Brain Development from 4 to 6
Brain Development 4 to 6
 Educators
use formal intelligence tests to
try and assess children’s thinking skills.
• Test helps educators understand and meet
students’ educational needs
 First
intelligence test was developed by
psychologist Alfred Binet in 1905
• Main goal was to help students with school work
• 1916- Lewis M. Terman of Stanford University
made a major revision
 The new test is now called the Stanford-Binet
 Terman
developed a mathematical formula
that could be used to give a child’s
intelligence a number value
• The Intelligence quotient (IQ) is the number taken
by comparing a child’s test results to those of other
children the same age
• Average of any age is between 90 and 110
 IQ
tests are comprised of tasks and
questions that correspond to what is
expected of children at different ages
• 2 year olds test may include blocks, identifying parts
of the body, putting shapes in the same shape holes
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Educators must use IQ tests with caution
The National Association for the Education of
Young Children (NAEYC) is dedicated to
improving the wellbeing of children from birth
through age 8
• No child's placement in school should be based on a
single test
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Schools today use several techniques.
In the late 1900s, some IQ tests were criticized
for cultural bias
• Meaning that many of the test questions favored people
from one culture over another
• Language differences is one way IQ test makers are
helping narrow the cultural gap
 Psychologist
Howard Gardner presented
different ways of looking at intelligence. His
argument?
“ Humans have multiple intelligences”
 Multiple intelligences are abilities in
problem solving or creating materials that
high value
 Gardner identified 8 intelligences
 Each person is a blend of intelligences
 If a child excels in one intelligence,
caregivers can provide opportunities for
learning in that area
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Linguistic Intelligence
Logical-Mathematical Intelligence
Spatial Intelligence
Musical Intelligence
Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence
Interpersonal Intelligence
Intrapersonal Intelligence
Naturalist Intelligence
LINGUISTIC INTELLIGENCE



Sensitive to language
Ability to learn languages
and to use language to
accomplish goals
Writers, poets, lawyers
have high linguistic
intelligence
LOGICAL-MATHEMATICAL
INTELLIGENCE

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Ability to analyze problems
using logic
Perform mathematical
operations
Explore issues scientifically
Associated with scientific
and mathematical thinking
and research
SPATIAL INTELLIGENCE


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Understanding of the
potential use of space
Thinking in 3-D terms
Imagining things in clear
visual images
Architects and landscape
designers are among the
careers that rely on this
type of intelligence
MUSICAL INTELLIGENCE

Skill in performing,
composing, and
appreciating musical
patterns
BODILY-KINESTHETIC
INTELLIGENCE

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Potential to use one’s body
to solve problems
Using the mind to
coordinate body
movements
Physical trainers, physical
therapists
INTERPERSONAL
INTELLIGENCE


Potential to understand the
intentions, desires, and
motivations of others
Helps teachers, counselors,
and religious and political
leaders work better with
other people
INTRAPERSONAL
INTELLIGENCE


Implies the capacity to
understand oneself,
including fears, hopes, and
motivations
It means having a good
working model of ourselves
and using it to control our
actions
NATURALIST INTELLIGENCE

Involves recognizing,
categorizing, and drawing
upon the features of the
environment
Age
Milestones
4 Years
Complete sentences (5 to 6 words), makes up stories,
asks the W, W, W, W, W, H questions, understands 3-step
directions, knows colors and shapes, understands
“same” “different”, “top” and “bottom”
5 Years
6-8 word sentences, understands 13,000 words, learns
alphabet and sounds, recalls parts of stories, counts up
to 10 objects and sort by size, understands “above,
below, before, and after”
6 Years
Reads words and simple sentences, writes simple
words, solves problems more effectively, plays pretend
games, has a longer attention span, understands “right,
left” and other time concepts
 Stage
between ages 2 and 7 is the
preoperational period
• Children are directed inward and learn from
concrete evidence
 Children this age can only view the world from their own
perspective and cannot think in abstract terms
 Signs of preoperational thinking:
1. Make-believe play
2. Use of symbols (stop sign means stop)
3. Egocentric viewpoint (self-centered thinking)
4. Limited focus

Makes decisions on his or her own perceptions
 Believed
that development cannot be
divided into neat stages
 Learning is based on language and social
interaction
• Children and peers play key roles in their own
education
 Teachers
should collaborate with students
rather than lecturing
• Students should collaborate with each other
 Importance
knowledge
in past experiences and prior
• Necessary to understand new experiences

Dr. Maria Montessori (1870-1952) studied children
and developed her own theory on childhood
learning
• Her methods are now used at over 4,000 schools in North
America

