Early Childhood Fact Sheet

Physical Milestone
During early childhood, typically developing children should be
able to jump, hop, and throw between the ages of two to three years
old as well as being able to push a riding toy with their feet (Berk,
2013). Between three and four years old, a child should enhance
those skills by being able to throw and catch by trapping the ball
against their chest and they should be able to pedal and steer a
tricycle (Berk, 2013). They should also be able to walk up stairs by
alternating their feet and walking down the stairs by leading with
just one foot (Berk, 2013).

Language Milestone
At around two years old, the average number of spoken vocabulary
words for a child acquiring English is about 250 to 300 words
(Berk, 2013). Around two and a half years old, children’s use of
state words enlarges and includes labels for attributes of objects like color, size, and possession
(Berk, 2013). After this, children start using words that refer to how an object functions, such as
the word “Dump Truck.” By age three, children’s memory, language skills, and categorization
have expanded, and they can assign many labels to multiple different objects (Berk, 2013).

Cognitive Milestone
By the age of five, children should be able to recite the numbers in order from one to twenty, sort
and classify objects by one or more attributes, and compare two objects by their length and
weight (Ong, 2008). By age four, children should be able to solve simple addition and
subtraction problems with sums up to four or five (Ong, 2008).

Social-Emotional Milestone
By age three to four, children verbalize many emotions such as talking to themselves to calm
down or changing their goals (Berk, 2013). By age four, children should be able to interact and
play with others and be able to negotiate through conflicts (Berk, 2013).
Moral Reasoning/Self-Regulation Milestone
By age five, delay or gratification continue to improve since children are more able to distract
themselves while they are waiting (Berk, 2013). Between five and eight years old, children see
rules to games as unchanging, meaning that rules cannot be changed or altered (Berk, 2013).

Atypical Development
If a child cannot speak clearly enough to be understood by adults and children who are familiar
to the child by age four, then it may be a sign that there is atypical development. California
Preschool Learning Foundations Volume 1 state that by age four, children should be able to
speak clearly enough for familiar adults and children to understand them, for example, the
child’s speech may have pronunciation errors that can be understood by familiar adults, but they
would be difficult for a stranger to understand (Ong, 2008). Another sign of atypical
development is if the child is not able to walk up stairs with alternating feet, jump, or pedals a
tricycle by age four, the child may have atypical gross motor development (Berk, 2013).

Social Factor that Influences Early Childhood Development

• Peer Interaction- The more peer interaction that a child has, the more they can develop
socially. This is because they have more opportunities to practice sharing and solving
conflicts.
Cultural Factor that Influences Early Childhood Development
• Language- A child may develop language at a slower rate if they are learning more than
one language. It takes them longer because they have to process one language and
translate it into the other.

Play-Based Strategies
One strategy that families can use to influence their child’s development and learning is to read
to their child and have the child practice reading to the parents. By helping children to become
early readers, it helps the child to succeed in school and in life (Twenty Ways, 2018). Also,
parents can play games with their children. These games should have rules, like Simon Says, or
Candy Land. Children learn how to follow rules and also make up their own rules when they are
playing with others.
 References

Berk, L. E. (2013). Child development. (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Retrieved

from https://content.ashford.edu/

Ong, F., & California. (2008). California preschool learning foundations. Sacramento, CA:

California Dept. of Education.

Twenty Ways You Can Help Your Children Succeed at School. (2018, September 12). Retrieved

from https://www.colorincolorado.org/article/twenty-ways-you-can-help-your-children-

succeed-school