Preschool Development

The preschool period is a time of rapid developmental growth in a variety of important areas. Children navigate their environment and their relationships to master specific developmental skills that impact later trajectories of social, emotional, and academic competencies. Preschoolers are eager to establish themselves as separate from their parents and as independent agents of change, but continue to need the guidance of parents, teachers, and other trustworthy adults to facilitate the promotion of developmental skills and the acquisition of important competencies. This chapter describes the biological, cognitive, motor, language, emotional, social, and moral developments that occur during the preschool period between the ages of 3 and 5 years based on current research. This chapter also discusses the exploration of racial and ethnic identities as young children begin to understand physical and cultural characteristics. Specific psychopathologies that underlie abnormal development in each of these areas, as well as cultural considerations are also highlighted.