Development of The Learners at The Various Stages: IM No.: IM-PROF - ED.1A-1STSEM-2021-2022

Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA VIZCAYA STATE UNIVERSITY

Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya
INSTRUCTIONAL MODULE
IM No.: IM-PROF.ED.1A-1STSEM-2021-2022
College: Teacher Education

Campus: Bayombong
DEGREE BSED, COURSE Prof. Ed. 1-A

PROGRAM BSMATH NO.
CRASH-
COURSE
SPECIALIZATION COURSE The Child and Adolescent Learners and
TITLE Learning Principles
YEAR LEVEL BSED TIME 3HRS WK IM 7
2A&2B, FRAME NO. NO.
BSMATH 3
I. UNIT TITLE/CHAPTER TITLE:
Unit IV. Development of the Learners at the Various Stages
II. LESSON TITLE:
3. Early Childhood (The Preschooler)

a. Preschoolers’ Physical Development
b. Cognitive Development of the Preschoolers
c. Socio-emotional Development of the preschoolers
III. LESSON OVERVIEW
This module on the physical development of preschoolers focuses on the acquisition

of gross and fine motor skills, artistic expression, proper nutrition and sleep, and what
teachers and caregivers should do to maximize the preschoolers’ development
IV. DESIRED LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of this module, the students are expected to:

 describe preschool children’s physical growth
 identify the different gross and fine motor skills
 draw implications of these concepts on physical development on teaching
preschoolers.
 describe the cognitive development that takes place among preschoolers
 apply concepts on preschoolers’ cognitive development in preschool teaching
and in child care.
 explain Erikson’s “crisis” of early childhood, initiative versus guilt.
 discuss how children develop gender identity
 discuss the different caregiving styles and their effect on preschoolers.
“In accordance with Section 185, Fair Use of Copyrighted Work of Republic Act 8293, the copyrighted works included in this material may be
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NVSU-FR-ICD-05-00 (081220) Page 1 of 12
V. LESSON CONTENT
PRESCHOOLERS’ PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
Big Ideas about the Physical Development of Preschoolers

1. There are significant changes in physical growth of preschoolers.
2. The preschoolers' physical development is marked by the acquisition of gross
and fine motor skills.
3. Preschoolers can express themselves artistically at a very early age.
4. Proper nutrition and the right amount of sleep are very important for the
preschoolers.
5. Caregivers and teachers can do a lot in maximizing the growth and development
of preschoolers.
6. Preschoolers with special needs in inclusive classrooms can thrive well with the
appropriate adaptations made in the classroom, materials and activities.
Significant Changes in Physical Growth
Physical growth increases in the preschool years, although it is much

slower in pace than in infancy and toddlerhood. At around 3 years of age,
preschoolers move, from the remaining baby-like features of the toddler, toward
a more slender appearance of a child. The trunk, arms and legs become longer.
The center of gravity refers to the point at which body weight is evenly
distributed. Toddlers have their center of gravity at a high level, about the chest
level. This is why they have difficulty doing sudden movements without falling
down. Preschoolers on the other hand, have their center of gravity at a lower
level, right about near the belly button. This gives them more ability to be stable
and balanced than the toddler. The preschooler moves from the unsteady stance
of toddlerhood to a more steady bearing. They no longer "toddle," that wobbly
way that toddlers walk. This also allows the preschooler to move more
"successfully" than the toddler. Some say that the later part of the preschooler
years at around 5 or 6 is the best time to begin learning skills that require
balance like riding a bike or skating.
By the time the child reaches three years old, all primary or deciduous, or what
are also called "baby or milk” teeth are already in place. The permanent teeth
which will begin to come out by age six are also developing. The preschooler
years are therefore a time to instill habits of good dental hygiene.
Gross and Fine Motor Development
Gross motor development refers to acquiring skills that involve the large
muscles. These gross motor skills are categorized into three: locomotor, non-
locomotor and manipulative skills. Locomotor skills are those that involve going
from one place to another, like walking, running, climbing, skipping, hopping,
creeping, galloping, and dodging. Non-locomotor ones are those where the
child stays in place, like bending, stretching, turning and swaying. Manipulative
skills are those that involve projecting and receiving objects, like throwing,
striking, bouncing, catching and dribbling.

