Learning Differences Chart

Language
Development
Preschool: Ages 2-3

Preschool: Ages 3-4

Cognitive
Development

There is a rapid
growth of vocabulary
up to 900 words by
the end of this age
group
They can identify and
name action pictures
They can identify
small and large body
parts

They have a
vocabulary of about
1,500 words
They learn from
sounds and rhyming
They start using past
tense, though
sometimes not using
it the correct
application
Use of language to
learn about the
environment around

Personality
Development

They begin to
organize and classify
by grouping things
that they perceive to
be alike or similar
They begin to build
their short term
memory by
remembering two or
three items at a time

They develop an
understanding of how
things go together
and are related to
each other, and how
they are arranged in
space in relation to
each other
Begin to understand
relationships and
classifications based
on attributes that
they share, such as

They may begin to

experience anxiety
when they encounter
strangers
They begin to
understand that they
can influence their
caregivers
They begin to
develop secure
attachments and
realize that their
parents will return
when they leave and
are left with
caregivers.
They begin to
recognize and talk
about their emotions,
and they are able to
connect emotions to a
persons desires
Approach adults for
reassurance and seek
parents for support
Begin to develop
egocentric feelings
and consider
themselves the center

them
Start to use more
complex words
including; adjectives,
adverbs, pronouns,
and prepositions

Preschool: Ages 4-5

PreschoolKindergarten: Ages
5-6

Begin to construct
grammatically correct
sentences
Vocabulary of
approximately 2,500
words
Start to understand
the concept of
prepositions: over,
under, in, out, etc.
Culture curiosity and
ask a lot of how and
why questions

Use more complex

sentences by using
pronouns and verbs in
present and past

color, size, shape and

what they are used
for
They begin to
associate counting to
grouping things
together based on
numbers and
amounts
Are able to compare
two items based on
size; which is bigger
and which is smaller
Begin to remember
sequence; can retell a
short story or do three
things that is told to
them
Increase their ability
to group objects by
important
characteristics:
shape, color, size,
feel, and use
They begin to
understand the
concept of time;
things happen now
or before now
Begin to carry-out the
concept of grouping
one classification
through to completion

of the universe

Begin learning to
plan and carry out
their own activities
and attempt to
master new
challenges
May fear failure if it
will lead to
punishment or feeling
quilt

Boys begin to show

more anger than girls
They are still shy
about interacting with

tense
Develop vocabulary
of approximately
6,000 words
Act out everyday
activities
Curious about the
written appearance of
their language

Early Elementary:
Ages 6-8

New words are added

to their vocabulary
They are beginning
to construct more
complex sentences
with adjectival
clauses and
conditional clauses
beginning with if
Their average
sentence length is 7
words

without changing the

main characteristic
partway through the
task
Can count to 10 and
separate 10 objects
Can identify primary
colors
Starting to distinguish
between a lot of
something and a
little of something
Use of trial and error
before distinguishing
between the
classification of
smallest to biggest
Their conception of
time is still vague
Begin learning to
read easy books
Begin learning to
write; creating their
own stories
Begin increasing their
attention span
allowing them to
listen to longer stories
They still learn
through experiencing
real situations
They enter the stage
the Piaget refers to as

new groups
They feel a need for
reassurance before
they are comfortable
with new experiences

They want to do
activities that
emphasize their
strengths for
emotional stability
Boys begin to put on
a self-confident front
when they feel
vulnerable
Girls respond more
negatively to failure
They provide their
own self-evaluations
based on their own

Middle Elementary:
Ages 8-10

Upper Elementary:
Ages 10-12

They begin to relate

concepts to general
ideas
The use of
connectors such as
meanwhile and
unless is developing
The expansion of
ones oral sentences
including beginning to
understand
subordinate
connectors
Average sentence
length is expanded to
9 words
Begin using more
complex sentences
with subordinate
clauses of concession:
nevertheless and
in spite of
Begin use of auxiliary
verbs might, could,

concrete operational;
they understand
grouping without
having to see all of
the objects, hence,
providing their
understanding of
relationships amongst
categories
Reading skills
increase rapidly,
although still can vary
immensely amongst
children within this
age group
The level of interest
in literature may be
above their reading
level resulting in the
need to be read too
Improvement of
memory as children
learn to focus on
certain stimuli and
ignore others
Develop the
understanding of
chronological order
associated with past
events
Ability to apply the
use of logical rules,
reasoning, and formal

improvements over
time

Experiences help
them develop a
positive or negative
sense of their worth
Can minimize the
mistakes they make in
ways that enhance
their sense of self
Their sense of
security may be
undermined by family
disruptions such as
divorce, violence,
poverty, etc.

They tend to be more

emotionally volatile
and experience more
anxieties
Boys especially may
hide their emotions in
order to appear cool
They may feel self-

and should

Adolescence: Ages
12-14

Better understanding
of figurative language
such as metaphors
and embellishments
Are acquiring
vocabulary related to
academic disciplines

operations to abstract
problems

Begin increasing the

ability to focus on a
task for a longer
period of time
Begin gaining the
ability to integrate
knowledge and
understand
relationships

conscious and
awkward

Begin figuring out

who they are and
where they fit into the
adult world
May become confused
in what their role
should be
(Norton & Norton, 2011)

Reference:
Norton, D., Norton, S. (2011). Through the Eyes of a Child: An introduction to childrens literature. (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.