steps & stages 4 and up

[CanadianGirl]

Four Year Olds

Physical Development
- weight: 27-50 pounds
- height: 37-46 inches
- uses a spoon, fork, and dinner knife skillfully
- needs 10-12 hours sleep each night
- dresses self without much assistance (unzip, unsnap, unbutton clothes; lace but not tie shoes)
- can feed self, brush teeth, comb hair, wash, dress, hang up clothes with little assistance
- walks a straight line
- hops on one foot
- pedals and steers a tricycle skillfully
- jumps over objects 5-6 inches high
- runs, jumps, hops, and skips around obstacles with ease
- stacks 10 or more blocks
- forms shapes and objects out of clay or play dough, sometimes human and animal figures
- threads small beads on a string
- catches, bounces, and throws a ball easily
- likes to gallop, turn somersaults, climb ladders and trees, hop on one foot

Intellectual Development
- can place objects in a line from largest to smallest
- can recognize some letters if taught, and may be able to print own name
- recognizes familiar words in simple books or signs (STOP sign)
- understands the concepts of "tallest, biggest, same, more, on, in, under, and above"
- counts 1-7 objects out loud - but not always in the right order
- understands the order of daily routines (breakfast before lunch, lunch before dinner, dinner before bed time)
- speaks in fairly complex sentences. "The baby ate the cookie before I could put it on the table." - asks a lot of questions, including ones on birth and death
- enjoys singing simple songs, rhymes, and nonsense words
- adapts language to listener's level of understanding. To baby sister: "Daddy go bye-bye." To Mother: "Daddy went to the store to buy food."
- learns name, address, and phone number, if taught
- asks and answers who, what, when, why, and where questions
- continues one activity for 10-15 minutes
- names 6-8 colors and 3 shapes
- follows 2 unrelated directions (put your milk on the table and get your coat on)
- has basic understanding of concepts related to number, size, weight, colors, textures, distance, position, and time
- understands immediate passage of time as in what happened yesterday, but does not understand calendar time
- has long attention span and finishes activities
- understands and remembers own accomplishments
- may ad "ed" to words. "I goed to the door and put-ed the cat outdoors. He hurt-ed me."

Social and Emotional Development
- enjoys playing with other children
- takes turns and shares (most of the time); may still be rather bossy
- seeks out adult approval
- understands and obeys simple rules (most of the time)
- changes the rules of a games as she goes along
- likes to talk and carries on elaborate conversations
- capable of feeling jealous
- persistently asks why
- boastful
- enjoys showing off and bragging about possessions
- fearful of the dark and monsters
- begins to understand danger
- at times can become quite fearful
- has difficulty separating make-believe from reality
- lies sometimes to protect self and friends, but doesn't truly understand the concept of lying
- imagination often gets in the way
- may name call, tattle freely
- likes to shock others by using "forbidden" words
- expresses anger verbally rather than physically (most of the time)
- still throws tantrums over minor frustrations
- imitates parent of the same sex, particularly in play
- enjoys pretending, often with imaginary playmates
- pretending goes far beyond "playing house" to more elaborate settings like fire station, school, shoe store, ice cream shop
- loves to tell jokes that may not make any sense at all to adults
- can feel intense anger and frustration
- has vivid imagination and sometimes imaginary playmates
- enjoys dramatic play and role playing

Ideas For Caregivers
- Read aloud each day and encourage children to look at books on their own. Provide alternative reading material with a collection of outdated coupons, junk mail, newspaper ads, and old cereal boxes.
- Say nursery rhymes and fingerplays together. Encourage 4-year-olds to tell stories to younger children.
- Encourage interest in writing and words. Provide children with paper and notebooks for writing. Print letters and numerals on art work, and label toy shelves with pictures and words that describe objects.
- Provide a variety of art experiences. Make play dough. Create collages from magazine pictures, fabric, wallpaper, and newsprint. Encourage children to experiment with new media like wire and cork, soda straws, string, or yarn. Teach children to mix different colors with paint.
- Teach important number and space concepts. Sort and count everything in sight, like silverware, socks, rocks, leaves, etc. Talk about things being in, on, under, behind, beside, before and after, larger than, too far, etc.
- Teach children the correct use of the telephone.
- Four-year-olds have a strong need to feel important and worthwhile. Praise accomplishments, and provide opportunities to experience freedom and independence.
- Teach the use of landmarks to find their way around your neighborhood.
- Encourage physical development. Play follow the leader. Pretend to walk like various animals. Set up an obstacle course indoors with challenges such as crawling, climbing, leaping, balancing, and running across stepping stones. Encourage walking with a beanbag on the head.
- Promote respect for life and living things by letting them help you build a bird feeder and hang it up. Record the kinds of birds observed, and teach them to identify birds by significant characteristics like the red male and green female cardinals, the black caps and white cheeks of the chickadee.
- Encourage 4-year-olds to help you plan and plant a garden. They will love to water plants daily and will enjoy measuring plant growth.
- Encourage multicultural awareness through representative dolls, puppets, pictures, and books.
- Encourage cultural aspects of all the families, and learn recipes, songs, and information about cultural celebrations.
- Expand dramatic play by providing a variety of props for themes like grocery store, pizza parlour, birthday party, and firefighter.