Preschoolers are generally physically active. Level of activity is highest
around three and becomes a little less as the preschooler gets older.
Preschoolers should be provided with a variety of appropriate activities which will
allow them to use their large muscles. Regular physical activity helps
preschoolers build and maintain healthy bones, muscles, and joints, control
weight and build lean muscles, prevent or delay hypertension, reduce feelings of
depression and anxiety and increase capacity for learning.
Fine motor development refers to acquiring the ability to use the smaller
muscles in the arm, hands and fingers purposefully. Some of the skills included
here are picking, squeezing, pounding, and opening things, holding and using a
writing implement. It also involves self-help skills like using the spoon and fork
when eating, buttoning, zipping, combing and brushing.
Different environments provide different experiences with fine motor skills.
For example the availability of information and communications technology in
largely urban areas makes younger and younger children proficient in
keyboarding and manipulation of the mouse and the use of smart phones and
tablets. While other children use their fine motor skills in digging in soil, making
toys out of sticks, cans and bottle caps. Still others, enjoy clay, play dough, and
finger paint.
By the end of the preschool years most children manage to hold a pencil
with their thumb and fingers, draw pictures, write letters, use scissors, do
stringing and threading activities. They can also do self-help skills like eating and
dressing up independently. Significant progress in fine motor skills can be
expected of preschoolers especially if they are aptly supported and appropriate
activities are provided for them.
Preschoolers’ Artistic Development
At the heart of the preschooler years is their interest to draw and make other
forms of artistic expressions. This form of fine motor activity is relevant to preschoolers.
Viktor Lowenfeld studied this and came up with the stages of drawing in early
childhood.
1. Stage 1. Scribbling Stage: this stage begins with large zig-zag lines which
later become circular markings. Soon discrete shapes are drawn. The child
may start to name his/her drawing towards the end of this stage.
2. Stage 2. Preschematic Stage: may already include early representations. At
this point adults may be able to recognize the drawings. Children at this stage
tend to give the same names to their drawings several times. Drawings
usually comprise of prominent head with basic element
3. Stage 3. Schematic Stage: more elaborate scenes are depicted. Children
usually draw from experience and exposure.
Preschoolers’ Nutrition and Sleep
The kind of nutrition a preschooler gets has far-reaching effect on his physical
growth and development. The preschooler’s nutritional status is the result of what
nutrients he or she actually takes in checked against the nutritional requirement for his /
her age.
It is important for preschoolers to get sufficient amount of rest and sleep.

Preschoolers benefit from about 10-12 hours of sleep each day. It is when they are
asleep that vital biological processes that affect physical and cognitive development take
place. During sleep, especially in the dream state, growth hormones are released. Blood
supply to the muscles are likewise increased helping preschoolers regain energy. At this
stage while dreaming, increased brain activity is also attained.
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PRESCHOOLERS
Preschoolers’ Symbolic and Intuitive Thinking
There are two substages of Piaget’s preoperational thought, namely, symbolic

substage and intuitive substage. In the symbolic stage, preschool children show
progress in their abilities by being able to draw objects that are not present, by their
dramatic increase in their language and make-believe play. In the intuitive stage,
preschool children begin to use primitive reasoning and ask a litany of questions.
While preschoolers still may be limited to preoperational thinking as you have

seen in the past activity, they are making significant advancement in their thought is
shown in preschool children’s ability to mentally represent an object, person or event in
order to think about it.
Preschoolers use symbolic thought in play, reading and writing when, for
instance, children pretend that one thing represents another such as a wooden block
used as a microphone in a magic sing and when they pretend to be dog BANTAY while
in a sociodramatic play.
Brain Connections in the Preschool Years
Because of fascinating developments in neuroscience, brain development of

