MSU Extension Child & Family Development

Ages & Stages

Preschooler A child who is 3 to 5 years of age.

Young child A child who is 0 to 8 years of age.

Minding Our Language

Families come in all shapes, sizes, and styles. A “family” may include people who are related by blood, by marriage, and by choice. “Parents” may be biological, step-, foster, adoptive, legally appointed, or something else. When we use the words “family” and “parent” in these materials, we do so inclusively and with great respect for all adults who care for and work with young people.

Play is an important part of your child’s development. Most adults see play as exactly that—play. But play is actually a child’s most natural and most important activity. Play can help your child express their feeling and thoughts as they develop language skills. It also helps them develop critical thinking and social skills.

Play centers around exploration, helps children develop curiosity, and helps them understand the world around them. The toys children play with are the tools they use to learn about the world in which they live. Play should be meaningful to your preschooler, and they should be in charge of it. This will help encourage their skills in problem-solving, creativity, and expression.

Play is also a wonderful way to bond with your child, and helps you understand what is happening in their life. Play is a proven stress reliever for parent and child. Try some of the following ideas to enhance daily play with your child:

• Ask open-ended questions while you are playing. (“What are we building with the blocks today?” “How many steps will it take us to get from here to that tree?” “When your toy horse gets hungry, what does it want to eat?”)
• Follow your child’s lead. Ask questions as you let them guide the play. Let them choose the activities and control the tone of your play together. (“What delicious food are we cooking today?” “Do you feel like dancing around the park like butterflies or chasing each other like hungry mosquitoes or something else?” “Will alligators swim in the moat you’re digging around your sandcastle or is it for raccoons to wash their apples in?”)
• Provide age-appropriate toys for your child to play with. Mark off a space where nothing in it is off limits for play. Put toys and items for pretend play (like old clothes for playing dress-up) there, too.
• Become an extension of the toys you play with. If you’re playing with puppets or reading books with your child, talk in funny voices and act out the stories and characters. Involving your muscles and senses helps you get lost in play!
• Save board games, lacing cards, and puzzles for quiet times. Active play should be fun and creative, without formal rules.
• Give your child a chance to play alone and with other kids who are about the same age. Take them to play at a park, a play group, or a friend’s house.
• Have fun—it’s what your child does best!

Find Out More

MSU Extension provides the following resources for parents and caregivers of preschoolers and young children at no or low cost. Be sure to check out these and other MSU Extension resources available at www.extension.msu.edu.

Extension Extras (https://bit.ly/2LC2vdX) – These compilations of news articles, activities, parenting tips and advice are published online Monday through Friday. The resources are designed for parents and caregivers of young children who are home all day during the novel coronavirus pandemic. Each day has a theme: Mindful Mondays, Tips on Tuesday, Working Wednesdays, Thinking Thursday, and Fun Fridays.

Extension Extras Enrichment Kits (https://bit.ly/35QAplQ) – These kits feature five or six early childhood activities with learning goals focused in areas such as social and emotional health, literacy, and STEM; a supply list; suggested children’s books; introduction letters explaining how to use the materials; and an evaluation. The kits are available as free downloads.

Early Childhood Videos (https://bit.ly/3ioyEkS) – These short videos offer parents and caregivers of young children information on parenting topics. Titles include “Perspective Taking,” “Family Movies,” “Goals of Misbehavior,” “Using Thinking and Feeling Words,” “The Waiting Game,” and “When Siblings Fight.”

Building Early Emotional Skills (BEES) in Young Children (https://bit.ly/38XW4KI) – This page provides links to a variety of free online parenting courses, workshops, and events offered by MSU Extension for parents and caregivers of young children aged 0 to 3.

Parenting the Preschooler: Social Competence and Emotional Well-Being © 2021 Michigan State University Board of Trustees. The fact sheets in this series may be copied for purposes of 4-H and other nonprofit educational programs and for individual use with credit to Michigan State University Extension.