Developmental Characteristics of Preschool Children

Preschool years are the period in which different aspects of development are most closely related to each other when compared to other life periods. These years are critical years in child development. The physical development, psychosocial development and personality structure, the foundations of which were laid in these years, have a higher chance of developing in the same direction rather than changing direction in later ages. Research reveals that the behaviors acquired in childhood largely shape the personality structure, attitudes, habits, beliefs and value judgments of the individual in adulthood.

• DEVELOPMENT OF A FOUR-YEAR-OLD CHILD

A four-year-old child is an individual who can act on his own, ask questions, make choices, and provide information about himself. Four-year-old children, who have made great progress in terms of social development, begin to enjoy being with other children more. Their games last longer. During this period, the child chooses one or two friends to play with. The playmate he initially chooses can be of both genders. The age of inquiry reaches its peak at the age of four. Although a four-year-old child has difficulty expressing his feelings and thoughts through language, he is usually successful. They still have problems mixing reality with fantasy. A four-year-old child jumps, runs, and walks easily, expressing the need to move at every opportunity. He has gained mastery in using his hands and fingers.

• DEVELOPMENT OF THE FIVE-YEAR-OLD CHILD

The child makes new discoveries about his environment and gradually expands his environment. It is an age when children are prepared to take on some responsibilities and need less adult support. Development at this age is considerably slower compared to the first four years. A five-year-old child also manages to control his emotions. A five-year-old child wants to finish something he started. Muscle dominance has improved. He is careful. He is self-critical and self-confident. He understands what is said, applies it and has a strong memory. Plays in small groups with children his own age. He enjoys playing games such as jumping rope, cycling and running. He has mastered self-care issues such as dressing himself, eating, combing his hair, and washing himself. You can wear your shoes, He can fasten simple buckles and button up buttons, even if it is a little difficult. In short, it is seen that the harmony of motor balance, thinking, individual social relations, self-concept, at home, at school and in society is more evident in a five-year-old child.

• WHAT CAN WE DO FOR THE CHILD'S PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT?

Give them the opportunity to play jumping games from a certain height. Arrange the environment in a way that does not allow it to fall and hurt someone. Have him run around the objects in different ways and talk about what was done. For example, running fast-slow, forward-backward, loud-quiet, etc. Ask the dough to form the shapes you want. Then let him tell you what he did. Have her make bracelets and necklaces from small beads of various shapes and colors. Do activities related to geometric shapes. Ask the child to draw a geometric shape that you drew on paper. Teach what each geometric shape is and then ask. Take him to the park often and use the equipment in the park to support large muscle development. They ride the swings in the park, slide down the slides, and also get together with other children.

 

• Mental Development of the Child

They begin to realize that others may have different perspectives on the same object. This concept develops at the age of 4. In one experiment, a picture of a turtle is placed between the adult and the child. Compared to the adult, the turtle is upside down. According to the child, it stands on its own feet. At age 4, children understand that their views differ from those of adults. Their knowledge about household items increases every day. They can separate objects according to their geometric features (such as square, circle, triangle). They can order objects from largest to smallest. They can correctly name at least 4 primary colors (blue, yellow, red, green). They can count 10 or more objects. They increase their understanding of the concept of time. In the preschool period, children know that the days are divided into morning, noon and evening, and that there are 4 seasons in the year. They may know some days of the week. They understand that time is divided into hours and minutes. They understand the order of daily time intervals (routines). For example, having breakfast before lunch. They may lie knowingly. Opinions are conflicting about when children develop the ability to deceive others. Some researchers say that children have this skill at the age of 3, but most state that knowing lying does not develop before the ages of 4 and 5.

• What Can You Do to Support the Child's Mental Development?

