Case Study of a

Child Age 5

Carlie Cass
EDU 220-
1001
 Brief Overview of a 5 Year Old
Observation
Psychosocial
Physical Development Cognitive/Intellec
Development
• Very active tual Development
• Likes adults praise
• Can be easily fatigued
• Stutters
Emotional Development
• Tries to copy • Knows colors
• Openly shows emotions adults
and numbers
• Competes for attention Moral/Character
Development
• Has courage
• Shows compassion
 Typical Physical Developments
• Can dress and undress self.
• May be farsighted, which is common and can cause hand and eye
coordination problems.
• Is able to use the bathroom independently.
• May feel sick to the stomach and have stomachaches when asked
to eat disliked foods; plain cooking is preferred but accepts a wider
choice of foods along with a having a potentially larger appetite.
(University of Washington, 1993)
 Typical Physical Development Level
According to Snowman
• Children are very active
• Can become easily fatigued from mental and physical exertion
• Better at large muscle control rather than fine coordination and skills Difficulty
focusing on small details, such as print or objects
• The bones that protect that head and brain are still underdeveloped and are in
the process of strengthening. Gender differences in both physical development
and motor skill proficiency are not super apparent until the time they start
kindergarten and are usually fairly small.
(Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015)
Physical Developments in the 5 Year
Old That I Chose to Observe.
The 5-year-old girl that I observed displayed many of the
typical physical developments that are broken down in the
readings. At a bridal shower, the girl was very active and
wanted to be involved in every stage of the day. When it
came time to open presents she wanted to help and was
very excited to tear the paper form the big boxes, yet she
could not untie the bows that were on them. The bows were
too hard for her at this age because it requires more hand-
eye coordination and smaller motor skills. She was also
capable of taking herself to the restroom and picking out
clothes for herself.
 Physical Development
Recommendations
• Allow independence with clothing.
• Have the child's eyes checked if farsightedness and hand-
eye coordination problem persists.
• Offer more appealing varieties in food and don't force the
child to eat anything they don't like.
(University of Washington, 1993)
 Typical Emotional Behaviors
• Usually reliable and well-adjusted.
• May show fear of the dark, falling, dogs or bodily harm, although this is
not typically a fearful age.
• Nail biting, eye blinking, throat clearing, sniffling, nose twitching and/or
thumb sucking may occur when a child is tired, nervous or upset.
• Wants to please adults.
• Easily embarrassed.
(University of Washington, 1993)
 Typical Emotional Behavior
According to Snowman
• Expresses emotions openly and freely, which leads to
common outbursts.
• Jealousy is also common among classmates.
• Children this age have a lot of affection toward their
teacher and feel as if they are fighting for the teacher's
attention when there are other students around.
(Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015)
 Emotional Behavior Characteristics in
the 5 Year Old That I Chose to Observe.
The 5-year-old girl I observed displayed a lot of the same
characteristics that Snowman described. As a bridal shower
was taking place and the center of attention was focused on
the bride to be. she tried harder and harder to be involved
and redirect the focus to herself. You could clearly see she
was jealous of the attention her aunt was receiving. It was a
long day for the child, so I also noticed some of the
outbursts as mentioned in the text. When something was
not desirable such as, not winning a party game, the girl
threw a fit and ran to her room.
 Emotional Development
Recommendations
• Don't disregard the child's fears as unimportant.
• Don't stress over nervous habits the child is exemplifying, instead treat the
cause of the tension.
• Structure their time to include quiet play and rest.
• Read them a story.
• Recognize positive behaviors to show your love and affection.
• Help your child avoid embarrassing situations and be sensitive when dealing
with embarrassing situations.
(University of Washington, 1993)
 Typical Cognitive/Intellectual
Developments
• May stutter or have a lisp if they are tired or nervous.
• Only attempts what he/she can accomplish follows
directions and accepts supervision.
• Knows colors, numbers, etc; can also distinguish between
different coin denominations, print a few letters and some
may be able to read on their own.
(University of Washington, 1993)
Cognitive/Intellectual Developments
According to Piaget & Vygotsky
Piaget
• Believes that cognitive development is based on two major
functions, organization, and adaption. Organization and
adaption must be kept in balance. Piaget believed that
people are driven to organize their schemes to achieve the
best possible adaptation to their environment. He called
this process equilibration.

(Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015, p. 39)

Cognitive/Intellectual Developments
According to Piaget & Vygotsky Cont.
Piaget
Preoperational Stage
"When Piaget used the term operation, he meant an action
carried out through logical thinking. Preoperational, then,
means pre-logical. The main impediments to logical thinking
that preschoolers have to overcome are perceptual
centration, irreversibility, and egocentrism."

(Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015, p. 41)

Cognitive/Intellectual Developments
According to Piaget & Vygotsky Cont.
Vygotsky
• "Vygotsky's theory of cognitive development is often referred to as a
sociocultural theory because it maintains that how we think is a function of
both social and cultural forces." (Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015, p. 51)
• Believed that psychological tools were the most important things a culture
could pass down to its descendants.
Instruction and the Zone of Proximal Development
• Vygotsky believed that well-designed instruction was like a magnet and
should be aimed slightly ahead of what the child already knows.
Cognitive/Intellectual Characteristics
in the 5 Year Old I Observed
In the 5 year old that I observed, I noticed her wanting
to do more than what she is really capable of at that age.
She was very receptive to everything going on around her
and wanted to participate in whatever it is that the adults
are doing at the time. There were a lot of times where I
would allow her to help me with a small project and she
would observe me very closely how I performed the task so
she could replicate it to the best of her ability.
Cognitive/Intellectual Developments
Recommendations
• Do not make a big deal about language disturbance, since it is
probably only temporary.
• Reinforce mastered skills and introduce new simple activities for
them to be successful in.
• Provide opportunities for the child to do things like make change at
a restaurant or store. Have them practice printing their own name
and short names of others they know, as well as simple common
objects.
(University of Washington, 1993)
 Psychosocial/Social
Developments
• Fears that the mother won't return.
• Likes adult praise and often copies them.
• Plays with boys and girls in a calm and friendly way. Likes
conversations during meal time.
• Knows the differences in sexes and is more modest.
• Experiencing an age of conformity; it is critical of those who do
not conform.
(University of Washington, 1993)
 Psychosocial/Social Developments
According to Erikson
“Initiative versus Guilt”
Initiative results- ”If four and five-year-olds are given freedom to
explore and experiment and if parents and teachers take time to
answer questions, tendencies toward initiative will be encouraged.”
(Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015, p. 29)
Guilt results- If children feel that their activities and questions
hold no value and are pointless to adults and older peers, they will
feel guilty about acting on their own. (Snowman, J. & McCown, R.,
2015, p. 29)
 Psychosocial/Social Characteristics
of a 5 Year Old That I Observed
The child that I observed was very standoffish at first when
realizing that she was surrounded by many unfamiliar
adults in her home for this event. She wanted to distance
herself at first but after many family members approached
her, tried to include her and validate her feelings and voice,
the girl was thrilled to be out there with everyone. At first,
she was too overwhelmed by the appearance of the group to
take initiative, that changed after we tried to treat her as if
she was just one of us.
 Psychosocial/Social Developments
Recommendations
• Avoid leaving until the child is ready for the mother to leave and come
back.
• Reassure the child frequently.
• Rejoice and give the child opportunities for group play.
• Allow and respond to child-initiated conversation.
• Offer simple and accurate explanations.
• Help the child learn the value of individual differences.
(University of Washington, 1993)
 Typical Moral/Character
Developments
• Courage- making good choices in the face of fear or obstacles
• Resilience- gives us the strength to try, try, try again
• Responsibility- being dependable, making good choices and
taking accountability for your actions.
• Honesty- we are truthful in what we say and do
• Compassion- caring about others and treating them with
kindness
• Gratitude- feeling or expressing thankfulness
PBS Parents. (2017)
 Typical Moral/Character
Developments According to Kohlberg
There are six total stages that complete Kohlberg’s
theory. There are two stages that apply to a 5-year-old
child.
• Punishment-obedience orientation
”The physical consequences of an action determine
goodness or badness” (Snowman, J. & McCown, R.,
2015, p. 61)
• Instrumental relativist orientation
“Obedience to laws should involve an even exchange”
(Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015, p. 61)
 Moral Characteristics of the 5 Year
Old I Observed
When observing the 5-year-old over the course of an
afternoon, I noticed her mom telling her to stay away from
the oven several times as the cupcakes were in there
baking. The girl did not hesitate to open the oven, even
after being warned, to feel if the cupcakes were done. She
burned her finger and was very upset but she understood
after why her mom told her no.
 Moral/Character Developments
Recommendations
• Don’t be too harsh when you catch a child lying at this
age. Instead, help them understand and take
responsibilities for their actions.
• Don’t punish the child for not behaving properly all the
time. Acknowledge them for acting in accordance to their
own beliefs.
(University of Washington, 1993)
 References
PBS Parents. (2017). Child development tracker Ages 2- 8. 
Retrieved from 
http://www.pbs.org/parents/child-development/ (Links to an external site
.)Links to an external site. 

Snowman, J. &  McCown, R. (2015). Psychology Applied to Teaching, 14th

ed. Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.

University of Washington. (1993). Child development: Using the child

development guide. Retrieved from  http://
depts.washington.edu/allcwe2/fosterparents/training/chidev/cd06.ht