journal

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT in EARLY CHILDHOOD

Two to Six Years of Age

BODY GROWTH

Changes in Body Size and Proportions

– On the average, 2 to 3 inches in height and about 5 pounds in weight are added each year.

– The child gradually becomes thinner; girls retain somewhat more body fat, whereas boys are slightly more muscular.

– During Early childhood posture and balance improve, resulting in gains in motor coordination.

Changes in Body Size and Proportions

– Individual differences in body size are even more apparent during early childhood than in infancy and toddlerhood.

– To determine if a child’s atypical stature is a sign of a growth or health problem, the child’s heritage must be considered.

Skeletal Growth

– Between ages 2 and 6 growth centers in which cartilage hardens into bone, emerge in various parts of the skeleton.

– X-rays permit doctors to estimate children’s skeletal age, the best available measure of progress toward physical maturity. We don’t routinely subject children to x-rays just to check on growth (unless needed).

Skeletal Growth

– By the end of the preschool years, children start to lose their primary teeth.

– Childhood tooth decay remains high, especially among low-SES youngsters in the United States. Education is important to prevent primary tooth decay

that can damage permanent teeth.

Asynchronies in Physical Growth • Physical growth is an asynchronous process: different

body systems have their own unique, carefully timed patterns of maturation.

• The term general growth curve describes a curve that represents overall changes in body size—rapid growth during infancy, slower gains in early and middle childhood, and rapid growth once more during adolescence. (Please see the next slide)

• During early childhood their bodies become more

streamlined - flat tummies and longer legs and arms. They tend to reduce the amount of “baby” fat present during toddlerhood.

Asynchronies in Physical Growth

FACTORS AFFECTING GROWTH AND HEALTH

Heredity and Hormones

– Children’s physical size and rate of growth are related to that of their parents. It is important for parents to share

information about family members regarding physical growth and development. Pediatricians use the information to track normal growth for children.

– The pituitary gland is a gland located near the base of the brain that releases hormones affecting physical growth. The two hormones important to track in children are:

• Growth hormone (GH) affects the development of almost all body tissues, except the central nervous system and the genitals. Short children with GH deficiency can be treated with injections of GH.

• Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) stimulates the thyroid gland to release thyroxine, which is necessary for normal development of the nerve cells of the brain and body growth.

Sleep Habits and Problems

• Sleep contributes to body growth, since GH is released during sleeping hours.

• For preschoolers total sleep declines from 12 to 13 hours at ages 2 and 3 to 10 to 11 hours at ages 4 to 6.

• Bedtime rituals, such as using the toilet, listening to a story, and kissing before turning off the light, help Western preschoolers adjust to being left by themselves in a darkened room. Not all children sleep in alone in a room. Some families share sleeping space and may create different sleep rituals.

Sleep Habits and Problems

• Almost all children begin to have a few nightmares between ages 3 to 6. As they continue to experience the world around them, dreams can sometimes seem a little scary to the preschooler. Some children may have problems getting back to sleep because they fear another dream.

• About 20 to 25 percent of preschoolers experience difficulty falling and staying asleep. Persistent sleep problems may be a sign of illness. Family stress can also prompt childhood sleep disturbances.

Nutrition - food intake reduced and social mealtime climate important

• Important - Preschoolers’ appetites decrease because growth has slowed.

• In addition, they may become picky eaters. This may be adaptive as young children are still learning which items are safe to eat and which are not.

• Because caloric intake is reduced, preschoolers need a high-quality diet parents and caregivers can provide

• There is no room for junk foods.

• The social environment and emotional climate at mealtimes have a powerful impact on children’s eating habits. Take dinner time seriously as it may be the only time the preschooler will concentrate on food for 5 minutes.

Nutrition – Introducing New Foods

• Repeated exposure to a new food as this will increases children’s acceptance.

• Insufficient amounts of iron, calcium, vitamin C, and vitamin A are the most

common diet deficiencies of the preschool years.

• By age 7, low-SES children in the United States are, on the average, about 1 inch shorter than their middle- class counterparts. Nutritious foods need to be available to all children. Food programs such as WIC can help parents with advice and food support.

Infectious Disease

• Infectious Disease and Malnutrition

– In well-nourished children, ordinary childhood illnesses have no effect on physical growth.

– Disease is a major cause of malnutrition, and, through it, it is

malnutrition that affects physical growth.

– Most growth retardation and deaths due to diarrhea from illnesses in developing countries can be prevented with oral rehydration therapy (ORT). ORT provides sick children with a glucose, salt, and water solution that replaces lost body fluids. It helps to rebuild a balance in the body.

Infectious Disease

• Immunization – Overall 24 percent of American preschoolers lack essential

immunizations, a rate that rises to 40 percent for poverty stricken children.

– In contrast, fewer than 10 percent of preschoolers lack immunizations in Denmark and Norway and less than 7 percent in Canada, the Netherlands, and Sweden.

– In 1994, all medically uninsured American children were guaranteed free immunizations, a program that has led to steady improvement in early childhood immunization rates.

– Misconceptions about vaccinations also contribute to inadequate immunization rates. Some parents and caregivers are afraid of the side effects and opt out of immunizations for their children.

• Research in Europe and the United States indicates that childhood illness rises with child-care attendance.

Childhood Injuries

• Auto accidents, drownings, and burns are the most common injuries during early childhood in the US. We are a very mobile society and we take our children everywhere. This increases the chances of childhood injuries due to accidents. Other countries encourage young children to stay close to home with family members and parents and caregivers conduct their business with children safe at home with a family member or a babysitter.

• In the US motor vehicle collisions are the leading cause of death among children over 1 year of age.

Childhood Injuries Factors Related to Childhood Injuries

– Because of their higher activity level and greater willingness to

take risks during play, boys are more likely to be injury victims than girls.

– Irritability, inattentiveness, and negative mood are also related to childhood injuries. If children do not attend to the parents wishes, this could place them at risk of injury. Some children tend to be difficult and oppositional and this also place them at risk when they don’t attend to a parents wish.

– Poverty, low parental education, and more children in the home are strongly associated with injury due to stress and preoccupation of caregivers.

– Among Western industrialized nations, the United States ranks among the highest in childhood injury mortality.

Berk, L. E., (2016). Infants, Children, and Adolescents. Boston, MA: Pearson. EIGHTH EDITION