There are a variety of benefits associated with early education. From social development to cognitive development, early education provides a child with the experience they need to enhance their education. Children have different developmental needs based on their age groups. This requires a broad range of teaching to help children receive exposure to the right programs for growth and development.

Three to Four Year Old Development

Major cognitive milestones develop between the ages of three and four. Symbolic thought begins at this stage. During this time children understand how to mentally or symbolically represent concrete objects, events, or actions. Four-year-olds begin to develop symbolic thought, allowing them to focus on make-believe play. Three and four-year-olds move into pre-operational thinking. They rely on the concrete appearance of objects and see things from only their point of view. Several studies show three-year-olds will base their decision on appearance versus fact. For example, in one study, a three-year-old was shown two rows of cups with an unequal amount in each row. One row was longer than the other. The three-year-old chose the longer row based on appearance, even when he was told the other row was the correct answer. By the time a child reaches age five, they are able to understand conservation of numbers and will be able to answer the question correctly.

Educational Requirements for Three and Four Year Olds

Education for three and four-year-olds will focus on helping the child to understand the difference in length and height and how it correlates to numbers. Three-year-olds have strong memories when it comes to their immediate experiences, but have a difficult time recalling long-term information. Structure and routine is vital to the life of a three-year-old in order to help them develop these skills. By the time a child reaches age five, they can start to problem solve. They will begin to handle cause and effect problems, and have an easier time expressing their thoughts.

Four Year Old Development

Four-year-olds move into a phase of egocentrism. A four-year-old has a challenging time understanding how other people see the world. They do not understand why people may not feel the same emotions of happy and sad at the same time when they experience these emotions. Concept development is a key element in the teaching strategies for four-year olds. Children learn how to organize information into concepts. It is easier for a child to understand this ideal when it is introduced from a child’s perspective using real life models. For example, many four-year olds feel all dogs are friendly because their dog is friendly. Teaching at this time will focus on helping the child to understand the world around them and how all dogs may not be friendly. They will begin to learn concepts that are based on actions of others and not only on their actions or thoughts.

At this phase in cognitive development, a child will classify objects into different categories. It is hard for a child to explain they want an apple, and that an apple is classified as fruit. Understanding the larger category of food is a critical teaching aspect to help the child learn about larger categories. Sorting objects into categories is another teaching element during this age. Teachers help students to sort things into larger categories from colors to shapes and sizes.

Developing Memory and Concept of Events

The notion of time is not something that is easy for preschoolers to understand. A routine allows them to understand when it is time to eat; it is breakfast, lunch or dinner time. They are able to correspond the time after a bath is night time, and following that is bedtime. Time is confusing to four-year-olds as they have difficulty comprehending that something will happen in a few days and not now. Teachers focus on developing their memory skills in school in order to help the child to understand how memory works. Some children can remember large events like a birthday or trip to Disneyland, but they have a hard time explaining what happened in their last class. At the age of four, children are learning about what is real and what is not. They can then start to distinguish between a dream and reality.

Five Year Old Development

As the child reaches the age of five, they are able to understand how things work and where they come from. A five-year-old is filled with questions about the world they live in. Children are using their imagination to become animals and objects. Teachers often focus on using their imaginative play to help them understand the trees, sky, and other things in the world. A five-year-old can start to understand the emotions of others. A five-year-old is sophisticated in the way they think as they can understand concepts. They know how objects fit into different categories. Teaching at this time will focus on sorting and grouping as a five-year-old understands color, size, and shape.

Language Skills

During the ages of three-to-five, children will develop language skills. At school, they will be able to enhance their vocabulary which will grow from 900 to 2,500 words. Children can understand sentence structure and their sentences will start to become more complex.

Conclusion

The cognitive skills of a young child need to be developed through asking questions and hands-on activities. Children need to observe how things work, and must have the ability to test and solve their own problems. The right education in early development is a critical element in helping a child to be adequately prepared to enter formal education.