Module 4 Flashcards
Early Childhood covers what ages?
age 2 to 6 / 7 years
What two types of physical skills are usually accomplished?
gross motor skills
fine motor skills
How are the general ranges of age separated for gross motor skills and fine motor skills?
Age 2 -3
Age 3 - 4
Age 4 - 5
Age 5 - 6
At age 2 - 3 years, what are some
gross motor skills
fine motor skills
Age 2 - 3
Gross motor: Can jump. Throw and catch a ball (although upper body is rigid)
Fine motor: zip and unzip. Use a spoon
At age 3 - 4 years, what are some
gross motor skills
fine motor skills
Age 3 - 4
Gross Motor: walk upstairs, alternating feet on each step. Walk downstairs leading with one foot. Throw and catch a ball (although catching involves trapping the ball against the chest)
Fine motor: use child scissors. Fasten and unfasten large buttons.
At age 4 - 5 years, what are some
gross motor skils
fine motor skills
Age 4 - 5
Gross motor: walk upstairs AND downstairs alternating feet. Catch ball with hands.
Fine motor: Use fork well. Cut on a line using scissors.
At age 5 - 6 years, what are some
gross motor skills
fine motor skills
Age 5 - 6
Gross Motor: Can skip. Can ride a bicycle with training wheels.
Fine motor: Can tie shoes. Can copy some numbers and basic words.
What is a physical change/development that occurs at early childhood?
Brain development and also further development of connections between neurons
With brain development in early childhood, myelination begins. What is myelination? How does it affect the way that young children think?
Myelination is when some neurons become insulated with a layer of fat. This fat layer speeds messages being relayed among neurons and therefore enhances processing speed.
My added description here:
Myelin is a fatty sheath that serves as lubrication that insulates various neurons during this stage of life, and over a period of time. This myelin lubricant speeds up the messages that neurons pass to each other. It speeds up the thought process in the child’s brain. A child of age 3 will have a more advanced thought process than a 12 month old infant due to the myelination process in the brain.
What is the difference between gross motor and fine motor skills? Give two examples of each.
Gross motor: refers to large muscle development,
while fine motor skills require dexterity.
Examples:
Gross motor: skills that require arm and leg strength, such as throwing, kicking, and running are gross motor skills.
Fine motor: skills requiring minute movements to be made with the hands are fine motor skills. For example, writing, coloring, and cutting paper.
In early childhood, as the brain develops and myelination occurs, synaptic pruning also occurs.
Describe synaptic pruning. What does this imply for the differences between how children think versus how adults think?
Synaptic pruning is when under-utilized synaptic connections between neurons die away while important ones become strengthened. Adult brains that have gone through much of this process are essentially more efficient than children’s brains. However, they may also be less plastic, or changeable. For example, it may be harder to learn new things and do adapt quickly.
Piaget’s Cognitive Stages include the Sensorimotor substage in Infancy. The next stage in early childhood is the PREoperational Substage. What ages do these take place?
Ages 2 to 7 years
Why is PIaget’s stage termed “pre-operational”?
because children at this age are not FULLY internalizing their actions.
What are the only two substages of Piaget’s Preoperational Stage of Cognitive Development?
- Symbolic Function - ages 2 to 4
- Intuitive Thought - ages 4 to 7
Describe the symbolic function substage.
(ages 2-4) children developing abilities to mentally represent objects that are not right in front of them.
Errors include Egocentrism and Animism.
Egocentrism: difficulty taking another person’s perspective or point of view.
Animism: child’s belief that inanimate objects can have lifelike qualities.
