{"id":1267,"date":"2018-12-18T17:22:02","date_gmt":"2018-12-18T17:22:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-lifespandevelopment\/?post_type=chapter&p=1267"},"modified":"2019-09-11T19:13:31","modified_gmt":"2019-09-11T19:13:31","slug":"physical-development-in-early-childhood","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-hvcc-lifespandevelopment5\/chapter\/physical-development-in-early-childhood\/","title":{"raw":"Physical Development in Early Childhood","rendered":"Physical Development in Early Childhood"},"content":{"raw":"
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What you'll learn to do: describe physical changes in early childhood<\/h2>\r\n\"A<\/a>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\nChildren in early childhood are physically growing at a rapid pace. If you want to have fun with a child at the beginning of the period, ask them to take their left hand and use it to go over their head to touch their right ear. They cannot do it. Their body proportions are such that they are still built very much like an infant with a very large head and short appendages. By the time the child is five years old though, their arms will have stretched, and they head is becoming smaller in proportion to the rest of their growing bodies. They can accomplish the task easily because of these physical changes.\r\n
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Learning outcomes<\/h3>\r\n
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  • Summarize overall physical growth and nutrition during early childhood<\/li>\r\n \t
  • Examine nutritional concerns during early childhood<\/li>\r\n \t
  • Describe changes in the brain during early childhood<\/li>\r\n \t
  • Give examples of gross and fine motor skill development in early childhood<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n

    Growth and Nutrition in Early Childhood<\/h2>\r\n

    Growth in early childhood<\/h3>\r\nChildren between the ages of 2 and 6 years tend to grow about 3 inches in height each year and gain about 4 to 5 pounds in weight each year.\u00a0The average 6-year-old weighs about 46 pounds and is about 46 inches in height.\u00a0The 3-year-old is very similar to a toddler with a large head, large stomach, short arms, and short legs. During early childhood, children start to lose some of their baby fat, making them less like a baby, and more like a child as they progress through this stage. By around age 3, children will have all 20 of their primary teeth, and by around age 4, may have 20\/20 vision. Many children take a daytime nap until around age 4 or 5, then sleep between 11 and 13 hours at night.\r\n\r\nBy the time the child reaches age 6, the torso has lengthened and body proportions have become more like those of adults. It should be noted that these growth patterns are seen where children receive adequate nutrition. Studies from many countries support the assertion that children tend to grow more slowly in low SES areas, and thus they are smaller.[footnote]Van Rossem, R., & Pannecoucke, I. (2019). Poverty and a child's height development during early childhood: A double disadvantage? A study of the 2006-2009 birth cohorts in Flanders. PloS one, 14(1), e0209170. doi:10.1371\/journal.pone.0209170[\/footnote][footnote]Neumann, Janice (September 2015). Small height differences among kids may reflect economic disparities. Reuters, Health News. Retried from https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/us-health-children-height-poverty\/small-height-differences-among-kids-may-reflect-economic-disparities-idUSKCN0RR11720150927.[\/footnote][footnote]Kerr GR, Lee ES, Lorimor RJ, Mueller WH, Lam MM (1982) Height distributions of U.S. children: associations with race, poverty status and parental size. Growth 46: 135\u2013149.[\/footnote]\r\n\r\nThis growth rate is slower than that of infancy and is accompanied by a reduced appetite between the ages of 2 and 6. This change can sometimes be surprising to parents and lead to the development of poor eating habits.\r\n
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    Try It<\/h3>\r\nhttps:\/\/assessments.lumenlearning.com\/assessments\/16573\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n

