Preschool-aged children will see significant changes in their cognitive and language skills. Their vocabulary increases tremendously, and they are able to understand the world in a more comprehensive way. They also experience changes within their bodies as they build muscle and grow taller. Preschoolers can move with more coordination as they learn new skills. Changes within the brain and increasing experiences in the world allow children to learn about morality and to develop empathy for others.

Children will continue to need guidance and strong relationships with their caregivers to navigate the many challenges that can occur during this period of their lives. Even as they gain more independence, children rely on adult modeling and teaching to learn important skills and behaviors. Trusting and positive relationships will prepare preschoolers for development in other domains. Next, we will learn how preschool children develop social skills, emotional skills, and adaptive behaviors, and how they form a more secure sense of their identity.

Review of Learning Objectives

1. Identify the milestones of preschooler cognitive and language development.
2. Understand the diverse approaches to and cultural influences in development and parenting.
3. Understand the impact of caregivers and environmental influences on cognitive and language development.

Comprehension Check

Review of Key Terms

• Centration: the act of focusing on only one aspect of an object
• Conservation: the understanding that something can stay the same quantity even though its appearance may change
• Executive functions: processes in the prefrontal cortex that include working memory, attention, problem solving, and impulse control
• Fast-mapping: the process by which words are easily learned by making connections between new words and learned concepts
• Intuitive thought substage: a substage in Piaget’s theory of cognitive development where children begin to use intuitive thinking
• Long-term memory: the third stage of the memory system comprised of declarative and nondeclarative memories; also known as permanent memory
• Overregulation: the process by which children apply language rules too generally, resulting in grammar errors
• Prefrontal cortex: an area of the brain responsible for decision making, problem solving, and emotional regulation
• Private speech: a form of self-directed speech in which a child dialogues with themselves to solve a problem or to think something through
• Reversibility: the ability to reverse a sequence of events
• Self-regulation skills: strategies that are used to manage thoughts, behaviors, and feelings
• Sensory memory: the first stage of the memory system in which sensory information is stored in its raw form for a very brief duration
• Short-term memory: the second stage of the memory system in which conscious effort and adequate attention is needed to function effectively; also known as working memory
• Transductive reasoning: a form of reasoning that occurs when a child is unable to understand cause and effect logically, so they rely on their natural reasoning

Licenses and Attributions for Conclusion

“Conclusion” by Christina Belli is licensed under CC BY 4.0.