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Physical Development. Early Childhood. BODY GROWTH . 2 to 3 inches (6-7cm) in height and about 5 pounds (2-3kg) in weight are added each year. Children become thinner. Children lose primary teeth by preschool years. Asynchronies in Physical Growth . General growth curve
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Physical Development Early Childhood
BODY GROWTH • 2 to 3 inches (6-7cm) in height and about 5 pounds (2-3kg) in weight are added each year. • Children become thinner. • Children lose primary teeth by preschool years.
Asynchronies in Physical Growth • General growth curve • Rapid growth during infancy • Slower middle childhood • Rapid during adolescence • Exceptions: Reproductive and lymph systems
BRAIN DEVELOPMENT • The brain increases to 90 percent of adult weight between 2 and 6 years. • Increase in synaptic connections • Increase in myelination • The two hemispheres of the cortex develop at different rates. • The left hemisphere shows dramatic activity between 3 and 6 years and then levels off. WHY? • Activity in the right hemisphere increases slowly throughout early and middle childhood. • Significant development occurs in the prefrontal cortex
Nutrition • Slowed growth leads to an appetite decrease • Picky eaters seen as adaptive,safe • Need a high-quality diet • By 7, low-SES about 1 inch shorter
Childhood Injuries • Accidents are the leading cause of childhood mortality. • Auto, fires, and drowning are the most common. • Motor vehicle collisions first cause of death for children over 1 Injury Mortality for Children
MOTOR DEVELOPMENT • Gross Motor Development • Center of gravity shifts downward to the trunk, and balance improves. • Preschooler's gait becomes smooth and rhythmic. • Now steadier • New skills like throwing and catching balls, tricycles, and swinging on bars and rings • High level of activity
Fine Motor Development • Self-Help Skills • Gradually become self-sufficient at dressing and feeding • Shoe-tying around age 6 • Drawing and Writing • First drawings of a person by age 3 or 4
Cultural Variations in Drawing • In cultures that emphasize art, children's drawings are more sophisticated. • Schooling supports drawing. • Figure drawing varies by culture but follows the same sequence. U.S. Child’s Drawing New Guinea Child’s Drawing
Printing • Exposure to lines and shapes leads to trying to print letters and, later on, words. • Not until reading do kids distinguish between mirror-image forms.