Stages of Human Development: Preschool Phase

The preschool stage of human development spans from 3-6 years of age and is one of the most fundamental stages of learning and growth. Children develop basic physical and mental skills, learn to socialize, and form their identities. This presentation covers milestones, motor skills, speech and language development, cognitive skills, socio-cultural and emotional development, and Freudian analysis of this stage.

STAGES OF HUMAN
DEVELOPMENT
PRESCHOOL PHASE

INTRODUCTION
 Preschool Stage spans from 3-6 years of age.
 It is one of the most fundamental stages of learning and
growth.
 Introduced to school (playschool or kindergarden) and
learns to socialize for the first time.
 A number of basic skill sets are developed.

GENERAL DISCUSSION
 Basic physical and mental growth starts.
 Therefore the phase is often called ‘developmental
milestones’.
 Behavioural Patterns are shaped for over the years.
 Learns to socialize, judge without any biases, and love
without any condition.
 Identity formation takes place.

MOTOR SKILLS
 Concerned with the development of limb and muscle
movements.
 They are of two types – Fine Motor Skills and Gross Motor
Skills.
 Fine Motor Skills – Movement and usage of smaller limbs like
hands and fingers for small indoor games and activities like
painting, brushing of teeth, etc.
 Gross Motor Skills – Movement of larger muscles and limbs
of the body, like those of the legs, in exercises like stretching
and outdoor games and activities.

PICTURE DISPLAYING MOTOR
SKILLS OF PRESCHOOLERS

SPEECH AND LANGUAGE
DEVELOPMENT
 Basic Communicative Skills – Listening, Speaking,
Reading, and Writing – are developed.
 Children learn to pick up words from what they hear.
 Inquisitive bent of mind.
 Trying to define things around through words.

PICTURE DISPLAYING
SPEECH AND LANGUAGE
DEVELOPMENT

COGNITIVE SKILLS
 Basic Intellectual development occurs in this stage.
 Children learn to understand through logical reasoning and
apply the same into practical use.
 With introduction of language comes the ability of moral
judgement.
 Literary and Mathematical Awareness of the elementary level
are introduced.
 Children gain self-confidence and tried to explore new things on
their own.

PICTURE DISPLAYING DEVELOPMENT
OF COGNITIVE SKILLS

SOCIO-CULTURAL AND
EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
 Introduced to school and learns to socialize outside the
comfort zone of house.
 Participation in teamwork through group activities at
school or cultural programmes.
 Makes friends and adversaries.
 Introduced to the opposite sex.

PICTURE DISPLAYING SOCIO-
CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT

FREUDIAN ANALYSIS
 Freud calls this phase of 3-6years age as the ‘Phallic
Stage’.
 The pleasure principle is balanced by balancing of the
Id, Ego and Superego.
 Oedipus and Electra Complex gets channelized, and
focus shifts from parents of the opposite sex to those of
the similar age in the society.

CONCLUSION AND
RECOMMENDATION
 It is an extremely important phase when a whole new world
of knowledge and learning opens up.
 Special individual care is important.
 Inculcating of basic safety rules is important.
 The intellect of preschoolers needs constant nourishment
and hence they should be taken to bookstores, zoos, or
museums.
 They can be engaged in sports and cultural activities.
 Diet is extremely important for all-round development of a
child belonging to this phase.

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