young children has been of great interest to the field of early child. Brain research
findings point us to more effective ways to care for an teach preschoolers. From science
lessons you had in high school or even in elementary, you will remember that our brain
is composed of numerous cells called “neurons” that connect to each other to function.
Cell connections are what we call “synapses” sometimes also referred to as “synaptic
connections”.
Brain research has also pointed out the crucial role of the environment. Experts
have shown specific areas of brain activity that respond to environmental stimulation.
Just as an enriching environment favors the preschooler’s brain development, strong
evidence also show that highly stressful environments marred by trauma and chaos
affect the cognitive development of preschoolers.
Language Development
Young children’s understanding sometimes gets ahead of their speech. As

children go through early childhood, their grasp of the rules of language increases
(morphology, semantics and pragmatics).
Symbolic thinking involves language, literacy and dramatic play. Children

rapidly conclude that sounds link together to make words and words represent ideas,
people and things. Throughout the preschool years, children’s language development
becomes increasingly complex in the four main areas: phonology (speech sounds),
semantics (word meaning), syntax (sentence construction) and pragmatics
(conversion or social uses of language).
Language and Social Interaction
Vygotsky believed that young children use language both to communicate

socially and plan, guide and monitor their behavior in a self-regulatory fashion called –
inner speech or private speech (Santrock, 2002).
For Piaget, private speech is egocentric and immature, but for Vygotsky it is
important tool of thought during early childhood. Full cognitive development requires
social interaction and language.
Vygotsky asserted that preschool children are unable to achieve their highest
cognitive development (language development included) on their own and that they can
improve their cognitive development through the use of scaffolding from more-skilled
children and adults. He introduced the term Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) to
refer to tasks too difficult to a child to master alone but can be mastered with the
guidance and assistance of adults or more skilled children (Santrock, 2002).
Closely linked to the idea of ZPD in cognitive development and language

development is the concept of scaffolding, a term that refers to the “changing support
over the course of a teaching session, with the more skilled person adjusting guidance
to fit the child’s current performance level” (Santrock, 2002). The more skilled person is
also called More Knowledgeable Other (MKO).
Information Processing Theory-Attention and Memory
The Information Processing Model is another way of examining and

understanding how children develop cognitively. This model conceptualizes children’s
mental processes through the metaphor of a computer processing, encoding, storing
and decoding.
Memory is a process by which people and other organisms encode, store and
retrieve information. There are three types of memory:
a) Short Memory: holds information from the world in it original sensory form
for only an instant, not much longer than the information is exposed to the
visual, auditory and other senses.
b) Short Term Memory (Working memory): a limited capacity memory system
in which information is retained for as long as 30 seconds unless the
information is rehearsed in which case it can be retained longer.
c) Long-term Memory: is relatively permanent type of memory that holds huge
amounts of information for a long period of time.
Schemas – are concepts and knowledge about events that influence how an
individual interprets information.
Script – is a schema that focuses on the order of predictable series of events as

children develop their schemas and scripts become more sophisticated.
Basic Processes:
1. Habituation: is the repeated presentation of a stimulus that causes

reduced attention to the stimulus.
 Dishabituation: is renewed interests in a stimulus.
2. Automaticity: is the ability to process information with little or no effort.
3. Attention: means concentrating and focusing mental resources.
 Selective Attention: is the ability to focus mental effort on stimuli that

are important in a particular situation while excluding other stimuli.
Memory Strategies: are cognitive process that do not occur automatically but require
work and effect.
1. Rehearsal – is the extended repetition of material after it has been
presented.
2. Organization- is the grouping or arranging of items into categories. The use
of organization improves long-term memory.
3. Elaboration – involves going beyond the information given in order to make
information more memorable.
4. Imagery – involves sensations without the presence of corresponding
external stimuli. It is another strategy to improve memory.
SOCIO-EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE PRESCHOOLERS
Big Ideas on Prescholers’ Socio-emotional Development
1. The development of initiative is crucial to the preschooler.

