Physical Growth &
Development
1 – 3 Year olds
Learning Targets
• I can describe average changes in Height,
weight, posture and proportion in ages 1-3
• I can distinguish between small and large
motor skills and give examples of each
• I can describe how to care for children
ages 1-3, including issues of nutrition,
hygiene, sleep & toilet training
An ancient Chinese Proverb
• “Give a man a fish and he will not go
hungry for a day. Teach a man to fish and
he will not go hungry for life.”
• How does this idea relate to caring for a
children’s self-care??
• What factors might interfere with a
caregiver’s desire to teach self-care?
• How can caregivers prevent those factors
from getting in the way??
Questions…….
• What is a toddler??
• What age or ages does the term refer to??
• Where does the name come from??
Infants to Toddlers
• Physcial growth slows considerably after the first
year
• Physical skills improve!!
• Term toddlers refers to children who make
uncertain movement
– Around 1, unsteady steps (1-2 years)
• Preschoolers ages 3 – 5.
– They walk steadily, hop, jump, & run
– Need lots of space
– Time each day for active play (exercise muscles &
stored up energy)
– Attention span longer – but activities changed often
Read Active Play for Growth &
Development
• Page 349
• Answer questions 1 & 2 with your table
• What are some other games that you can
play with children aged 1-3???
• Why mustn’t toddlers’ activities be too
diffiucult for their phyical /mental abilities?
Height & Weight
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Both Slower in this period than in infancy
Gain about ½ lb per month
Height also slows by about half
Chart on page 350 shows the average height &
weight for the ages
• Heredity & environmental influences more
noticeable
• After 1st b-day, children show greater variation
in size
– Tall 2 yr old = tall adult
Proportion & Posture
• B/c of changes in proportion, posture
improves!!!
• Until age 2, a child’s head, chest & abdomen
all mesure about the same
• All three grow at the same rate
• Between ages 2-3 – chest becomes larger
than the head & abdomen
– Arms, legs & trunk grow rapidly
• Help improve child’s balance & motor skills
Proportion & Posture
• 2 years
– stands straighter, but posture in not
completely erect
– Abdomen still protrudes (sticks out), head –
somewhat forward
– Elbows & knees – slightly bent
• 3 years
– Posture more upright
– Spine has strengthened – back straighter
– Lost some (not all) baby fat)
In groups of 3
• You are to plan a lesson for children
aged 3 called “Taking Care of Your
Teeth”
• Class should teach children the order of
primary teeth appear, factors that keep
teeth healthy, & factors that contribute to
tooth decay.
• You can prepare diagrams & visual aid,
• Demonstrations
• Create a rhyming jingle to help
rememberance
Teeth
Motor Skills
• Remember 3 patters
– Head to foot
– Near to far
– Simple to complex
• Large motor skills
– Involve use and control of the large muscles
of the back, legs, shoulders & arms
• Small motor skills
– Depend on the use & control of the muscles
of the wrists, fingers, & ankles
Motor Skills
• Children do not acquire them as
predictable during infancy
• Variations caused by differences in
physical size, health & diet, interests,
temperament, opportunities for physical
play & many other factors
• Developmentally appropriate – tasks are
suitable for the child given his/her age &
interests
Large Motor Skills
• Physical exercise & repeated practice
• Improvement – slow buy steady
• Walking – 1st b-day, pride
Small Motor Skills
• Between 1st & 2nd b-day, learn to feed themselves &
drink from a cup fairly well
– Poor hand-eye coordination causes spills at the
beginning
• 1 yr olds – playing w/blocks, pyramid of different size
rings, musical rolling toys= helps small motor skills
• 2 yr olds – improves dexterity – skillful use of the
hands & fingers
– Turn pages of a book one at a time, peel banana, enjoy
using crayons, build towers
• 3yr olds – show more skill, delight in taking things
apart & putting them back together
Choosing Foods For Children
• Need a variety of nutritious food daily
• Plan meals using MyPlate (MyPyramid)
• Pediatricians recommend that milk or milk
products not be given to a child until bday 1
– Ages 1-2= whole milk
– After 2, reduced-fat (lowmilk)
• Be CAUTIOUS in serving convenience food to
children
– High in salt & preservatives
• Chose fresh foods – use nutitrion labels &
ingredients list = nutritional choices
Healthy Eating 1-3
• To promote interest in nutritious foods – make them appealing
• Color – variety of color: interest
• Texture – different senations: crunchy,
chewy & juicy
• Shape – adds appeal: help the child
identify shapes, cookie cutters (nice)
• Temperature – hot & cold foods – safety is
concern – be careful – always check
• Ease of eating – ground beef easier to
chew than a pork chop, loves spaghetti –
cut into short pieces
Mealtime Tips
• Meals = important events in the child’s day
• Practice skills, learn independence,
explore textures, colors & talk to others
Mealtime Guidelines
• Include children in
meal preparation
whenever possible
• Follow a regular
schedule for
meals/snacks
• Keep meals pleasant
(model manners)
• Use a sturdy,
unbreakable dish or
plate w/sides when
serve the child’s food
• Choose a cup that the
child can hold easily
& that doesn’t readily
tip
• Provide child-sized
eating utensils
• Let a toddler sit in a
high chair for meals
• Set good examples in
food choices
Mealtime Guidelines
• Avoid using food as a punishment or a
bride. If you say, “You can’t have a cookie
until you finish your vegetables,” you give
the impression that vegetables are bad
and cookies are good.
