ABSTRACT
The preschool years mark important developmental milestones for young children with increased competence in concept knowledge, language skills, and social interactions setting the stage for successful participation in school settings. This chapter focuses on universal patterns and individual differences of development in young children between the ages of 3 and 5 years. Developmental psychologists and psycholinguists still debate the exact relationship between the development of language and cognition. The chapter introduces Erikson's psychoanalytic perspective and emotional development and also on the continued development of self and peer interactions. The vocabularies of preschoolers contain many words pertaining to peer relationships: friends, like, together, alone, nice, mean, play, partners. Although research and observations by teachers and parents suggest that friendships in preschool are relatively transitory, we have witnessed many close and enduring relationships beginning in preschool classrooms. It is not unusual for a play partner to feel bereft and isolated when a favorite peer moves away and leaves the class.
