Unit 4: Preschoolers

How Preschool Children LearnPiaget’s 2nd stage = preoperational change

1. Preconceptional Substage Children ages two to four are beginning to develop

some concepts Children are able to form a mental image of what

they see around them However, many of these concepts are incomplete or

illogical Children may see different members of the same

group as identical, such as all collies as Lassie.

2. Intuitive Substage Children sometimes are able to grasp a problem’s

solution by how they feel about it. Children base their solutions on “feeling” their way

through problems rather than on logic. For example, a child standing on the ladder of a

slide may say to his or her parent, “I’m taller than you,” because he or she can see over the parent's head. The intuitive preschooler doesn't use logic, such as “I may look taller, but my feet are higher than my parent’s feet; thus I am still shorter than my parent.”

Obstacles to Logical Thinking Most children are still egocentricEgocentrism = the belief a person has that

everyone thinks in the same way and has the same ideas as he or he does. Egocentrism, in this sense, does not mean

children are selfish or too concern with themselves

New Abilities EmergeSymbolic PlayMental ImagesDrawing Language

Symbolic PlayPretend Games

They change things in some way or ways from the real world or dreams

Objects may stand for anything the child wantsRoles may change, too, as the child can take on

adult or even animal roles Leaf = plate Stuffed Bear = child

What is she “playing?”

What are they “playing?”

Mental ImagesMental Images = Symbols of objects and past

experiences that are stored in the mind.1. Private and Internalized (thought about only)2. Mental images are not exact copies of real

objects and experiences, but they do relate to the real world. For example….

DrawingPreschool children no longer scribbleThey now attempt to draw objects and depict

their world through drawingsPreschoolers intend their drawings to be realistic

They draw what they think or know about a person, not what is visually accurate For example: a side view of a goldfish in a drawing may

show both eyes and even a smiling mouth. Drawing is a step between symbolic play and mental images

Preschoolers draw first then decide what their pictures represent

As children get older, they decide what to draw, form a mental image then draw!

LanguageSpoken words are symbols used to represent

something.Words are also more abstract (do not relate to

what they represent) compared with many other symbols.For example, the word car does not look, sound, or

move like a car.Once language abilities develop, the child can

exchange ideas with others and thus learn!Children can also think with words!Thinking is faster using words compared with

actions, too!

What Preschool Children LearnConcepts Children Learn

Physical AttributesLogical Thinking Concepts

Classifying Objects Arranging by Size Understanding Number Concepts Understanding Spatial Concepts Understanding Time Concepts

Cause and Effect

Physical AttributesPreschool children develop concepts about:

SizeShapeColorTextureEtc.

Preschool children are limited in their thinking about physical attributes.

1. The child may not note the object’s most important features For example, the child must note a zebra’s stripes

to distinguish it from a horse. If the child notes the zebra’s ears, this will not help, horses have similar ears.

2. Preschoolers tend to look at parts of an object, they cannot always mentally “see the whole object. For example…

Classifying ObjectsClassifying = the ability to choose an

attribute and group all the objects from a set

Arranging by SizeOften preschool children cannot arrange

objects by increasing or decreasing size, weight, or volume.

Understanding Number ConceptsMany preschoolers can count.However, counting does not show they

understand numbers.For example, a child may be able to count to

five, but they may not be able to count out five apples.

Understanding Number ConceptsOnce they can count objects successfully,

preschoolers still do not completely understand number concepts.

It also requires seeing relationships!Unlike each object that has its own name,

numbers refer to groups. The number does not really refer to just the last object named; but also to the entire group. Thus, a child must mentally see that one is in

two and two is in three!

Understanding Number ConceptsPreschoolers really struggle with number

concepts such as:LessFewManySome

Understanding Spatial ConceptsPreschool children understand the words:

UpDownLeftRightUnderOver HereThere

Understanding Spatial ConceptsHowever, until about age five years,

preschoolers may not know what is on the other side of a wall in their own homes!

Understanding Spatial ConceptsPreschool children also draw they think

about space rather than what they see. Learning left and right from another’s

perspective is hard– especially if the person is facing them!

Allowing a child to help set the table, helps them learn these concepts!

Understanding Time ConceptsPreschoolers can recall the recent pastYesterday is recalled but a week or a year ago

may be forgotten. Children link time to events, such as time to eat

lunch.They cannot see time passing.Morning, afternoon, and seasonal changes are

gradual.For these reasons, time concepts are hard to

understandThey are among the last concepts to develop!

Cause and EffectPreschoolers try to understand cause and

effectThey ask questions to try to understand

“What causes the rain?”“What will happen to my dead fish?”

Cause and Effect

Preschoolers may assign human qualities to nonhumans, such as plants, animals and objects.

Sometimes they use this to avoid being punished and they say, “My teddy bear left my toys outside!”

Sometimes preschoolers reverse cause and effect. They may say, “Because I’m staying in bed, I am ill.”

Language Abilities Increased Due to egocentrism, sometimes preschoolers

do not communicate all the needed information when speaking with others.They may begin their story in the middle rather

than the beginning because they think the listener already knows the beginning!

“She is eating!” Preschoolers assume you know who “she” is.

Articulation of PreschoolersMost toddlers have some problems making

all the sounds in their spoken language. In the English language, children master

sound between ages three and eight years.

Age Sound Word Examples

3 Years MNPHW

monkey, hammer, broom, nails, penny, lion, pig, happy, cup hand, doghouse, window,

bowl

4 Years BKGF

boat, baby, tub, cat, chicken, book, girl, wagon, pig, fork,

telephone, knife

5 Years Y NGD

yellow, onion, fingers, ring, dog, ladder, bed

90% of all preschool children master these sound by the given age!

Vocabulary of Preschoolers3 years = 900 words4 years = 1,500 words5 years = 2,000 words

Grammar of the PreschoolerSentence structure becomes much more

complexDo not seem to notice proper word order

Grammar at Three Years

Grammar at Four and Five Years

•The -ing verb ending used.

•Rolling, Falling

•Past tense for regular verbs (-ed) used.

•Rolled, Walked

•Past tense for some irregular verbs.

•Sank, ate•The –s for making plural used.

•Cars, dolls•The –’s for possessive used.

•Bob’s, Daddy’s

•Longer, more complex sentences

•Lengthen their sentences by using clauses, conjunctions, and prepositions.

•May still find the word order of questions confusing.

1. Why do adults sometimes confuse preschoolers’ egocentrism with selfishness? What, if anything, might an adult say or do to help these children develop a less egocentric point of view?

2. How can a preschool teacher who has many dramatic play, art and literature/language activities justify these intellectual and not “just play” activities?