    Nutritional concerns<\/h3>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_807\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"328\"]\"toddler Figure 1.<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>While young children can be picky eaters, it is important to expose them to a variety of healthy foods and avoid too many high-fat or low-nutritional foods, such as corndogs.[\/caption]\r\n\r\nAccording to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 in 5 American children between the ages of 2 and 5 are overweight or obese. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends a number of steps to take to help reduce the chances of obesity in young children. Removing high-calorie low-nutrition foods from the diet, offering whole fruits and vegetables instead of just juices, and getting kids active are just some of the recommendations that they make.\u00a0Muckelbauer and colleagues (2009) found that increasing water consumption in school-aged children by just 220ml (just under 8 oz) per day decreased the risk of obesity by 31%. Finally, the AAP suggests that parents can begin offering milk with a lower fat percentage (2%, 1%, or skim milk) to 2-year-olds. The switch to lower fat milk may help avoid some of the obesity issues discussed above.\u00a0Parents should avoid giving the child too much milk as calcium interferes with the absorption of iron in the diet as well.\r\n\r\nCaregivers (whether parents or non-parents) need to keep in mind that they are setting up taste preferences at this age.\u00a0Young children who grow accustomed to high-fat, very sweet, and salty flavors may have trouble eating foods that have more subtle flavors such as fruits and vegetables. Lack of a healthy diet may lead to obesity during this and future stages. Offering a diet of diverse food options, limiting foods with high calories but low nutritional value, and limiting high-calorie drink options can all contribute greatly to a child's health during this stage of life.\r\n\r\nCaregivers who have established a feeding routine with their child can find the normal reduction in appetite a bit frustrating and become concerned that the child is going to starve.\u00a0However, by providing adequate, sound nutrition, and limiting sugary snacks and drinks, the caregiver can be assured that 1) the child will not starve, and 2) the child will receive adequate nutrition.\u00a0Preschoolers can experience iron deficiencies if not given well-balanced nutrition.\r\n
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    Tips for Establishing Healthy Eating Patterns<\/h3>\r\nConsider the following advice about establishing eating patterns for years to come (Rice, F.P., 1997).\u00a0Notice that keeping mealtime pleasant, providing sound nutrition and not engaging in power struggles over food are the main goals.\r\n

    1. Don\u2019t try to force your child to eat or fight over food.\u00a0Of course, it is impossible to force someone to eat.\u00a0But the real advice here is to avoid turning food into some kind of ammunition during a fight.\u00a0Do not teach your child to eat to or refuse to eat in order to gain favor or express anger toward someone else.<\/p>\r\n

    2. Recognize that appetite varies.\u00a0Children may eat well at one meal and have no appetite at another.\u00a0Rather than seeing this as a problem, it may help to realize that appetites do vary.\u00a0Continue to provide good nutrition, but do not worry excessively if the child does not eat.<\/p>\r\n

    3. Keep it pleasant.\u00a0This tip is designed to help caregivers create a positive atmosphere during mealtime.\u00a0Mealtimes should not be the time for arguments or expressing tensions.\u00a0You do not want the child to have painful memories of mealtimes together or have nervous stomachs and problems eating and digesting food due to stress.<\/p>\r\n

    4. No short order chefs.\u00a0While it is fine to prepare foods that children enjoy, preparing a different meal for each child or family member sets up an unrealistic expectation from others.\u00a0Children probably do best when they are hungry and a meal is ready.\u00a0Limiting snacks rather than allowing children to \u201cgraze\u201d continuously can help create an appetite for whatever is being served.<\/p>\r\n

    5. Limit choices.\u00a0If you give your preschool-aged child choices, make sure that you give them one or two specific choices rather than asking \u201cWhat would you like for lunch?\u201d\u00a0If given an open choice, children may change their minds or choose whatever their sibling does not choose!<\/p>\r\n

    6. Serve balanced meals.\u00a0This tip encourages caregivers to serve balanced meals.\u00a0A box of macaroni and cheese is not a balanced meal.\u00a0Meals prepared at home tend to have better\u00a0nutritional value than fast food or frozen dinners.\u00a0Prepared foods tend to be higher in fat and sugar content as these ingredients enhance taste and profit margin because fresh food is often more costly and less profitable.\u00a0However, preparing fresh food at home is not costly.\u00a0It does, however, require more activity.\u00a0Preparing meals and including the children in kitchen chores can provide a fun and memorable experience.<\/p>\r\n

    7. Don\u2019t bribe.\u00a0Bribing a child to eat vegetable by promising desert is not a good idea.\u00a0For one reason, the child will likely find a way to get the desert without eating the vegetables (by whining or fidgeting, perhaps, until the caregiver gives in), and for another reason, because it teaches the child that some foods are better than others.\u00a0Children tend to naturally enjoy a variety of foods until they are taught that some are considered less desirable than others.\u00a0A child, for example, may learn the broccoli they have enjoyed is seen as yucky by others unless it\u2019s smothered in cheese sauce!<\/p>\r\n\u00a0To what extent do these tips address cultural practices? How might these tips vary by culture?\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n

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    \u00a0Physical Development in Early Childhood<\/h2>\r\n