Bathing
• Help young children develop both good
attitudes about hygiene (personal
cleanliness) and good hygiene skills
• Toilet training – wash hands after each time
they use the bathroom
• Daily baths – nice habit, good hygiene skills
& at this age most love water!
• 1 yr olds – they want to wash themselves
• 2yr olds – most can wash, rinse & dry pretty
well
• 3 yr olds – can bathe with little supervision
Bathing
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Bathtubs are still dangerous for children
A child can drown in as little as 1” of water
NEVER leave a child alone in the bath
Cover the tub to prevent slipping
No set age at which children can safely
shower
– Depends on child’s ability to control water
temp, stand in shower safely & get him/herself
clean
Caring for the Teeth
• Teach them to brush right after eating –
the longer food remains in the mouth the
more it can damage teeth
• Encouragement – small, soft toothbrush &
a bit of toothpaste
– http://www.spinbrush.com/Kids_ParentTips.html
• Attempts – not very successful, but the
opportunity = IMPORTANT
• Even at age 3, kids will still need adult
help
Caring for the Teeth
• Many dentists recommend:
• Show kids how to floss teeth
– Start with top teeth one night and the bottom
teeth the next night
• 18 months – good age for children to have
first dental checkup
Dressing
• Caregivers should encourage selfdressing when a child shows interest
• Involves a number of large & small motor
skills that must be learned one step at a
time
• Patience = IMPORTANT
– Child learns these skills through practice
• Usually starts around 13-14 months
Dressing
• 13 months - Holds an arm out for a sleeve.
• Next, may learn to actually push his/her own arm
through sleeve
• By 2, pull up pants, but shirts still continue to be
difficult
• Garments – inside out, backwards
• By 3 – pretty much can dress independently,
except help w/fasteners & shoelaces
• Provides – self-esteem, independence,
responsibility
• Provide clothes that are easy to put on & take out
Choosing Clothing
• Comfort – allow freedom of movement
– Size – IMPORTANT: too small – restrict movements
– Sizes do not always fit the same, if possible let child try on
• Durability – withstand hard wear & repeated washing
– Quality of fabric & construction of clothing – look for close,
even stitching w/strong thread
– Fasteners should be firmly attached
– Cotton – good choice – shirts & underwear
– Synthetic fibers – made from chemical rather than natural
sources
• Economy – choose clothes that allow for growth
– Let kids help
Sleeping
• Near 2nd b-day – sleeping habits change
– Less sleep, may not go to sleep as easily or
willingly
– 2 yr no longer takes a morning nap
– 3yr old may give up their afternoon nap as well
• May change b/c they may seem more
dependent on adults than in previous year
• Often use self comforting techniques:
thumb sucking, rocking the crib, cuddling a
favorite blanket or toy
Sleeping
• 3 yr old – not unusual to wake in the middle of the
night & even get out of bed
– Emotional experiences of the day, excitement at
bedtime or nighttime fears may cause insure feeling at
night
• 2 & 3 yr olds – fear of the dark
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Many causes
Fears – very real & usually very troubling
Rarely a quick solution
Discussion, night light
Patience & understanding
Ridicule or shaming only makes a problem worse
Toilet Training
• Most begin sometime at 18 months
• No set age
• Each child should start when he/she is
physically mature & emotionally ready
Readiness (Toilet Training)
• Sphincter muscles – the muscles that
control elimination
– Child must recognize the body sustentations
that lead elimination
• Only then is he/she ready
• Emotionally ready – settled in a family
daily routine
– During move or any similar event that requires
adjustment – not a good time
Giving Help
• Attitudes – very important
• Calm encouragement better (more
effective) than rules & punishment
– Build self-esteem
• Ready – want to succeed
– Child resists – wait for readiness
• Even after trained – some accidents
should be expected
Giving Help
• Child – may prefer to use special seat or a
separate potty chair
– More independence
• Frightened by the flushing toilet - better to
wait till child leaves room – but still teach
that they need to flush toilet
• Bowel training before bladder training
– When you see the awareness on a child’s face –
suggest sitting on the toilet seat or potty chair
– Be available & encouraging – not forceful &
demanding
Giving Help
• Bladder follows several months later
• Some may learn at the same time
• Many are encouraged when given training
pants – heavy absorbent underpants, in
place of diapers
– Makes it possible to use the potty
independently
– Sign of maturity
Assignment
• Read Keeping Children Safe & Healthy
page 372-373
– Questions 1-2
• Worksheets
• Complete Studyguide and/or complete
questions #1-9 on page 374
• Test – tomorrow!!!