Understanding 4 and 5
Year Olds
Physical/Cognitive Dev.
Child Guidance
Chapter 7 – Understanding 4 and 5 Year
Olds
In this chapter, you will learn about
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physical development of four and five year olds
cognitive development of preschoolers
social-emotional development of preschoolers
teaching four-and five-year-olds
Learning Objective
 We
will analyze the physical and cognitive
development of four and five year olds.
 Each student will then research physical and
cognitive activities and the benefits from the
preschool activities on the computer in
groups.
 Then each student will share his or her
findings with the class.
 One or Two students will do their activity with
the whole class!
Introduction – Open Discussion
Are preschoolers
capable of
developing golf,
tennis, soccer,
ballet skills?
Introduction – Open Discussion
-How early should
formal training begin
in specific sports and
other activities?
-If you were a parent,
would you encourage
or discourage your
preschooler playing
sports?
Four and Five Year Olds
 Playing
Soccer!
 https://youtu.be/NyhI9riZFLU
Physical Development of 4 and 5
Year Olds
Preschool children are growing in
more than just size.
• Gross-motor development
• Fine-motor development
• Self-help skills
Gross-Motor Development
Discuss:
Gross-Motor Development
 A motor
skill is simply an action that
involves your baby/child using his or her
muscles.
 Gross motor skills are larger movements
your baby/child makes with his or her arms,
legs, feet, or his entire body. So crawling,
running, and jumping are gross
motor skills.
Gross–Motor Development
• Four- and five-year-olds can
• hop on one foot
• walk down stairs with
alternating feet
• balance on one foot for about
10 seconds
• walk backward
• ride a bike with training
wheels
• climb fences and march to
music
• throw and catch
Fine–Motor Development
Discuss:
Fine-Motor Development
 Fine
motor skills are those skills that require
the small muscles of the hand to work
together to perform precise and refined
movements.
Fine-Motor Development
Children find it easier to
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build straight and tall towers
draw more refined forms
recognize letters
print a few letters
control writing tools
stay within the lines when they
color
• understand that letters and sounds
are linked
Self-Help Skills
• Preschoolers become more and more selfsufficient:
• Dress and undress with very little help
• Use spoons and forks with ease
• Take care of their own hygiene
Cognitive Development
 Discuss…
 What
 Why
is Cognitive Development?
is it important that we understand
the Cognitive Development of
Preschoolers?
Cognitive Development
Cognitive Development:
Is the construction of the thought
processes, including remembering,
problem solving, and decision-making,
from childhood through adolescence to
adulthood.
Cognitive Development of 4 and 5
Year Olds
Children in this group
make many gains in
understanding the world
around them through
• language
comprehension skills
• expressive language
skills
• math skills
Language Comprehension Skills
The language comprehension skills of four- and five-year-olds
are constantly growing. They
 Increase their understanding of space concepts:
Beside, backward, forward
 Become better at following three-step commands.
“Pick up the Puzzle, put it on the table, and wash your
hands.”
 Have better understanding of the difference between
plural and singular nouns.
Language Comprehension Skills
 Start understanding the passive voice.
“The orange was eaten by Brock.” Three year olds
literally think an orange ate Brock.
 Become confused about some statements.
“I’m dying of hunger.” This may frighten the children.
Expressive Language Skills
Preschoolers become quite talkative.
• Articulation: the ability to speak
in clearly pronounced sounds;
improves at ages four and five.
• Stuttering: repeating sound and
pausing for unusually long times.
• Vocabulary: four-year-olds have
about 1500 words, and five-yearolds have about 2000 words.
• Grammar: children start to learn
that there are exceptions to rules.
Math Skills
Number concepts become easier for children in
this age group.
• Rote counting: reciting numbers in their proper
order
• True counting: when an object is counted for
each number named
• Money concepts: identify penny, nickel, and
dime
• Time concepts: understand the difference
between today, tomorrow, and yesterday
Cognitive Development of 4 and
5 Year Olds
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Games for Cognitive Development
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https://youtu.be/hEoNHp6IYfs
Guided Practice – Research Activities
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Students will get into their Groups.
Group 1 – Physical (Gross Motor Skills)
Each student in the group will find a Gross Motor Skill activity (all students must have a different
activity) and list 2 benefits of the activity for the preschooler.
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Group 2 – Physical (Fine Motor Skills)
Each student will find a Fine Motor Skill activity and list the benefits of the activity for the
preschooler.
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Group 3 – Cognitive (Language Comprehension)
Each student will find a Language Comprehension activity and list the benefits of the activity for the
preschooler.
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Group 4 – Cognitive (Expressive Language)
Each student will find an Expressive Language activity and list the benefits of the activity for the
preschooler.
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Group 5 – Cognitive (Math Skills)
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Each student will find a Math Skills activity and list the benefits of the activity for the preschooler.
2A Groups
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Group 1:
Bri, Michelle, Yoseline, Mayra M.
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Group 2:
Ashlee, Sofia, Mara
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Group 3:
Gloria, Nesha, Amber, Mayra R.
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Group 4:
Mariah, Melani, Adrianna
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Group 5:
Kenya, Fernanda, Tyler, Destiny
3A Groups
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Group 1:
Rae, Amber R., Paola, Delaney
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Group 2:
Marissa, Megan, Caitlyn, Katelynn
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Group 3:
Sara, Naomi, Rosalinda, Bri
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Group 4:
Maliha, Amber S., Jicel Flores, Brynlie
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Group 5:
Jazz, Kaitlynn, Gissele F., Yoseline
Guided Practice
 I will call on a few students in the groups to
explain their activity and say what the benefits
are.
 Have one or two student do their activity with
the whole class – make sure it works in the
classroom! If a student coordinates the activity,
then they will get candy! (Everyone can participate
if it doesn’t need many materials.)
Conclusion
• The growth of four and five year olds helps them
become more independent.
• Stronger and more coordinated. Increase their
gross and fine motor skills.
• Improve dressing, eating, and hygiene skills
• Four and five year olds thoughts become more
adult-like.
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Begin to understand and use symbols
Improve language skills
Understand and use more words
Start to improve grammar