2. A healthy self-concept is needed for preschooler to interact with others.
3. Environmental factors influence gender identity in young children.
4. Preschoolers’ social development is shown through the stages of play
5. The care-giving styles of parents and teachers affect the preschoolers’ socio-
emotional development.
6. Preschoolers are interested in building friendships.
Preschoolers’ Initiative
Erickson’s view of initiative aptly portrays the emotional and social changes that
happen during the preschool years. As discussed in module 7, preschoolers deal with
the psychological conflict of initiative versus guilt. Erickson believed that healthy
preschoolers develop initiative, the tendency of preschoolers to want to take actions and
assert themselves.
As preschoolers go through the conflict of initiative vs guilt, they show so much
energy in doing imaginative play activities. Consequently, the child may develop
excessive guilt. Although a good amount of guilt helps in making children take
responsibility for their behavior, excessive guilt hampers emotional growth. Preschoolers
who are always punished and criticized end up constructing a view of themselves as
being “salbahe” (bad), “bobo” 9dumb) or even “walang kwenta” (worthless). This is really
sad because childhood years should be happy years.
The key thing to remember is to apply “judicious permissiveness”. This
involves setting realistic boundaries that keep preschoolers safe and respectful of self
and others, while allowing them greater opportunity to explore, take risks and to engage
in creative processes. Preschoolers will develop a healthy sense of initiative in an
affirming, encouraging and stimulating environment.
Self-Concept and the Preschooler
By the end of toddlerhood, preschoolers come out with a clear sense that they
are a separate and distinct person. With their ability to make representations, they can
now think and reflect about themselves. Self-concept refers to the way one sees
himself, a general view about one’s abilities, strength on observable characteristics and
his/her usual beliefs, emotions and attitudes. An important aspect of self-concept is self-
esteem, which specifically refers to one’s judgement about one’s worth.
Environment Factors and Gender in the Preschoolers’ Socio-emotional
Development
As the preschooler’s ability to create schemas develop, they become capable of

gender typing, the process of forming gender roles, gender-based preferences and
behaviors accepted by society. They come to form gender stereotypes. Preschoolers
begin to associate certain things like toys, tools, games, clothes, jobs, colors or even
actions or behaviors as being “only for boys” or “only for girls.”
Parten’s Stages of Play
Play is the main agenda of the preschool years. Play has a social dimension. As the
preschooler develops, social interaction with playmates increases. Mildred Parten, in
1930’s did a study on children’s behavior which led to “Parten’s Stages of Play”. The
stages describe the play development of children and the gradual increase of social
interaction as they go through these stages.
PARTEN’S STAGES OF PLAY
Unoccupied The child appears not to be playing but

directs his attention on anything that
interests him.
Onlooker The child spends time watching others

play. He may talk to them but does not
enter into play with them.
Solitary Play The child starts to play on his own. He

seems not to notice other children
playing nearby.
Parallel Play The child plays with toys similar to those

near him, but only plays besides and not
with them. No interaction takes place.
Associative Play The child plays with others. There is inter-

action among them, but not task
assignment, rules and organization are
agreed upon.
Cooperative The child plays with others bound by

some agreed rules and roles. The goal is
maybe to make something, play a game,
or act out something.
Friendship in Preschool
As they continue to grow, preschoolers become interested in having friends. This

should be encouraged in the preschool years as friendships benefit the preschooler’s
development by providing stimulation, assistance, companionship, social comparison
and affection (Kostelnik, 2010). Through friendships, preschoolers are able to practice
different social roles like being a leader, a follower, someone who takes risks and
someone who helps out and comfort. Friendship is very important because they provide
added sense of belongingness and security.
Caregiving Styles
Caregiving styles affect the socio-emotional development of the children.

