Learning Begins Early
The road to success in school begins early. Good health, loving relationships, and opportunities to learn all help preschool children do well later in life. But many parents wonder, "How can I give these things to my child?"
This information is for all of you who have asked this question. It's for parents, grandparents, and others who want to know what to do to help young children get ready for school. Throughout the preschool years, you can do many simple things to help your child grow, develop and have fun learning.
Birth to 1 year
What to Expect
Babies grow and change dramatically during their first year. They begin to:
• Develop some control over their bodies. They learn to hold up their heads, roll over, sit up, crawl, stand up, and, in some cases, walk.
• Become aware of themselves as separate from others. They learn to look at their hands and toes and play with them. They learn to cry when parents leave, and they recognize their name.
• Communicate and develop language skills. First babies cry and make throaty noises. Later they babble and say mama and dada. Then they make lots of sounds and begin to name a few close people and objects.
• Play games. First they play with their hands. Later they show an interest in toys, enjoy "putting in and taking out" games, and eventually carry around or hug dolls or stuffed toys.
• Relate to others. First they respond to adults more than to other babies. Later, they notice other babies but tend to treat them like objects instead of people. Then they pay attention when other babies cry.
What They Need
Babies require:
• A loving caregiver who can respond to their cries and gurgles;
• Someone who gets to know their special qualities;
• Someone to keep them safe and comfortable;
• Opportunities to move about and practice new physical skills;
• Safe objects to look at, bat, grab, bang, pat, roll and examine;
• Safe play areas; and
• Opportunities to hear language and to make sounds.
Children this age like to flip light switche, pour things in and out
of containers unwrap package, and empty drawers.
1 to 2 years
What to Expect
Children this age are:
• Energetic (walk more steadily, run, push, pull, take apart, carry, and climb on and grab things);
• Self-centered; and
• Busy (like to flip light switches, pour things in and out of containers, unwrap packages, and empty drawers).
Between their first and second birthdays, they:
• Like to imitate the sounds and actions of others (by pretending to do housework or yardwork, for example);
• Want to be independent and do it themselves (and express this by saying "No!");
• Can be clingy;
• Can have relatively short attention spans if not involved in an activity;
• Add variations to their physical skills (by walking backwards or sideways, for example);
• Begin to see how they are like and unlike other children;
• Become more sensitive to the moods of others;
• Play alone or alongside other toddlers; and
• Increase their vocabularies from about 2 or 3 words to about 250 words and understand more of what people say to them.
What They Need
Children this age require:
• A safe environment for exploring;
• Opportunities to make their own choices ("Do you want the red cup or the blue one?");
•Clear and reasonable limits;
•Opportunities to use big muscles (in the arms and legs, for example);
• Opportunities to manipulate small objects, such as puzzles and stackable toys;
• Activities that allow them to touch, taste, smell, hear, and see new things;
• Chances to learn about "cause and effect" - that things they do produce certain results (when a stack of blocks gets too high it will fall over);
• Opportunities to develop and practice their language skills; and
• Chances to learn about kindness and caring.
2 to 3 Years
What to Expect
Children this age are:
• Becoming more aware of others and their own feelings;
• Often stubborn and may have temper tantrums;
• Developing a great interest in other children and enjoy being near them (although they are usually self-centered);
• Able to jump, hop, roll, and climb;
• Developing an interest in pretend play - playing at keeping house, for example, or pretending to cook and care for a baby;
• Expanding their vocabularies (from about 250 to 1,000 words during the year); and
• Putting together 2, 3, and 4 - word sentences.
What They Need
Children this age require opportunities to:
• Develop hand coordination (with puzzles or large beads to string or by scribbling, for example);
• Do more things for themselves such as putting on clothing;
• Sing, talk, and develop their language;
• Play with other children;
• Do things in the community such as taking walks, and visiting libraries, museums, informal restaurants, parks, beaches, and zoos; and
• Try out different ways to move their bodies.
3 TO 4 Years
What to Expect
Children this age:
• Start to play with other children, instead of next to them;
• Are more likely to take turns and share;
• Are friendly and giving;
• Begin to understand that other people have feelings and rights;
• Like silly humor, riddles, and practical jokes;
• Like to please and to conform;
• Generally become more cooperative and enjoy new experiences;
• Are increasingly self-reliant and probably can dress without help (except for buttons and shoelaces);
• May develop fears ("Mommy, there's a monster under my bed.") and have imaginary companions;
• Are more graceful physically than 2-year-olds and love to run, skip, jump with both feet, catch a ball, climb downstairs, and dance to music;
• Are great talkers, speak in sentences, and continue to add more words to their vocabularies; and
• Have greater control over hand and arm muscles, which is reflected in their drawings and scribblings.
What They Need
Children this age require opportunities to:
• Develop their blooming language abilities through books, games, songs, science, and art activities;
• Develop more self-help skills - for example, to dress and undress themselves;
• Draw with crayons, work puzzles, build things, and pretend;
• Play with other children so they can learn to listen, take turns, and share; and
• Develop more physical coordination - for example, by hopping on both feet.
4 to 5 Years
What to Expect
Children this age:
• Are active and have lots of energy;
• May be aggressive in their play;
• Can show extremes from being loud and adventurous to acting shy and dependent;
• Enjoy more group activities because they have longer attention spans;
• Like making faces and being silly;
• May form cliques with friends and can be bossy;
• May change friendships quickly;
• May brag and engage in namecalling during play;
• May experiment with swear words and bathroom words;
• Can be very imaginative and like to exaggerate;
• Have better control in running, jumping, and hopping but tend to be clumsy;
• Are great talkers and questioners; and
• Love to use words in rhymes, nonsense and jokes.
What They Need
Children this age need opportunities to:
• Experiment and discover within limits;
• Use blunt-tipped scissors, crayons, and put together simple jigsaw puzzles;
• Practice outdoor play activities;
• Develop their growing interest in academic things, such as science and mathematics, and activities that involve exploring and investigating;
• Group items that are similar (for example, by size);
• Stretch their imaginations and curiosity; and
• See how reading and writing are useful (for example, by listening to stories and poems, dictating stories, and by talking with other children and adults).
This information is provided by the U.S. Department of Education Office of Educational Research and Improvement.
Brought to you by The California Children & Families Commission. Funded by Prop. 10. For more information please call (800) KIDS-025.