Read a book out loud every day. Encourage the child to look at the book on his own. Offer other written materials he can look at. Like magazines, newspapers. You can also ask him about the colors in the book so he can learn colors. You can play games with items used at home. For example, “what is a plate used for?” such as “where do we use the kettle?” such as, “What do we do with the vacuum cleaner?” like. Play games to increase classification skills. For example, put objects with shapes such as circles, triangles, or squares into the plastic bag. Ask the child to choose one and find out what it is. Ask a group to do the same thing. Play games to gain sorting skills. For example, ask him to arrange the plastic rings and cups from largest to smallest and from smallest to largest. Play games to improve counting. For example, you can use beans. Ask the child to arrange the desired number of beans in front of him. For example, put 3, put 10 etc. Chat to improve time concept. For example, you can ask what he does in a day. “What does he do as soon as he gets up in the morning? "What is he doing at noon?" You can talk using the parts of the day.

 

• Child's Language Development

They can say the names of their siblings. They can tell you their address. They speak in complex sentences consisting of 6 words. Language skills become very rich at this age. They can produce all the sounds in the language. Their vocabulary increases to 1500 words. They can tell long stories. They share daily events, dreams and dreams. They can remember the story they heard.

• What Can You Do to Support the Child's Language Development?

The names and surnames of your siblings and your own address. Help them learn their stuff. Ask questions. Ask them to repeat the answers. Let them learn new words to expand their vocabulary. Explain the meanings of new words and use them in appropriate context. “This vehicle is driving on the ring road. This car. Bus is another means of transportation. Trains and planes are the same way. You can talk about what they will do. For example, “remember we talked about what we were going to do after dinner today? Yes, we will go swimming today. What will we wear for swimming? Like. Encourage him to remember the story you read before by asking questions about it. Have them look at the pictures of the book. Show how important writing and reading are in daily life. Draw your attention to the written materials around you. Tell me what its purpose is. Be together while watching television. Talk to your child about what you see. Make sure he enjoys the book. To do this, build a library where you can access the books yourself. Reading books, singing songs, playing word games and talking to the child will help develop vocabulary.

• Social-Emotional Development of the Child

They want to be like their friends. Friends influence their thoughts, behavior and make them want to be like them. When they learn that other families have different values ​​and ideas, they test this knowledge by demanding certain things at home. For example, to watch forbidden TV programs, to eat food that is not allowed in their own home... Etc. They try to please their friends. For 4-year-olds, their friends are indicators of different behaviors, values, and lifestyle. They invite their friends to their home - to see their family, their belongings, their home. They begin to please them and exhibit new behaviors accordingly. They can distinguish between reality and fantasy. They begin to learn the difference between reality and fiction. They go back and forth between the two, but they don't get confused like a 3-year-old. They begin to enjoy dancing, singing and playing. They obey the rules more. As they approach the age of 5, children have a simple sense of morality. They try to explore the concepts of good and bad. They strictly follow the rules to please their parents and to avoid punishment. Results are everything is more important than. They think they are bad when they break something valuable (even if it is an accident). They need to be helped to understand the difference between an accident and bad behavior. Sometimes they are demanding and sometimes cooperative. At the age of 4, they can control unexpected emotional reactions. They still have difficulty controlling their feelings of defiance and objection. They may not follow family rules, behave badly or speak rudely to disturb their mother or caregiver. Bad behavior is done consciously during this period, unlike testing boundaries at a young age. Despite these changes, children try to please their mother or caregiver. To do this, they know that they must do certain things and behave in a certain way.

• What Can You Do to Support the Child's Social-Emotional Development?

Play games about superheroes. Use hats, costumes masks. Talk about superheroes. You can also use visual materials. Tell them they aren't real and their fights are just a game. Ask them to pretend they are fighting without hitting or breaking. Say that actors in movies act like this too. Tell them they will be themselves when they take off the costumes. Let them invite their friends to the house often.

• Child's Sexual Development

The 4-5 year old child holds the baby in the special place in the mother's belly. , can understand that it is growing in the womb. You can explain that the formation of a baby occurs as a result of the union of a seed (sperm) from the man and a very small egg from the woman.

4-5 year old children are very curious to see and examine each other's bodies. In this regard, you can benefit from the pictures showing body parts in sexual education books appropriate to their age.

Tell your 4-5 year old child that although the male and female bodies have many similar parts, they have different parts.

Sexuality with your child. Starting to talk about sexuality at an early age will help your child learn about sexuality from a reliable source and support his or her self-esteem and self-confidence.

Invite your child to visit friends (especially

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