Continues to grow,
handling tasks like spatial skills, such as
recognizing shapes and patterns.
• Corpus Callosum: A band of fibers
connecting the brain’s hemispheres,
undergoes a growth spurt during early
1|Hikamac chi
, LIFESPAN DEVELOPMENT
childhood, enhancing coordination between children often drawing larger, more detailed
both hemispheres. figures, while rural children may draw smaller
• The corpus callosum allows the integration figures with fewer details.
of functions from both sides of the brain, such Cultural Influence on Art:
as visual information from the left eye being • In Western cultures, children tend to draw
shared with the right hemisphere. larger figures with more facial detail and
Improved Coordination: positive emotional expressions.
• As the corpus callosum matures, coordination • In non-Western rural cultures, figures tend
between the hemispheres improves, allowing to be smaller, with fewer facial details, and
for better physical tasks, like using both hands more neutral expressions, reflecting cultural
in activities (e.g., Etch A Sketch). values on the individual vs. the group.
• Younger children (under age 6) have Development of Coordination:
difficulty performing tasks requiring hand • Gross motor skills improve as children learn
coordination because their corpus callosum is to integrate and coordinate large muscle
still developing. groups (e.g., running, hopping).
• Fine motor skills develop as children gain
Motor Skill Development better control over smaller muscles, enabling
tasks like drawing and using utensils.
Gross Motor Skills (Large body movements):
• Ages 2-3: Toilet Training
o Begin to run with better coordination.
o Can kick a ball without losing balance. Timing of Toilet Training:
o Can pedal a tricycle at age 3. • Typically occurs between 24-36 months.
• Ages 4-5: • Average age for girls: 29 months, for boys:
o Improved balance (can hop on one 31 months.
foot). • 98% of children are trained by 36 months.
o Can throw a ball overhand with Factors for Readiness:
coordination. • Physical readiness: Can the child stay dry
o Skips, jumps, and hops with good for long periods (e.g., 2 hours)?
balance. • Emotional readiness: Does the child show
o Stays balanced while standing on one interest in the potty chair or toilet?
foot with eyes closed. • Other signs of readiness:
Fine Motor Skills (Small body movements): o Can follow simple directions.
• Ages 2-3: o Can express discomfort about dirty or
o Able to build a tower of 6-7 cubes. wet diapers.
o Can put on simple clothes (though o Can pull pants up and down.
better at removing clothes). Training Tips:
o Can draw a person with 3 parts by age • If training is started too early or met with
3. resistance, take a break and try again later.
o Can copy a circle and place small • Daytime bladder control is usually mastered
objects in small openings. first (2-3 months of consistent training).
• Ages 4-5: • Nap and nighttime training may take
o Can cut out pictures with scissors. months or years to master.
o Draws a square and can copy a Signs a Child May Not Be Ready:
triangle. • If a child resists training or it doesn't seem
o Manages a spoon and fork neatly successful after a few weeks, it's okay to
while eating. pause.
o Can use a knife to spread soft foods. Elimination Disorders:
Children’s Art Development: • Enuresis: Repeated urination in bed or
• Age 2: Children begin with scribbles (around clothes (5-10% of 5-year-olds).
20 types). • Encopresis: Repeated passage of feces in
• Age 3: Start creating basic shapes and inappropriate places (1% of 5-year-olds).
combine them to make complex images. • Both conditions may require professional
• Age 4-5: Produce more recognizable intervention.
drawings, often of people or the world around • More common in males than females.
them. Tips for Parents (from Mayo Clinic):
• Tadpole Drawings: At age 3, children often • Observe interest in potty training tools (potty
draw “tadpoles” (simple figures of people). chair, underwear).
These drawings vary culturally, with Western
2|Hikamac chi
