Body Growth in Early Childhood
Changes in Body Size and Proportions: 2 to 3 inches in height and about five pounds in weight are added each year. Children gradually become thinner with girls retaining somewhat more body fat. Posture and balance improve, resulting in gains in motor coordination.
By the end of the preschool years, children start to lose their primary teeth. Physical growth is an asynchronous process:
Body Growth in Early Childhood
Changes in Body Size and Proportions: 2 to 3 inches in height and about five pounds in weight are added each year. Children gradually become thinner with girls retaining somewhat more body fat. Posture and balance improve, resulting in gains in motor coordination.
By the end of the preschool years, children start to lose their primary teeth. Physical growth is an asynchronous process:
Body systems have their own timed patterns of maturation.
The brain continues to grow, increasing from 70 percent of its adult weight at age two to ninety percent by age six.
Factor that affect physical growth and health in early childhood:
Hereditary and Hormonal Influences: Growth hormone affects the development of almost all body tissues, except the central nervous system and the genitals.
Thyroid stimulating hormone stimulates release of thyroxine –necessary for normal brain development and body growth.
Emotional factor that influencers growth most strongly: NUTRITION
Preschoolers’ appetites decrease because growth has slowed.
They become picky eaters.
Because caloric intake is reduced, preschoolers need a high-quality diet.
Taken from The Play Years, Biosocial, webarchive