Chloe LePore

EDU 220 - 1003 - 1004

CASE STUDY
of a 5 year old child
 OVERVIEW
Of a 5-year-old observation
Physical Development Emotional Development Cognitive Development
Gains around 4 to 5 pounds Face some emotional extremes Can print some letters and
Grows around 2 to 3 inches  Wants to be liked by friends  numbers
Shows emotional Aware of money, food, and
independence time

Psychosocial Development Moral Development

Face some emotional extremes Show some awareness of moral
Wants to be liked by friends  reasoning 
Shows emotional independence Start to understand good and
bad behavior
Typical The child can properly dress and undress
themselves
Physical (University of Washington, 1993)

Development The child gains about 4 to 5 pounds and grows

about 2 to 3 inches
Of a Five Year Old (Medical Encyclopedia, 2020)

For the most part, the child has control over

using the toilet but may still have accidents
(Ellsworth, 1999)

Children become more skilled at running,

jumping, throwing, and kicking
(Medical Encyclopedia, 2020)
 Most children have difficulty focusing their eyes
Typical on smaller objects, making hand-eye

Physical coordination be faulted

(Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015, pg. 78)

Development The average child's large muscles are more

developed than those that control fingers and
Level hands making small-motor activities harder to
According to complete

Snowman
(Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015, pg. 78)

Physical gender differences whether are

normally not very noticeable and are fairly small
(Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015, pg. 78)
OBSERVATION
Of a 5-year-old's physical development
The five-year-old I observed does meet the physical
developmental milestones.
He is completely potty trained and rarely has accidents
He can properly dress and undress without any issues
He actively participates when other children play together
and engage in physical activities
 Physical Allow the child independence
when dressing themselves to
Development encourage the child to want to
dress and undress themselves.
Recommendations (University of Washington, 1993)

This age would be a good time to have

Teach the child how to play or
the child's eyes examined if eye
learn the rules of different sports
problems are occurring. Awkwardness
and games to encourage them to
associated with hand-eye coordination
want to participate. is normal during this time.
(Medical Encyclopedia, 2020) (University of Washington, 1993)
 The child may show a fear of the dark, falling, or
Typical bodily harm, even though this is not a
Emotional particularly fearful age
(University of Washington, 1993)
Development The child is more likely to be even-tempered
and cooperative with parents
Of a Five Year Old (Childrens Therapy, 2011)

The child is very verbal in describing their own

needs and ideas they have
(Ellsworth, 1999)

The child may display initiative, curiosity, the

desire to explore, and enjoyment
(Medical Encyclopedia, 2020)
 Most children tend to express individual
Typical emotions openly. Anger outbursts are expected

Emotional and occur frequently.

(Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015, pg. 80

Development Jealousy among children is inevitable during this

age of development. This age group actively
Level seeks approval and attention from adults.
According to (Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015, pg. 81

Snowman Children at this age tend to have a very

egocentric orientation, making it hard for them
to think about how their actions affect others.
(Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015, pg. 80
OBSERVATION
Of a 5-year-old's emotional development
The five-year-old I observed meets most of the emotional developmental
requirements.
He does get jealous around other children, especially his siblings. The
jealousy mainly happens when the other children are getting attention and
he is not.
He is mostly even-tempered and tends to voice his opinions often. He
expresses his emotions and is very open about talking about them.
I saw him get very excited when he was discovering new things. He displays
curiosity and a desire to learn often.
 Emotional Let the child openly and freely express
their emotions so they can recognize and

Development face the emotions they are having. This

can lend a hand in helping them control

Recommendations their emotions later in life.

(Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015, pg. 80

Pay attention to signs that your child is

afraid or nervous in a situation. Offer
both emotional support and
information that can help them work
through their fear.
(PBS, 2020)
As a parent, showing your love
by recognizing positive behaviors
is important in developing a good
relationship with the child.
(University of Washington, 1993)
Typical The typical child knows colors and numbers.
They can also identify a penny, nickel, dime.
Cognitive/ Some may even be able to read on their own.
Intellectual (University of Washington, 1993)

Stuttering may occur in the development of this

Development age level. Ideas come to mind faster than the
Of a Five Year Old child can express them, making them stutter.

(Medical Encyclopedia, 2020)

The child begins to think about different

viewpoints than their own and the attention
span increases.
(Ellsworth, 1999)
 Piaget : Preoperational Stage
Typical This stage focuses on the mastery of symbols such as

Cognitive/ words and numbers, which allows children in this stage

to benefit from past experiences.

Intellectual This stage includes...

