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CHAPTER 5

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Physical and Cognitive Development

As the 3-year-olds drift in to Learning Preschool, Ms. Angela fills me in:

“We do free play, then structured games. Then we go outside. At 11 we have snack. We focus on the skills the kids need for school and life: sit still; follow directions; listen; share. During free play, they need to remember three rules: four kids to an activity center; clean up before you leave; don’t take the toys from one center when you go to another place.”

In the kitchen corner, Kanesha is pretending to scrub pots. “What is your name?” “You know!” says Kanesha, looking at me as if I’m totally dumb. “This is a picnic,” Kanesha continues, giving me a plate: “Let’s have psghetti and Nadia makeacake.” We are having a wonderful time talking as she loads me up with plastic food. The problem is that we aren’t communicating. Who is Nadia, that great cook? Then some girls run in with Barbies from the dress-up corner: “Our babies need food!” We’re happily feeding our toys when Ms. Angela pipes up: “No moving stuff from the play centers! Don’t you remember our four kids to a center rule?” . . .

I move to the crafts table, where Moriah, a dreamy frail girl, and Josiah are surrounded by paper: “Hey!” Moriah yells, after Josiah cuts his paper into pieces, “Josiah has more than me!” Josiah tenderly gives Moriah his bunny, and gives me a heart-melting, welcoming smile: “I’m [holds up three fingers].” (Moriah and Josiah are obviously interested in what I’m doing.) “I’m taking notes for a book.” “Taking nose,” both children giggle and hold their noses. Moriah is making beautiful circles with paste. Josiah tries to copy her but can only make random lines. These children are so different in their physical abilities, even though they are the same age. But, oh, no, here come the kids from the kitchen corner with plastic vegetables, forgetting the “don’t move the toys” and “four children to a center” rules! Luckily, it’s time for structured games.

Ms. Angela shows the class cards picturing a sun, an umbrella with raindrops, and clouds, and asks: “What is the weather today?” Josiah proudly picks the umbrella. “How many people think Josiah is right?” Everyone raises a hand. “Who feels it’s sunny?” Everyone yells: “Me!” “Who thinks it’s cloudy?” Everyone agrees. Then Ms. Angela puts on a tape: “Dance fast, fast . . . slower slower . . . Now speed up!” The kids frantically dance around, and it’s time to go outside. Soon the wind starts gusting (it really is about to rain), and everyone gets excited: “Let’s catch the wind. . . . Oh, he ran away again!” And now (whew!) it’s 11:00 and time for snack.

These 3-year-olds have amazing skills. They can cut, climb, follow directions, tell me about their lives, and (occasionally) remember the teacher’s rules. But it will take another decade before they can reason like adults. What were the children thinking during the pretend feedings, and why was Kanesha sure I had to know her name? Why did Moriah assume Josiah had more paper when he cut his sheet into pieces, and why did everyone have so much trouble remembering the center’s rules? In this chapter you’ll find answers as we track physical and cognitive development during early childhood (age 3 through kindergarten) and middle childhood (elementary school).

Before tackling these topics, let’s explore why our species needs so much time to mentally grow up.