Periods of Development Early Childhood Fact Sheet

In the Early Childhood period of development two physical, developmental milestones typically

developing children should attain during this period of development are:

As children enter the early childhood stage 3-5 years of age, they also become more independent.

“Children dress and feed themselves, can ride toys, use safety scissors, recall parts of a story,” (Centers

for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d.). Children’s social-emotional development is essential at this age

and stage of development.

Language developmental milestones typically developing children should achieve in this period of

development are:

In the early phase of children’s language development, “preschoolers learn more words to add to their

vocabulary, pronounce speech sounds, and syllable structures” (Berk, 2013, Section 9.4). For instance, at
school or in the home children may engage in group games such as name shapes/colors. They also may

sing songs to encourage their speech development like Hokey Pokey or If You’re Happy and You Know

It. Children’s language literacy increases. Phonological development and language development continue

to improve through all ages and stages.

Cognitive developmental milestones typically developing children should achieve in this period of

development are:

Children build their cognition as they learn problem-solving skills, basic self-help skills, and recall parts

of a story or a song” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d.). Parents and teachers can aid

children by modeling positive behavior during play confrontations, and helping them with their daily

needs such as, allowing them to choose what they would like to wear. Children also learn to develop

thinking skills as they begin to interact socially with others.

One sign that may signal atypical development during this period of development is:

Children who experience traumatic brain injury may have problems developing appropriately. “A

traumatic brain injury is caused by being hit in the head or a violent shake. Injuries like this can affect

how a person moves, acts or thinks” (National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities, 2012).

A child in this condition may experience neurologic dysfunctions such as confusion, weakness, or slurred

speech.

One strategy that families can use to influence their children’s learning and development during

this period of development is:

“Early learning guidelines for toddlers and preschoolers emphasize the importance of caregiver

responsiveness to support child-initiated learning. High-quality caregiver interactions help toddlers

develop their cognition, social-emotional skills, and language literacy” (Worley & Goble, 2016 p.1).

Parents can help their child with their alphabet, practice counting numbers, recognize shapes and colors,

and offer an open dialogue.

References

Berk, L. E. (2013). Child development. (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Retrieved from

https://content.ashford.edu/

National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities. (2012, October). Traumatic brain injury.

Retrieved from http://www.parentcenterhub.org/wp-content/uploads/repo_items/fs18.pdf

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Positive parenting tips. Retrieved from

http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/positiveparenting/index.html

Worley Lauren E., & Goble Carla B. (2016). Enhancing the Quality of Toddler Care: Supporting

Curiosity, Persistence, and Learning in the Classroom. YC Young Children, 71(4), 32. Retrieved from

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