GROWTH DEVELOPMENT & EXPECTATIONS
Children between the ages of 2 and 5 change dramatically in five major areas: emotional and social skills; physical growth; thinking and reasoning skills (called cognitive development); language development; and sensory and motor development. Children usually progress in a natural, predictable sequence from one developmental milestone to the next. However, the exact timing varies from child to child. Also, many children tend to make progress in one area, such as learning new words, while another skill, such as counting, levels off.
Emotional and Social development begins with excitement about being around other children at age 2. However, most children at this age play near each other rather than with each other (this is called parallel play). By age 5, most children seek and enjoy friendships. Often they identify a playmate as their “best friend,” although their choice may change frequently.
Two-year-olds start to recognize the differences between boys and girls. By age 5, children understand many of these differences and often like to dress or play in ways they identify with their gender.
Physical development slows down from the rapid growth during infancy. From age 2 through ages 5, most children annually gain about 3 lb (1.4 kg) to 5 lb (2.3 kg) and grow about 3 in. (7.6 cm). Cognitive development, or thinking and reasoning skills, progresses from a simple to more complex understanding of time, letters, counting, and colors. Children are able to follow increasingly more detailed commands. Play gradually becomes more inventive and richly imaginative.
Language develops rapidly between ages 2 and 5. By age 2, children usually can say at least 50
words. They can recognize the names of many objects and some body parts (such as arms and legs). By age 3, children are learning new words quickly. Most can speak between 150 and 200 words and can follow two-part directions, such as “Wash your face and put your shoes away.”
They also start to use plurals and short complete sentences that most of the time are understood by others outside of their family. Four-year-olds use longer sentences and can describe an event. Most 5-year-olds can carry on a conversation.
Sensory and motor skills become more refined, from being able to walk up stairs, kick a ball, and draw simple strokes to basic tumbling and drawing rough figures of people and other recognizable objects. Children also gradually learn to dress themselves and handle their toilet needs independently.
Communication skills are often categorized as receptive language and expressive language.
Receptive language is the understanding of words and sounds. Expressive language is the use of
speech (sounds and words) and gestures to communicate meaning.
Although speech and language continue to develop through adolescence, children usually reach major milestones in predictable stages by 6 years of age. However, the exact pace at which speech and language develop varies among children, especially the age at which they begin to talk.
