Parenting Preschoolers A PowerPoint presentation From Iowa State University

Attachment Early Attachment and Parent– Preschooler Relationships –When parents respond sensitively to their infants and continue to respond sensitively to their young children, more favorable social-emotional development is likely to occur. –Attachment security during preschool has been shown to also be a reliable predictor of early conscience development and the development of a positive view of the self.

Encourage a Positive Sense of Self Promoting the Young Child's Sense of Initiative –Preschoolers are more likely to develop a sense of initiative when parents and other caregivers support their adventurous nature by encouraging their curiosity and allowing them to be active. –Throughout the early years, children become increasingly conscious of what others think; and they begin to evaluate their own behaviors using those standards. –Parents promote their young children's self-esteem when they send a clear message to them that they are valued.

Independence Begins –Parents should expect their young children to become increasingly more self-reliant and not continually do things for them that they can do for themselves. –It is essential that parents closely monitor their youngsters' activities and establish reasonable parameters and rules of behavior.

Growth and Development The Role of Parents in Promoting Preschoolers' Physical Development –Parents are better prepared to promote their preschoolers' physical development if they are aware of (a) the nutritional needs of their young children, (b) the brain development that occurs during those early years, and (c) the preschool child's development of gross and fine motor skills. –In industrialized societies, the most common diet deficiency during the preschool years is iron- deficiency anemia and one of its main symptoms is chronic fatigue.

Growth and Development –During infancy and preschool, the brain develops faster than any other part of the body. –Parents who provide their preschool children with opportunities to play with other children support the development of gross motor skills, social coordination of movement, and reaction time. –In societies and cultures in which writing or drawing are not emphasized, young children participate in other activities that promote the development of their fine motor skills.

Growth and Development –Parents should be aware that preschoolers are capable of developing dexterity in the use of a variety of tools. –Preschoolers gain motor skill development through participation in household responsibilities.

Cognitive Developmental Growth The Role of Parents in Promoting Young Children's Cognitive Development –A primary limitation of preschoolers' thinking is that their thought processes are egocentric, which simply means that young children have an excessive reliance on their own point of view, coupled with a corresponding inability to be objective. –Vygotsky stated that children do not strive alone; their efforts to understand a world that fascinates and sometimes confuses them are embedded in a social context. –Parents who continually engage them in verbal dialogues and respond to their questions and other verbal comments promote their child's language development.

Language Development –It is important that parents not attempt to correct their young children's pronunciation since that approach actually hampers their preschoolers' language development. –The preoperational thought of young children prevents them from understanding the concept of reversibility, as evidenced by in their failure to accurately comprehend reverse-order sentences. –Parents should be certain that they speak clearly, and face-to-face, with their young children so that their children have the opportunity to watch the formation of their words and clearly hear how sentences are formed and words are pronounced.

Common Concerns Challenges and Concerns of Parents of Young Children –The two most common areas of concern for parents of preschool children are sleeping problems (including bed-wetting) and sibling conflict. –The most important recommendation in relation to dealing with bedwetting is that children not be made to feel ashamed or guilty for behavior that is not under their control.

Common Concerns –To assist parents in alleviating problems related to getting their children to go to bed, Ansbaugh and Peck developed a procedure called Faded Bedtime with Response Cost Intervention, which helps parents to align their young children's bedtime with the children's normal onset of sleep. –The impact of siblings on the social development of children is more positive than negative. –Constructive sibling conflicts help young children to develop necessary social problem-solving skills. Copyright © , Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Prentice Hall Legal and Privacy TermsLegal and Privacy Terms