Beth Rados
Melissa Brooks
Developmental Study
Kindergarten (ages 4-6)

Physical

Children at this developmental level are beginning to become more physically like adults.  Many crucial physical changes occur at this age level.  It is important for Kindergarten teachers to consider these changes when planning classroom activities.

· Average weight:  31-57 pounds
· Average height:  39-48 inches
· Requires approximately 1,700 calories per day
· Sleeps 10-11 hours per night
· Begins to lose baby teeth
· Has almost mastered gross motor skills (skipping, throwing, and catching)
· Beginning to improve fine motor skills (eating w/utensils, tying shoe, cutting on lines)
· Right or left hand dominance is established
· Very active
· By age 6, proportions of a child’s body are much like that of an adult
· Males are generally more active than females
· Changes in maturation of brain and central nervous system
· May be able to copy simple designs and shapes

Intellectual

Children in Kindergarten are curious learners who like to know how and why things happen.  At this age level, students are beginning to develop concrete operational thought patterns.  They are intellectually becoming more complex thinkers.

· Understands about 13,000 words
· Uses 5-8 words in a sentence
· Likes to argue and reason; use words like “because”
· Knows basic colors (red, yellow, blue, green, and orange)
· Able to memorize address and phone number
· Understands that stories have a beginning, middle, and end
· Able to remember and repeat stories
· Enjoys creating and telling stories
· Draws pictures that represent people, animals, and objects
· Can place objects in order from shortest to tallest
· Understands and uses comparative terms (big, bigger, biggest)
· Sorts objects by size
· Identifies some letters of alphabet and a few numbers
· Understands quantity (more, less, and same)
· Counts up to ten objects
· Very attentive
· Recognizes categories
· Understands relative position
· Interested in why things happen
· Can understand time concepts like yesterday, today, and tomorrow
· Uses symbolic thinking
· Begins to coordinate different points of view
· Visual aids are important
· Children demonstrate understanding before they can verbalize it

Social/Emotional

4-6 year olds are becoming more social.  They like to play, interact, and try new things.  This is a very emotional age for children because they are going through a number of changes.  Although, this is a very interactive age for children, they still need time alone.

· Invents games with simple rules
· Participates in pretend play
· Still confuses fantasy with reality sometimes
· Has phobias (dark, strangers, animals)
· Can share but has difficulty doing so
· Expresses emotions physically
· Not emotionally ready for competition
· Carries on conversations
· Excludes other children in play (best friends only)
· Uses bad language to get attention
· Sometimes bossy
· Likes to try new things
· Likes to be independent
· Sensitive to feelings of others
· Likes to feel grown up
· Begins to understand right and wrong
· Plays w/out constant supervision
· Respects authority
· Understands giving and receiving
· Enjoys collecting things
· Sometimes needs to be alone
· Can understand similarities and differences in families and relationships
· Seeks adult approval
· Sometimes critical of other children and embarrassed by own mistakes
· Has a good sense of humor

Teacher Tips

· Develop activities that allow children to practice using motor skills
· Provide students w/opportunities to investigate how things are made and put together
· Ask students to tell you a story.  Write it down for them.
· Ask “What if” questions
· Involve students in writing activities (“thank-you” notes, greeting cards, and letters)
· Set up real life situations that allow children to sort, group, match, count, and sequence
· Address student feelings and recognize them as valuable
· Teach to request, bargain, negotiate, and apologize
· Praise students
· Show interest in students’ stories, jokes, and ideas

Resources

National Network for Child Care  -Provides tips and characteristics for various developmental stages.

Parents Place  -Provides parents and teachers with ideas on child development.

Berger. The Developing Person Through the Life Span.  Third Edition.  Worth Publishers. New York: 1994.

We also observed Kindergarten classes at Bethel and Mabel schools in Watauga County, North Carolina.  From these observations and observations of individual children at this developmental level, we found evidence to support our research.
 
 

Return to HomePage