Developmental Milestones in Preschoolers

The preschool period lasts between three and five years of age. As the nurse, you’ll collaborate with the registered nurse, or RN, to support the preschool child’s physical growth, as well as their mental and social development.

Physical development of the preschool child involves a slow and steady increase in their height and weight, and an acceleration of their motor skills. During this time, the preschool child loses some of the chubby appearance that’s characteristic of the toddler period. At the same time, they begin to hone their fine motor skills, like using scissors, dressing themselves, and tying their shoelaces.

They also begin developing left- or right-handed dominance, showing a preference during certain activities like coloring or throwing a ball. Their gross motor skills also improve as balance and coordination increases. They begin to walk and run with a steadier gait which helps them participate in more coordinated activities like playing independently on swings and jumping rope.

Mental development also accelerates during this period. They begin to use language to better express themselves and start to use words to express how they feel. By the end of this period, the preschool child typically has a vocabulary of more than 2000 words and can easily create six-word sentences. They also start to understand and follow directions when playing games and they can complete a task with more than one step.