Page 3 - LESSION 9.pmd

Stages of Child Development Three to Six years and Six to Eight Years

• Hopping on one foot at around four years, and later balancing on one foot
for up to five seconds
Notes • Doing a heel-to-toe walk at around age five years

Fine Motor Development
• Drawing a circle, square, triangle

• Beginning to use children’s blunt-tip scissors and eventually cutting a straight
line
• Self-dressing with supervision

• Putting on clothes properly
• Managing a spoon and fork neatly while eating

• Spreading with a knife

9.1.2 Socio-emotional Development

Children’s understanding about themselves, their feeling and how they sustain
relationships with others are a part of their socio-emotional development. Pre-
schoolers often wonder 'who they are'. This is the first question to entangle the
mystery of self. Our self-concept is constituted by who we are; how we see our
abilities; what characteristics we use to describe ourselves.

In toddlerhood, children develop self-awareness. As children reach pre-
school age, their descriptions about themselves become more detailed and
comprehensive. They are now able to associate a number of characteristics that
define them. They mostly focus on observable, concrete and physical
characteristics about themselves. They often talk about their name, what they
possess, their toys and their family members when they describe themselves.
They also mention the achievements of these ages like, "I run fast".

This is also an age where gender identity takes shape. Children of this age are
able to classify themselves as male or female and show preferences for wearing
clothes and dressing appropriate for their own gender. They use gender
appropriate language and their play also tends to reflect gendered practices.

Preschoolers learn social skills needed to play and work with other children.
As time passes, although four to five year olds may start playing games with
rules, their rules are likely to change and they are able to cooperate better with
peers.

Children at preschool age start understanding their own emotions and can talk
about their feelings. They understand that emotions may be aroused under certain

122 EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND EDUCATION