Egocentrism perceptual centration

Development irreversibility
(Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015, pg. 41)

Level Vygotsky
According to Children are introduced to culture through social
interactions with their parents and teachers. These
Piaget & social interactions are internalized as cognitive

Vygotsky processes that come naturally to the child.

(Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015, pg. 51)
OBSERVATION
Of a 5-year-old's cognitive development
The five-year-old I observed met all the cognitive development
requirements
He knows all of his colors and numbers and can count. He can sort
different coins and can read with some assistance.
Daily, he is introduced into other lifestyles than his own in an attempt
to get him to see different viewpoints than his own.
He struggles with the concept of some things, like time. He asks a lot
of questions to try to understand these concepts better.
 Cognitive/
Intellectual
Development
Recommendations
To help with development, create
opportunities for children to
make change, like at the store,
and to print their names and
simple words.
(University of Washington, 1993)
It is important to reinforce
mastered skills and give the
child opportunities to be
successful with new, simple
activities.
(University of Washington, 1993)
When the child shares an
observation, expanding on what they
noticed can help them feel heard
along with teaching them new
information and vocabulary.
(PBS, 2020)
Typical A child will play with boys and girls in a calm
Social/ and friendly manner, though prefers to play
with members of the same sex.
Psychosocial (University of Washington, 1993)

Development The majority of children this age enjoy playing

house and assuming adult roles like mom, dad,
Of a Five Year Old fireman, or mailman.
(Ellsworth, 1999)

A child this age is getting better at sharing and

taking turns with other children.
(Children's Therapy, 2011)
Typical Initiative vs. Guilt

Social/ Children can now easily participate in physical

activities and use language as a tool in their
Psychosocial everyday life, which sets the stage for initiative.
Initiative is encouraged if parents and peers let
Development the child freely explore and ask questions.

Level On the other hand, children may feel guilt if

According to others diminish their questions and make them
feel as if what they are doing/ talking about is
Erickson not important.
(Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015, pg. 29)
OBSERVATION
Of a 5-year-old's social development
The five-year-old I observed meets the majority of the social
developmental requirements
He loves playing with other children and tends to play games
where he can act like an adult figure.
He can easily share his toys with his siblings and does not have a
problem with taking turns.
He actively participates in conversations with different types of
people and consistently asks questions to learn more information.
 Social/ To help with social skills, you can

Psychosocial
aid children in drawing the
connection between their

Development
cooperative behavior and
friendship.
Recommendations (PBS, 2020)

Allow children to play with

When a child is participating in a
different children and provide
social conversation, allow the
opportunities for group play. This
child to respond and encourage
goes along with planning
participation.
playdates for the child.
(University of Washington, 1993) (University of Washington, 1993)
Typical The child attempts to be good but may lie or
Moral/ blame others for wrongdoings because of the
desire to please and do right.
Character (University of Washington, 1993)

Development Children this age enjoy learning to see the

Of a Five Year Old distinctions between reality and fantasy or
pretending.
(Ellsworth, 1999)

The child wants and tries to do what they think

is right and mostly avoid doing what is wrong.
((University of Washington, 1993)
Typical Level 1 : Preconventional Morality
This level is referred to as preconventional because
Moral/ children at this age do not fully understand the rules and
roles of society.
Character
Stage 1: Punishment- obedience Orientation
Development - Punishment can be avoided if the child stays out of
trouble. People with authority like parents are the ones
Level that are to be obeyed.
According to
Stage 2: Instrumental Relativist Orientation
Kohlberg - When a child obeys the rules, they should receive a
benefit or reward.
(Snowman, J. & McCown, R., 2015, pg. 61)
OBSERVATION
Of a 5-year-old's moral development
The five-year-old I observed meets the majority of the moral
developmental requirements
He does not lie often, and when he does he usually comes clean by
the end of the day. He understands how lying is not right and tries
to not do it.
He does not understand the rules and roles of society, but he asks
lots of questions to attempt to understand.
I observed him attempting to do the right thing in tough situations
like after doing something he knows he was not supposed to do.
 Moral/  It is important to not react

Character
strongly with untruthfulness. Help
the child learn to accept
responsibility for their actions in a
Development positive, caring manner.

Recommendations (University of Washington, 1993)

Children imitate adult behavior. As a

In order to reinforce a child's
parent, showing the child daily
impulse to act with compassion, a
interactions that include "thank you"
and "please" is a great way to model parent should praise the child
gratitude. Encourage your child to when they do something positive
follow suit. for someone else.
(PBS, 2020) (PBS, 2020)
References