Believed children would learn naturally if placed in a
prepared learning environment containing the
appropriate materials or learning games
• The Montessori Method focuses on developing the senses,
language and motor skills

A Montessori classroom is one where the children
can learn from themselves and from each other
• Learning stations arranged by subject area
• Teachers allow independence in the classroom sometimes

Montessori teachers receive special training
Learning from 4 to 6
Experiences, especially those shared with adults,
form the basis of student learning
 Talking about their world and experiences forms
connections

• Positive comments teach vocabulary and encourage feelings of
self-worth
• Ask questions to make them think about their experiences in
new ways and to help focus play

Explanations and suggestions are also helpful
• Using age appropriate language, of course!

Asking a child’s advice promotes learning
• “How should I fold these napkins for lunch?”

Trips and activities
• Riding a bus, nature walks, trips to the zoo

Helping around the house
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Children that enjoy reading will find learning easier and
more fun
Reading to children regularly helps them associate books
with enjoyment
Reading together can remain a part of a daily routine even
as they start to read on their own
Important factor in learning to read is the ability to hear
phonemes
• Is the smallest individual sound in a word
 Hearing the “ou” in “house”
• Rhyming helps with phonemic awareness

Alliteration is the repetition of certain sounds and helps with
phonemic awareness
• Collecting words that begin with the same letter

Some research suggest those that are bilingual find it easier
to learn and read
• Understand printed words that convey a specific meaning sooner than
children that speak one language
 This
age group benefits from working with
several art materials
• Modeling clay, crayons, paper, paste, paint, and
scissors
 Buttons
and dried macaroni are used often
 Encourage children to work with different
materials
• By doing so, you are fostering the creative process
 Asking “How
did you make that” or “Tell me
about your drawing.”
 Rhythm intrigues children
• Children this age are more aware of rhythms and
A
enjoy singing simple, repetitive songs
finger play is a song or chant with
accompanying hand motions
 Music is a great teaching tool
 Playing simple musical instruments helps
develop children’s interest in music
• Bells, drums, tambourines, or anything that
makes noise (old pans, bowls, spoons)

Children show a rapid increase in their
vocabulary
• A normally developing 6-year old can understand
approximately 2,500 words

Articulation improves dramatically
• By age 6, children can say 90% of words correctly

Much of this improvement depends on physical
development
• Some sounds are more difficult to make
 b,m,p are made with the lips
 F and v sounds are made using lips and teeth
• Most difficult to make are j, ch, st, pl, th, and sl
 They require smooth coordination of lip, tongue, and throat
muscles
 EX: Pwease instead of please

Children need to hear language that is specific
and rich in detail
• Rather than using the word “go”, encourage children to
use descriptive verbs “race, jogs, runs…”
Helping a child describe what they are seeing
can aid in using descriptive verb usage
 Children who do not speak English at home may
have difficulty when they begin school
 Children who move to one part of the country to
another also have trouble (pronunciation)

• New England, Deep South, South, Midwest, West Coast,
etc.
Preschool is attended to prepare children for the
school setting
 At age 5 or 6 most children enter kindergarten

• The standard for entering public school is when the child
reaches their 5th birthday
• Some schools have a cutoff date such as September 1st
• Schools may require a physical exam

In the past, kindergarten was half-day, now there
are full-day options
• Research shows children that attend full-day programs
perform better in elementary school
 One
study showed that children with high
IQs had emotional problems if they
began school before they are ready
• Other studies show the opposite
 Children who start later have problems with behavior
later in their school years
 Many
school systems offer screenings to
help assess a child’s readiness
• They can judge the child’s readiness based on
what they observe
 Guidelines:
1. Communicate with Adults
2. Manage Personal Needs
•
Get dressed or undressed and can use the
bathroom without help
Complete a Task
3.
•
Listen Attentively
4.
•
5.
6.
Such as finishing a drawing or putting away
supplies
Listen to and answer questions about a story
Follow Directions and Take Turns
Be Patient
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Starting kindergarten is a
major adjustment for a
child
School is generally bigger
than preschool with much
older children around
Children switching from
half-day preschool to a fullday kindergarten must
adjust to longer hours away
from home
Some begin riding a bus
for the first time
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Guidelines to help aid in
the new experiences:
Be sure the child knows
their full name, address,
and phone number
Explain what to expect
Lots of rest!
Let the child pick their
lunch box or backpack
and pick out clothes for
the 1st day
Arrange to have play
dates before the start of
school if possible
Share positive feelings
about school