There are many exciting changes happening within a preschooler’s development. Most notably, children start to form important social skills and have increased capacity for managing their own emotions. Social and emotional skills are important throughout life because they help children regulate themselves, understand others, and assist in forming positive relationships. Preschoolers are also learning important life skills during this time. They are becoming increasingly independent and are capable of many adaptive skills such as using the bathroom independently and dressing themselves.

Caregivers continue to play an important role in a child’s daily life. Preschoolers benefit from nurturing relationships that are supportive but also allow them to work through learning on their own. During the preschool years, we will notice that children who have experienced significant stress, trauma, or delays in their development as infants and toddlers will experience even further difficulties during this stage. Children who experience barriers in their development can “exhibit social and emotional difficulties and tend to have trouble following directions and participating in learning activities” (Ho & Funk, 2018).

In this chapter, we will discuss typical social, emotional, adaptive, and identity milestones in the preschool years. We will also address the diverse cultural and social variables that impact children during this stage of development.