Early Childhood

(3 to 8 years old)

There are at least two physical developmental milestones that
typically developing children should attain during early
childhood. At the age of three, children will become very
physically active. Their body will also steadily begin to grow;
they should gain up to 5 pounds and four inches each year.
They will refine complex skills like hopping, jumping, climbing,
and running. By the end of this period, children will continue to
use physical activities to develop their gross and fine motor
skills (Berk, L.E., 2013).

There are at least two language developmental milestones that typically developing children should
achieve during early childhood. At the age of three, children will have a sudden increase of vocabulary;
learning sentence structure and grammar. They will be understood by 75% of people. As they get older,
they will improve in using language as more of a communication tool which is usually mastered by age
eight (Coplan, J., 1993).

In early childhood there will be at least two social emotional milestones reached by the child. one
milestone is that the child will be able to experience a broader range of emotions which may lead to the
child being bossy and defiant in certain situations. the child will also start to initiate or join in to play with
other children. After playing with different children over a period of time, the child may also show some
attachment to a certain friend. As the child grows he or she will have a better understanding of right or
wrong while in this stage.

There are at least two cognitive developmental milestones that typically developing children should
achieve during early childhood. At the age of three, children will have a poor understanding of time, value,
anothers perspective, and sequence of events even though they will have developed a good memory.
But as they get older, children will be able to recognize another persons perspective; even though at the
age of eight, they cant yet assume the role of the other person (Von Hofsten, C., 2007).

A young child can reach one developmental milestone in moral reasoning/self-regulation by showing the
need to please adults. A second developmental milestone can consist of the child developing
a conscience. The child will incorporate parental prohibitions and feels guilty when disobedient. The
young child will exhibit simplistic idea of good and bad behavior.

One sign that may signal atypical development during early childhood is noticing the changes or the
maturity of the child. A parent should notice how their child may handle situations more maturely or how
he or she better interacts with others than in the past. A parent should continue to follow their childs
development according to their age and discuss it with their doctor it there is a variation from it. Keep in
mind that all children do not develop at exactly the same time, but there are certain developmental
milestones that a child must reach at a certain age to remain in the average range for the stage they are
in.

There are many strategies that families can use to influence their childrens learning and development
during early childhood, but it focuses on interaction. Social interaction is more important than people
realize. Being engaged with your child on a daily basis will help them develop their language and
cognitive skills at a faster rate. Also giving your child opportunities and safe places to play, make
decisions, and do things on their own will help your child gain the self-esteem that they need to develop
further (Fogel, A., 2001).

One social factor that influences the early childhood stage of development is the support for children
being offered in the community. One culture factor that influences the early childhood stage of
development is the learning activities that may be incorporated into the child's daily life.