Physical Growth and Development 4 to 6

Physical Growth and Development 4 to 6 I can describe how an average child’s height, weight, proportion, and posture change from four to six. I can explain the changes to a child’s teeth that generally begin around age six. I can compare average motor development for four, five and six year olds.

Height and Weight • Increase in height averages 2 ½ to 3 inches a year. • Boys are usually slightly taller then girls • Average weight gain of 4 to 5 pounds a year • Boys are usually slightly heavier then girls

Proportion and Posture • Body straighter and slimmer • Abdomen flattens • Shoulders widen and more erect • Chest broadens and flattens • Neck becomes longer • Legs lengthen, straighter and firmer • Balance and coordination

Teeth • Children begin to lose primary teeth around the age of six • Replaced by a set of 32 primary teeth • Six year molars, are the first to appear. Two upper and two lower. • Molars act as a lock to keep all the other teeth in position • Primary teeth are lost in the same order they appeared

Thumb Sucking • Some will continue to suck their thumb as a way to comfort themselves or to handle tension. • Best to ignore • Trying to force a child to quit may cause more tension. In time they will quit on their own. • Excessive thumb sucking contact a dentist. • If the sucking is changing to position of the jaw or teeth then something needs to be done

Motor Skills • Significant Improvement • This age is energetic • Improve dexterity – skilled use of hands and fingers • Page 441

Hand Preference • By age five they usually have a hand preference • Ambidextrous – able to use both equally

Providing Care for children 4-6 • I can explain why good nutrition is essential for children ages four to six. • I can give examples of ways to encourage good nutrition in children of these ages. • I can explain how to help children ages four to six develop good self-care habits.

Feeding • Children need nutritious foods • Children tend to do better with five or six small meals and snacks • Child’s activity level will influence food intake

Poor Nutrition • Not getting the key nutrients • Lack of money • Adults may have poor eating habits • Children allowed to choose their own food • Negative effects of poor nutrition • Less resist cold and illness • Growth may be limited • Learning may be difficult because they are tired and easily distracted

Weight Problems • Look chunky or slim but still be healthy • Let a doctor decide if over or under weight • Children can be overweight not just because of the quantity of food but also the quality of food choices

What would you do • When the family goes to eat at another family’s house, six year old Adam looks at the food on the table and announces which items he does not like. • Four year old Wendy refuses to eat anything that is green. • At the grocery store, both children beg you to buy Crispy Crunches, a cereal they have seen advertised but which is high in sugar.

Teaching children About Nutrition Home School Help prepare snacks – ants on a log Talk about the texture of the food and the nutritional value Tips for snack lunch – page 448 • Nutrition learned at this stage can lead to a lifetime of better health • Involve kids – garden, prep of food • Children feel proud of their contributions • Parent and child spend time together • Improve motor skills

Sleeping Continue nap until age four or they enter Kindergarten Cooperate with bed time, fewer delay tactics Still routine – bedtime stories

Toileting • Should be potty trained and have few accidents • So involved in an activity they forget to go to the bathroom and may have an accident • Uncomfortable in a new place • Sickness can cause accidents

Minimizing Accidents • Use the restroom before leaving home • When arriving at a new place show the child where the bathroom is • Keep an extra outfit in case of an accident

Toileting and school • Children may become constipated or wet their pants • Most adjust to school in a few weeks • Some children may have this problem for several years when starting school

Physical Growth and Development 4 to 6