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Physical Development
4-6 years
BM
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Height & Weight
AGE
HEIGHT
WEIGHT
4 years
103 cm
36 lbs.
5 years
110 cm
40.5 lbs.
6 years
117 cm
45 lbs.
• The average yearly increase in height at this age is 6.47.6 cm
• Most 4-6 year olds gain 4-5 lbs. per year but larger and
smaller gains are quite common. Boys are often slightly
taller and heavier.
• Differences in height and weight between children
increase as they grow older.
• Many children are smaller or larger than the averages
but are still developing normally
• A shorter than average baby is likely to be shorter than
average at age 5.
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Proportion and Position
 During
these years, a child's body becomes
straighter and slimmer, their neck becomes longer,
their legs lengthen, and their movement becomes
more coordinated.
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Teeth
 Children
begin losing their teeth at age 6 and are
gradually replaced by permanent teeth.
 The
6 year old molars are the first of the adult teeth
to come in.
 If
children continue to suck their thumb when their
adult teeth are coming in, it could alter the position
of the permanent teeth and the shape of the jaw.
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Motor Skills
 Large
motor skills are becoming well developed
and small motor skills are showing major
improvement
 They
enjoy physical activities because they
exercise motor skills such as walking, running, and
climbing
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Average Motor Skills
4 YEARS
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•
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Gallops and
Hops
Laces Shoes
Dresses and
undresses self
Cuts on line with
scissors
Jumps forward
as well as in
place
Throws
overhand with
body control
Turns sharp
corners when
running
5 YEARS
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Most children
consistently use
either their right
or left hand
Ties shoelaces
Draws
recognizable
person
Skillfully picks
up very small
items
Writes alphabet
letters
Stands and
balances on
tiptoe for short
period and
skips alternating
feet
Buttons, snaps,
and zips clothes
6 YEARS
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Throws and
catches ball with
more ease and
accuracy
Builds block
towers to
shoulder height
Cuts, pastes,
molds, and
colours skillfully
Writes entire
words
Learn to skip
with a rope
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
Feeding
The amount of food a child needs depends on:
-Activities
TV)
(ex. Running requires more energy than watching
-Height
-Weight
-Temperament
child)
(ex. Active child needs more energy than a lazy
-Time of year
(ex. Needs more energy in winter to keep warm)
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Feeding: diet

A child who is overweight is eating more food than his
or her body can use. Children who are overweight or
underweight became this way from long term eating
habits.

Children need parents and caregivers to teach them
how to have a healthy diet. Eating habits formed early
in life often continue throughout their whole life.

Children with inadequate diets have less resistance to
colds and infections and may find learning more
difficult (easily distracted, lack of motivation to learn).
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Feeding: snacks
 Snacks
are good if they contribute to a child's daily
nutritional needs
 If
Children are given too many sweets at an early
age they often develop a sweet tooth but children
who are given nutritious snacks enjoy healthy
snacks when they are older.
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Bathing
 Satisfaction
in washing and bathing decrease
during these years; because of this they need help
maintaining cleanliness habits.
 Routines
help children with this issue and using
praise instead of nagging and scolding is more
effective.
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Dressing
 Satisfaction
years.
in dressing decreases during these
 Children
can now dress themselves but may need
help with buttons, fasteners, or shoelaces. Also,
they begin to develop definite likes and dislikes in
clothing.
 Parents
should allow them to make their own
clothing decisions and should ignore mismatched
outfits; instead, encourage them on how good they
buttoned their shirt or how fast they got dressed.
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Sleeping
 By
this age, individual bedrooms for boys and girls
should be provided
 Children
now become less reluctant and even ask
to go to bed but some may still use delaying
tactics.
 Most
children go to sleep easily after a bedtime
story or while listening to music
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Toileting
 By
this age most children have few toileting
accidents but occasionally have them when they
are too concentrated on something or are having
too much fun to stop and use the washroom. Being
sick can also cause them to have accidents
 Some
children, when beginning school, suffer from
constipation or wet their pants because of the
tension they feel in their new school.
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Bibliography
What to Expect from Birth to 6 years. (2007). Retrieved February 21,
2012, from Child-Development-Guide: http://www.childdevelopment-guide.com/child-development-milestone.html
(1994). In H. E. Brisbane, The Developing Child (pp. 413-429). USA:
Glencoe.
Livestrong. (n.d.). Physical Development Between 4-9 years. Retrieved
February 21, 2012, from Livestrong:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/177239-physical-developmentbetween-4-9-years/
Martinez, J. (n.d.). Physical Development in Children From 4-6.
Retrieved February 21, 2012, from eHow Family:
http://www.ehow.com/about_6169349_physical-developmentchildren-4-6.html