[CanadianGirl]

Five Year Olds

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
- weight: 31-57 pounds
- height: 39-48 inches
- requires approximately 1,700 calories daily
- sleeps 10-11 hours at night
- may begin to loose baby teeth
- able to dress self with little assistance
- learns to skip
- throws ball overhead
- catches bounced balls
- rides a tricycle skillfully; may show interest in riding a bicycle with training wheels
- balances on either foot for 5-10 seconds
- uses a fork and knife well
- cuts on a line with scissors
- left or right hand dominance is established
- walks down stairs, alternating feet without using a handrail
- jumps over low objects
- can run, gallop, and tumble
- can skip and run on tiptoe
- can jump rope
- interested in performing tricks like standing on head, performing dance steps
- capable of learning complex body coordination skills like swimming, ice or roller skating, and riding bicycles
- may be able to tie shoelaces
- may be able to copy simple designs and shapes

INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT
- understands about 13,000 words
- uses 5-8 words in a sentence
- likes to argue and reason; use words like "because"
- knows basic colors like red, yellow, blue, green, orange
- able to memorize address and phone number
- understands that stories have a beginning, middle, and end
- able to remember stories and repeat them
- enjoys creating and telling stories
- understands that books are read from left to right, top to bottom
- enjoys riddles and jokes
- draws pictures that represent animals, people, and objects
- enjoys tracing or copying letters
- can place objects in order from shortest to tallest
- can understand and use comparative terms like big, bigger, or biggest
- sorts objects by size
- identifies some letters of the alphabet and a few numbers (if taught)
- understands "more," "less," and "same"
- counts up to 10 objects
- recognizes categories ("These are all animals; these are all toys.")
- understands before and after, above, and below
- block and dramatic play is much more elaborate and complex
- has good attention span and can concentrate well
- is project minded - plans buildings, play scenarios, and drawings
- interested in cause and effect
- can understand time concepts like yesterday, today, and tomorrow

SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
- invents games with simple rules
- organizes other children and toys for pretend play
- still confuses fantasy with reality sometimes
- often fears loud noises, the dark, animals, and some people
- can take turns and share, but doesn't always want to
- expresses anger and jealousy physically
- likes to test muscular strength and motor skills, but is not emotionally ready for competition
- carries on conversations with other children and adults
- often excludes other children in play - best friends only
- uses swear words or "bathroom words" to get attention
- sometimes can be very bossy
- likes to try new things and take risks
- likes to make own decisions
- notices when another child is angry or sad - more sensitive to feelings of others
- prefers company of 1 or 2 children at a time; may become bossy or sulky when others join in
- likes to feel grown up; boasts about self to younger, less capable children
- begins to have a very basic understanding of right and wrong
- plays contentedly and independently without constant supervision
- takes turns and shares (sometimes)
- understands and respects rules - often asks permission
- understands and enjoys both giving and receiving
- enjoys collecting things
- sometimes needs to get away and be alone
- can understand relationships among people and similarities and differences in other families
- seeks adult approval
- sometimes critical of other children and embarrassed by own mistakes
- less fearful of the world than toddlers because understands the world better
- has a good sense of humor, and enjoys sharing jokes and laughter with adults

[CanadianGirl]

Six, seven, and eight-year-olds

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
- skilled at using scissors and small tools
- development of permanent teeth
- enjoys testing muscle strength and skills
- good sense of balance
- can catch small balls
- can tie shoelaces
- enjoys copying designs and shapes, letters and numbers
- can print name
- long arms and legs may give gawky awkward appearance

INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT
- may reverse printed letters (b/d)
- enjoys planning and building
- doubles speaking and listening vocabularies
- reading may become a major interest
- increased problem-solving ability
- interested in magic and tricks
- longer attention span
- enjoys creating elaborate collections
- able to learn difference between left and right
- can begin to understand time and the days of the week

SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
- being with friends becomes increasingly important
- interested in rules and rituals
- girls want to play more with girls; boys with boys
- may have a best friend and an enemy
- strong desire to perform well, do things right
- begins to see things from another child's point of view, but still very self-centered
- finds criticism or failure difficult to handle
- views things as black and white, right or wrong, wonderful or terrible, with very little middle ground
- seeks a sense of security in groups, organized play, and clubs
- generally enjoys caring for and playing with younger children
- may become upset when behavior or school-work is ignored