Child Development: Knowing My Preschooler and Nursery Child

To continue with the Child Development series of posts, this one is about the Preschool or Nursery stage.  My youngest daughter is presently at this stage. She's turning 3 years old come January and she can really be described in two big words "Imitator" and "Discoverer."

Preschool / Nursery (2-3 Years Old) - Imitation and Discovery 

Angel at 2 y.o.

Physically. A preschooler is very active and needs to engage in many kinds of motor activities. Angel used to just watch her siblings play and run around, but now she's running together with them. She also likes to dance with them and you'll be surprised at how she can climb up something and jump.

Mentally.  Grown-ups should provide preschoolers with many opportunities to discover the world through the senses. They have a limited span of attention, so the more varied the activities, so much better. Many still find it difficult to express what they want because their spoken words are still limited. So, mums and dads should continue to learn and understand how they communicate through actions and signs. 

I'm actually amazed at the development of Angel because beginning age 2 she can already communicate very well. Though sometimes, she still points a lot and grabs my arms to bring me somewhere she wants.

Socially and Emotionally. A preschooler's world is still the home and other familiar places. In a different place, the child becomes self-centered and fearful. He would rather play alone than play with others. He have the tendency to say that everything he sees or touches is his. He doesn't like to be around a lot of people for fear that his parents might leave him. Slowly, he wants to be independent but still goes back to behavior of infancy from time to time. He still needs help getting dressed, putting on socks, tying shoe laces, buttoning my shirt, and others. 

I commonly hear Angel say "This is Mine" with whatever she touches and whatever toys she sees other children touches. The friends of her siblings are complaining that Angel always says everything is hers.  Though this is normal at this stage, parents can start to teach preschoolers the concept of sharing and ownership.  Angel also likes to dress herself. Sometimes, she puts on a dress with the front side on the back and how proud she is that she's able to dress herself. I just smile and help her fix it.

Spiritually. The preschooler learn about God in different ways but he learns the most by looking at the people around him and he likes to imitate what they do. So grown-ups should really watch out what they do. When the child sees that grown-ups show the reality of God in their lives through words and action, he begins to believe there is God. He likes to hear stories about God in simple language especially when there are pictures to go with it. He can understand simple concepts like God loves him, the church is God's house where he learns about Jesus; the Bible is a very special book of God;  and he can talk to God just like dad and mom talks to God using simple prayers.

I always hear Angel sing songs we sing in church. And though some words are not clear, she's really amazing that she can sing together with her sisters. She knows how to sing "Lord, I offer my life to You" and "Mighty to Save." She can even memorize a very long Bible verse with actions which I taught to the other children in Sunday school. The child's spiritual training really begins while they are still young.

Would you like to share something about your preschooler and nursery child?

Next post we'll be learning about the Early childhood stage or Kindergartner.