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5.2: Introduction to Physical Development in Early Childhood

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    What you’ll learn to do: describe physical changes in early childhood

    Children in early childhood are physically growing at a rapid pace. If you want to have fun with a child at the beginning of the period, ask them to take their left hand and use it to go over their head to touch their right ear. They cannot do it. Their body proportions are such that they are still built very much like an infant with a very large head and short appendages. By the time the child is five years old though, their arms will have stretched, and they head is becoming smaller in proportion to the rest of their growing bodies. They can accomplish the task easily because of these physical changes.

    A girl with outstretched hands painted with different bright colors
    Child Colors. Authored by: Prashant Sharma. Located at: https://pixabay.com/images/id-3194977/. License: CC0: No Rights Reserved

    This page titled 5.2: Introduction to Physical Development in Early Childhood is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Stephanie Loalada via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.