This is critical time in the life of children as they make friends and begin connecting with more adults beyond their families. They want to explore and learn about everything.
Some of the critical aspects of child development (3-5 years) are;
- Physical Development- Hopping, climbing, swinging, and doing somersaults begin at this stage. By age 5, many children can stand on one foot for at least 10 seconds. They draw circles and begin to learn how to copy a square and some capital letters. They often become frustrated with wanting to do something physically and not being able to do it yet. Thus, they have lots of falls
- Intellectual Development– Imaginary play is a notable milestone of this stage. Children begin to name colours and begin to understand simple counting. They gradually begin to understand the concept of time
- Emotional Development– They move easily between fantasy and reality, and can become quite emotional about their imaginary play. They often do not know the difference between fantasy and reality, so imaginary monsters under the bed or in the dark are as frightening to them as a real threat.
- Social Development– Interaction with other children increases at this stage. A great deal of social development occurs through fantasy play and imagination. Children learn how to deal with conflict and how to solve problems without so much emotion.
- School Readiness– The children within this age group should be in preschool. It is usually tough for parents to prepare them for a typical school day at this stage.