Caregivers here refer to both parents and teachers and even other adults that care for
the child. Baumrind gave a model that describes the different types of caregiving styles.
This was based on a longitudinal study that looked into the adult authority and the
development of children that Baumrind conducted which began in the 1960’s.
Responsiveness refers to caregiver behaviors that pertain to expression of
affection and communication. It refers to how warm, caring and respectful the adult is to
the child. It involves openness in communication and the willingness to explain things in
ways that the child will understand. Demandingness refers to the level of control and
expectations. This involves discipline and confrontation strategies.
BAUMRIND’S CAREGIVING STYLE
Authoritative Permissive
high demandingness low demandingness
high responsiveness high responsiveness
Authoritarian
Negligent
high demandingness
low demandingness
low responsiveness
low responsiveness
Baumrind’s Caregiving Styles and Their Effects on Children
Caregiving Style Description Effect on the preschooler

The caregivers/parents/
teachers with this
caregiver style has the
following descriptions:
Authoritative (high  Expect behavior • Makes the preschooler
demandingness, high appropriate to the age of  feel safe and secure
responsiveness the child  Teaches the child to
 Maintain reasonable take responsibility for
and fair limits his/her actions
 Closely monitor the
activities of the child
 Warm and nurturing
 Have realistic
expectations of the child
 Communicate messages
in a kind, firm and
consistent manner
 Discipline approach  Develops good self
focuses more on in a kind, firm and control
teaching than punishing
 Develops a realistic
view of oneself
 Builds the child's
capacity for empathy
 Set subjective or  Lead to aggressive

unreasonable limits behavior of the child
 Communicate messages  Brings about poor self-
 Strive to have strong control
psychological control  Results in poor self
punishment, sarcasm, esteem
withdrawal of love,
threats
 Not able to teach
children a better way to
behave
 Permit the preschoolers  Has difficulty control
to regulate their own ling his/her impulses
behavior and make their  Tends to be dependent
own decisions even  Tends to be
when preschoolers are demanding of their
not yet ready to do so caregivers
 Do not set rules or very  Tends not to persist or
few if any easily gives up on a
 Do not demand good task
behavior or task  Does not easily follow
accomplishment
 May lack confidence in  Maybe rebellious

their ability to influence  Does not handle
the child frustration well
 Maybe disorganized and  Has inadequate
ineffective in managing emotional control
the family  Difficulties in school
and household/ class performance
 Shows undemanding,
indifferent and rejecting When parents'
action towards the child behavior is to the
 Has little commitment to extreme or if child
their roles as experiences this style
parents/caregivers early, the child may
 Maybe depressed or have:
overburdened by many
concerns like poverty,  attachment problems
marital problems, or  delayed cognitive
absence of support from development
others  poor social and
emotional skills
 delinquent behavior
later in adolescence
VI. LEARNING ACTIVITIES
1. Read this excerpt from Albert Einstein's biography. Examine Albert

Einstein's preschool development in the light cognitive development in early
childhood as discussed. He different was his childhood from the average
childhood (language development, Einstein's lifelong memory of the
compass, parents' and teachers' underestimation of his cognitive ability?)
To begin with, Albert Einstein’s biography was indeed interesting and

worth reading for. Personally speaking, upon reading his story or his childhood story, I
think his childhood was normal just like the other children its just that he was able to
speak at a late age but, it wasn’t his cognitive development that has the problem
because I think it was in his personality since it was discussed in his biography that he
was a shy boy and that he was just reluctant to speak. Einstein’s speech delay clearly
wasn’t the reason to his intellectual development. According to experts, Einstein’s did
not start speaking until he was three but when he started speaking, he already utter full
sentences rather than words.
My own view on the matter is that, Albert Einstein’s preschool
development in early childhood was advance and compared to other children at this
stage, Einstein was a genius one. His cognitive ability was ahead of the other children.
He was just slow on how to speak but when it comes to his reasoning, thinking, and
understanding, he was indeed incredible. To sum the ideas I have stated above, Albert
environment his childhood family struggles led him to be more independent and a
NVSU-FR-ICD-05-00 (081220) Page 10 of
12
socialist. His experience proves that the surrounding of the child greatly effect
everything specially when it comes to his/her cognitive development.
VII. ASSIGNMENT
1. Read on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) issues. One