    Brain Maturation<\/h3>\r\nIf you recall, the brain is about 75 percent of its adult weight by two years of age.\u00a0By age 6, it is at 95 percent of its adult weight. The development of myelin (myelination<\/strong>) and the development of new synapses (through the process of synaptic pruning) continues to occur in the cortex and as it does we see a corresponding change in what the child is capable of doing.\u00a0Remember that myelin is the coating around the axon that facilitates neural transmission. Synaptic pruning<\/strong> refers to the loss of synapses which are unused. As myelination and pruning increase during this stage of development, neural processes become quicker and more complex.\r\n\r\nGreater development in the prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain behind the forehead that helps us to think, strategize, and control emotions, makes it increasingly possible to control emotional outbursts and to understand how to play games.\u00a0Consider 4- or 5-year-old children and how they might approach a game of soccer.\u00a0Chances are every move would be a response to the commands of a coach standing nearby calling out, \u201cRun this way!\u00a0Now, stop.\u00a0Look at the ball.\u00a0Kick the ball!\u201d\u00a0And when the child is not being told what to do, he or she is likely to be looking at the clover on the ground or a dog on the other side of the fence!\u00a0Understanding the game, thinking ahead, and coordinating movement improves with practice and myelination. Demonstrating resilience and recovering from a loss, hopefully, does as well.\r\n

    Growth in the hemispheres and corpus callosum<\/strong><\/h4>\r\nBetween ages 3 and 6, the left hemisphere of the brain, which tends to lag behind in terms of activity during the first 3 years of life, increases inactivity, which correlates with the burst in language skills during this time period. Activity in the right hemisphere grows steadily throughout early childhood and is especially involved in tasks that require spatial skills such as recognizing shapes and patterns. Both sides of the brain work together, however, and there is no such thing as a person being either left-brained or right-brained. The corpus callosum, which connects the two hemispheres of the brain, undergoes a growth spurt between ages 3 and 6 as well resulting in improved coordination between right and left hemisphere tasks.\r\n\r\nI once saw a 5-year-old hopping on one foot, rubbing his stomach and patting his head all at the same time.\u00a0I asked him what he was doing and he replied, \u201cMy teacher said this would help my corpus callosum!\u201d\u00a0Apparently, his kindergarten teacher had explained the process!\r\n

    Visual Pathways<\/h4>\r\nHave you ever examined the drawings of young children?\u00a0If you look closely, you can almost see the development of visual pathways reflected in the way these images change as pathways become more mature.\u00a0Early scribbles and dots illustrate the use of simple motor skills. No real connection is made between an image being visualized and what is created on paper.\r\n\r\nAt age 3, the child begins to draw wispy creatures with heads and not much other detail.\u00a0Gradually pictures begin to have more detail and incorporate more parts of the body.\u00a0Arm buds become arms and faces take on noses, lips, and eventually eyelashes.\u00a0Look for drawings that you or your child has created to see this fascinating trend. Here are some examples of pictures drawn by girls from ages 2 to 7 years.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1562\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"504\"]\"Four Figure 2.<\/strong> These drawings demonstrate the progression in both drawing skill and visual processing during early childhood. The top left drawing is done by a 2-year old, and the bottom right image is drawn by a 7-year old.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>[\/caption]\r\n\r\n
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    Motor Skill Development\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nRemember that g<\/strong>ross motor skills<\/strong>\u00a0are<\/span>\u00a0voluntary movements involving the use of large muscle groups while f<\/strong>ine motor skills<\/strong>\u00a0are more exact movements of the hands and fingers and include the ability to reach and grasp an object. Early childhood is a time of development of both gross and fine motor skills.\r\n\r\nEarly childhood is a time when children are especially attracted to motion and song.\u00a0Days are filled with moving, jumping, running, swinging and clapping, and every place becomes a playground.\u00a0Even the booth at a restaurant affords the opportunity to slide around in the seat or disappear underneath and imagine being a sea creature in a cave!\u00a0Of course, this can be frustrating to a caregiver, but it\u2019s the business of early childhood. Children may frequently ask their caregivers to \u201clook at\u00a0me\u201d while they hop or roll down a hill.\u00a0Children\u2019s songs are often accompanied by arm and leg movements or cues to turn around or move from left to right. Running, jumping, dancing movements, etc. all afford children the ability to improve their gross motor skills.\r\n\r\nFine motor skills\u00a0are also being refined in activities such as pouring water into a container, drawing, coloring, and using scissors.\u00a0Some children\u2019s songs promote fine motor skills as well (have you ever heard of the song \u201citsy, bitsy, spider\u201d?).\u00a0Mastering the fine art of cutting one\u2019s own fingernails or tying their shoes will take a lot of practice and maturation. Fine motor skills continue to develop in middle childhood, but for preschoolers, the type of play that deliberately involves these skills is emphasized.\r\n
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    Watch It<\/h3>\r\nWatch this video to see examples of gross motor development during early childhood.\r\n\r\n