Physical Development in Early
Childhood
Physical Development in
Early Childhood
Body growth slows
 Shape becomes
more streamlined.
 2-3” in height/yr
 5 pounds/year
Skeletal growth
continues.
 New growth centers
emerge.
 Lose baby teeth
Brain Development in
Early Childhood
Significant brain growth between ages 2 and 6:



Grows to 90% of adult size
Reshaping and refining
Overabundance of synaptic connections supports
plasticity
Cognitive skills also increase.

Physical coordination, perception, attention,
memory, language, logical thinking, and
imagination
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Age-Related Changes in Synaptic Density of
Three Areas of Cerebral Cortex Involved in
Language Processing
Figure 8.2
Brain Development in
Early Childhood (continued)
Frontal lobe areas for planning and organization
develop.
Left hemisphere active
 Language skills
 Handedness
Differences in rate of development between the two
hemispheres suggest they continue to lateralize
during early childhood.
Handedness
Begins as early as 1 year and strengthens
90% are right-handed (in Western nations)
Affected by experience



Position in uterus
Practice
Culture
Early damage to left hemisphere may
cause shift in handedness.

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However, most left-handers have no
developmental problems and are more
likely to excel in both verbal and math
skills.
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Cross-Section of the Human Brain
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Influences on
Physical Growth and Health
Heredity and hormones
Emotional well-being

Psychosocial dwarfism
Sleep
Nutrition
Infectious disease

Immunization
Childhood injuries
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Heredity and Hormones
Size and growth related to parents
Genes influence pituitary gland to release:

Growth hormone (GH) acts directly, but also
stimulates release of insulinlike growth factor 1
(IGF-1), which triggers cell duplication.

Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) prompts
release of thyroxine; necessary for brain
development and proper growth.
Nutrition in Early Childhood
Appetite becomes unpredictable.
Like familiar foods
Social environment influences food
choices.
Children who have a nutritionally
deficient diet have
 more attention difficulties.
 poorer mental test scores.
 behavior problems, especially
hyperactivity and aggression.
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Infectious Diseases in Childhood
About 20% of American infants and toddlers are not fully
immunized.
 Rate is higher for poverty-stricken children.
 One in five children under age 5 in the U.S. have no health
insurance and limited access to care.
 In other industrialized nations, free medical examinations
are standard.
 Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) funding
provides care for many, but some eligible children are not
enrolled.
Factors Related to
Childhood Injuries
Individual Differences
 Gender—
 Mothers judge chances of preventing injury in sons to
be lower—a belief that might keep them from exercising
proper controls.
 Temperament
Risk Factors
 Poverty, single parenthood, low parental education
 Societal conditions in developing nations
 Poverty, child-care shortages, teen parents in the U.S.
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Leading causes of death among children aged 1-4, 2007
Age Group
1-4 Years
Type of Injury
Death Rate per 100,000
Population
in Specified Age Group
Unintentional Injury
9.6
Congenital Anomalies
3.3
Homicide
2.4
Malignant Neoplasms
(cancer)
2.2
Heart Disease
1.1
Influenza and
Pneumonia
0.7
Septicemia
0.5
Conditions Originating
in the Perinatal Period
0.4
Preventing Childhood Injuries
Laws prevent many injuries (safety seats, childresistant caps, flameproof clothing).
Many parents and children still behave in ways
that compromise safety.

Safety seats—40% of parents don’t place their
children in child safety seats, and of those that do,
84% either install them or use them incorrectly.

Parents expect small children to recall safety rules,
rather than monitoring and controlling access to
hazards.
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Motor Skill Development
in Early Childhood
Gross-motor skills
Walking, running
 Catching, throwing,
swinging, riding

Fine-motor skills
Self-help: dressing,
eating
 Drawing

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Changes in Catching During
Early Childhood
Figure 8.8
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Progression of Drawing Skills
Scribbles: during 2nd year
First representational forms


Label already-made drawings
around age 3
Draw boundaries and people at
3–4 years
More realistic drawings:
preschool to school age
Early printing: ages 4–6
Figure 8.9
Development
of Children’s
Drawings of
Geometric
Objects
Figure 8.10
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Kellogg’s stages of young
children’s artistic drawings
2 yrs: scribbles
2-3 yrs: placement stage
3 yrs: shape stage
3-4 yrs: design stage
4-5 yrs: pictorial stage
Development of Printing in
Early Childhood
Up to
Age 3
Around
Age 4
Between
Ages 4
and 6
 Scribbles
 Varied pencil grips
 “Drawing print”
 Gradually realize writing stands for
language, identify individual letters
 Adult pencil grip by age 5
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Individual Differences
in Motor Skills
Body build

Taller and more muscular bodies
move more quickly, acquire skills
faster.
Sex

Boys:

Girls:

Social pressures help channel
activities.
Enhancing Early Childhood Motor
Development
Mastered through everyday play

Formal lessons have little impact.

Preschoolers should have at least 60 minutes of
unstructured play every day.
Daily routines support fine-motor development.
Provide appropriate play space and equipment.
Outdoor Education Activists: nature play!;
exercise but also engages parasympathetic NS
in addition to sympathetic