controversial storybook for children is “Tango Makes Three” a story about two
male penguins starting a family. Research on this and write an essay about your
own views on introducing LGBT to preschoolers.
VIII. REFERENCES
A. Books
1. Bergin, C. and Bergin D. 2018. Child and Adolescent Development in your
Classroom (3rd ed.) USA: Cengage Learning
2. Bergin, C.C. and Bergin, D.A. 2015.Child and Adolescent Development in your
Classroom : Cengage Learning. Stamford USA
3. Kandel, D.B., Parent-adolescent relationships and adolescent independence in
the US and Denmark, Journal of Marriage and theFamily, 69, 348-358
4. Marion, Marian. Guidance of Young Children, USA: Pearson Merrill-Prentice Hall,
2007.
5. Ormrod, J.E.2011. Educational Psychology: Developing Learners (7 th Ed.)
Boston:Pearson/Ally & Bacon.
6. Preschoolers Cognitive Development. USA: Magna Systems, 2007.
7. Preschoolers Pyhsical Development. USA: Magna Systems, 2006.
8. Santrock, John, W. 2002. Life-Span Development, 8 th ed., New York: McGraw-
Hill Companies.
9. Trawick, Smith, Jeffrey. 2006. Early Childhood Development A Multicultural

Perspective USA: Prentice Hall, 4th edition.
10. Woolfolk, Anita .2013. Educational Psychology. Pearson Education Inc.: New
Jersey.
B. e-Resources
1. http://www.cdipage.com/development.htm
2. http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1980/5/80.05.03.x/htm1#f
3. http://www/squidoo.com/folicacidpregnant
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Republic of the Philippines

NUEVA VIZCAYA STATE UNIVERSITY

College: Teacher Education

DEGREE BSED, COURSE Prof. Ed. 1-A

I. UNIT TITLE/CHAPTER TITLE:

Unit IV. Development of the Learners at the Various Stages

II. LESSON TITLE:

3. Early Childhood (The Preschooler)

III. LESSON OVERVIEW

This module on the physical development of preschoolers focuses on the acquisition

IV. DESIRED LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this module, the students are expected to:

PRESCHOOLERS’ PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Big Ideas about the Physical Development of Preschoolers

Significant Changes in Physical Growth

Physical growth increases in the preschool years, although it is much

Gross and Fine Motor Development

striking, bouncing, catching and dribbling.

Preschoolers’ Artistic Development

Preschoolers’ Nutrition and Sleep

It is important for preschoolers to get sufficient amount of rest and sleep.

COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PRESCHOOLERS

Preschoolers’ Symbolic and Intuitive Thinking

There are two substages of Piaget’s preoperational thought, namely, symbolic

While preschoolers still may be limited to preoperational thinking as you have

Brain Connections in the Preschool Years

Because of fascinating developments in neuroscience, brain development of

Young children’s understanding sometimes gets ahead of their speech. As

Symbolic thinking involves language, literacy and dramatic play. Children

Language and Social Interaction

Vygotsky believed that young children use language both to communicate

Closely linked to the idea of ZPD in cognitive development and language

Information Processing Theory-Attention and Memory

The Information Processing Model is another way of examining and

Script – is a schema that focuses on the order of predictable series of events as

1. Habituation: is the repeated presentation of a stimulus that causes

 Selective Attention: is the ability to focus mental effort on stimuli that

SOCIO-EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE PRESCHOOLERS

Big Ideas on Prescholers’ Socio-emotional Development

1. The development of initiative is crucial to the preschooler.

Self-Concept and the Preschooler

As the preschooler’s ability to create schemas develop, they become capable of

PARTEN’S STAGES OF PLAY

Unoccupied The child appears not to be playing but

Onlooker The child spends time watching others

Solitary Play The child starts to play on his own. He

Parallel Play The child plays with toys similar to those

Associative Play The child plays with others. There is inter-

Cooperative The child plays with others bound by

As they continue to grow, preschoolers become interested in having friends. This

Caregiving styles affect the socio-emotional development of the children.

BAUMRIND’S CAREGIVING STYLE

Baumrind’s Caregiving Styles and Their Effects on Children

Caregiving Style Description Effect on the preschooler

 Set subjective or  Lead to aggressive

 May lack confidence in  Maybe rebellious

VI. LEARNING ACTIVITIES

1. Read this excerpt from Albert Einstein's biography. Examine Albert