Unit 1 You and Others 70
Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.
After they learn to control their large muscles, preschoolers learn to use
and control the smaller muscles of their hands and fi ngers. These muscles
allow them to thread beads on a string and play with pegboards. Doing
simple puzzles, cutting with scissors, and drawing with crayons also helps
develop small muscle skills.
Reading
Review
1. Why do preschoolers appear slimmer than toddlers?
2. What activities help preschoolers develop their smaller muscles?
Intellectual Development
Preschoolers have more developed thinking skills than toddlers.
Preschoolers learn language and math skills. They learn to count and solve
simple problems. Preschoolers can match
and sort objects and name colors and
shapes. They begin to discover cause and
effect. Pretend play is a favorite activity.
See 2-15.
Preschoolers learn new words quickly.
They practice by talking a lot. They talk
about objects, events, people, and their
actions. Preschoolers can answer simple
questions and follow directions. They
begin to use different parts of speech in
their language. At fi rst, you may not be
able to understand preschoolers. As they
grow, however, they begin to speak more
clearly. You can help by speaking clearly
to them. Always use proper language
around preschoolers.
Some preschoolers have diffi culty
talking. They may repeat words or parts
of words several times. This is often
because their minds work faster than
their tongues. Children usually outgrow
this. You can help by listening patiently
to preschoolers. Give them time to fi nish
talking. Do not point out their speech
pattern or criticize it. This will not help
children correct the way they talk. Act as a
model by pronouncing words correctly.
This preschooler enjoys pretending to be a
doctor.
2-15