II

Physical Well-Being, Health and Motor Development

A

Large Motor Skills

Child uses and coordinates their large muscle groups.

3-year-olds – See this age across all domains Preschool

What educators might observe

• Walks along curb or beam for short periods
• Jumps off a step with both feet together
• Throws ball overhand
• Catches mediumto large-size balls and similar objects by trapping them against body with straight arms
• Climbs up playground ladders
• Gallops
• Has a smooth walk/run gait
• Can stop body before running into other peers o obstacles
• Runs and stops suddenly without falling

Ways educators might support the child's development

• Provide access to playground materials that support the development of gross motor skills
  • Balls of various sizes
  • Ribbon dancers
  • Tricycles
  • Scooters
  • Low steps
  • Large blocks
  • Balance beams
• If possible, take children on walks in nature during which they have the opportunity to walk on different surfaces and climb over rocks and logs

B

Small Motor Skills

Child controls the small muscles in their hands and wrists.

3-year-olds – See this age across all domains Preschool

What educators might observe

• Uses crayon, marker, or pencil to draw lines and rough circles and shapes that may resemble letters and people
• Turns the pages of a book one at a time
• Builds a tower of 8 or more small blocks
• Cuts across small piece of paper with scissors
• Pinches, pounds, rolls, and squeezes clay
• Can place and remove a cookie cutter from a mound of clay
• Places small pegs in in pegboard
• Pours water from a small pitcher into a cup with minimal spillage
• Can use forks, spoons, or chopsticks

Ways educators might support the child's development

• Include materials in the learning environment that foster fine motor skills
  • Safety Scissors
  • Magazines to tear and cut
  • Clay and play dough
  • Small blocks
  • Duplos
  • Fingerpaint
  • Easel painting
  • Pegboards
  • Puzzles
  • Small cups and containers in the sand and water areas
  • Chunky crayons
  • Stickers
  • Large wooden beads for stringing

C

Sensory Integration

The child uses sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, proprioception (deep pressure), and vestibular function (balance) to perceive and respond to the world around them.

3-year-olds – See this age across all domains Preschool

What educators might observe

• Navigates learning environment, occasionally bumping into tables and chairs
• Perceives the difference between similar colors (e.g., red and orange)
• Turns around and around until dizzy
• Expresses preferences about the way things feel (e.g., whether the temperature of the air is too hot or too cold)

Ways educators might support the child's development

• Invite children to explore different textured materials, such as velvet, felt, satin, cotton, dry leaves, seeds, dirt, and flowers
• Create simple cooking experiences with the children that involve smelling the ingredients, pouring, mixing, and stirring
• Add scents such as lavender or apple pie spice to homemade play dough, checking for allergies beforehand
• Provide opportunities for children to use sensory tables, including light tables and water/sand tables on a daily basis
• Provide a quiet space with soft furnishings that may also include a listening center, soft animals, objects to squeeze, or picture books

D

Self-Care

Child cares for their physical well-being.

3-year-olds – See this age across all domains Preschool

What educators might observe

• Eats socially, as is appropriate for their family and community’s culture (e.g, by taking a portion from a common bowl and passing the bowl to the next child)
• Communicates to educator when they need to use the toilet
• Begins to follow the steps of using the toilet with assistance
• Washes hands before eating and after using the toilet, with reminders
• Puts on their own coat before going outside
• Wipes their own nose with a tissue, with a reminder
• Brushes their teeth, with help to reach all areas of the mouth
• Recognizes their own cubby to store personal items

Ways educators might support the child's development

• Transition a tired child to a quieter activity or area so that their body can rest
• Provide enough time during transitions so that the children can practice selfhelp skills such as putting on their coats
• Notice and acknowledge children’s growing independence
• Establish times in the daily schedule for toilet use, and remind children who are learning to use the toilet to go more frequently
• Establish good health routines, including tooth brushing, serving healthy foods, and hand washing

E

Healthy Sexuality

Child develops a healthy relationship to their body, pleasure, and others. This healthy sense of self is supported and demonstrated through respectful, caring, and loving relationships with families, educators, and other children.

3-year-olds – See this age across all domains Preschool

What educators might observe

• Expresses positive feelings about their body and actively explores what it can do (e.g., may experiment with different positions for urinating)
• Understands that their bodies belong to themselves and that they have a right to say “no” to unwanted touch
• Imitates the relationship behavior of adults (e.g., children may engage in “kissing” or “playing house”)
• Expresses curiosity about their body and the bodies of others (e.g., a child may examine the “bottoms” of pets and stuffed animals)

Ways educators might support the child's development

• Talk to children about the human body (parts and functions); equip children with accurate vocabulary for their genitals in the same way you provide accurate vocabulary for all of their other body parts
• Model consent throughout your everyday teaching practices; for example, give children options for how they would like to be greeted in the morning (e.g., hug, high five, or wave)
• Communicate with children about your own physical boundaries (“I don’t like when people touch my hair without asking. It’s great to be curious. So, if you are feeling curious about how my hair feels, you can ask me, and I might say yes and I might say no.”)
• Teach children that “no” and “stop” are important words and should be honored in relation to their own bodies and the bodies of others; support children as they begin to learn how to read and respond to others’ non-verbal communication