Explain What Constitutes the Physical and

Psychological Needs of a Three Year Old

Child. Explain How You Would Ensure
That These Physical and Psychological
Needs Can Ideally Be Met in a
Setting/Nursery Which the 3 Year
by Sukainatakim | studymode.com

Explain what constitutes the physical and psychological needs of a three year old child.
Explain how you would ensure that these physical and psychological needs can ideally be
met in a setting/nursery which the 3 year old child attends from 8 am to 6 pm, 5 days a
week. * Identify and define the specific physical needs of a three year old child including
exercise and rest, diet, health and safety. (10) * Give a full explanation of how these physical
needs should ideally be met by an early years setting/nursery which offers care from 8am to
6pm five days a week. (17.5) * Identify and define the psychological needs of a three year
old child focus on emotional and social needs. (10) * Give a full explanation of how the
psychological needs should ideally be met in an early years setting/nursery which offers care
from 8am to 6pm five days a week. (17.5) * Having discussed the physical and psychological
needs of a three year old relate these to relevant articles in the UNCRC (United Nations
Convention on the Rights of the Child) which inform the statutory requirements for best
practice in early years settings/nurseries in your country. (20)|
Every child has needs. A need is defined as a requirement, a thing necessary for life
(Pollard and Liebeck, 1994, pp539). This essay will look specifically into the physical and
psychological needs of a three year old child and how they should be met in a
setting/nursery. Aspects of how these needs tie in with statutory requirements as per the
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Physical development allows children to explore their environment, which allows for new
types of behaviour. It has an important effect on cognitive, social and emotional
development. It also affects the way in which others respond to the child and influences the
childs self-concept and self esteem (Bee 1995). Psychological development includes social
and emotional needs. Socialisation is the way in which we learn to become members of
groups within our society and culture. Developing emotionally is learning how to express and
cope with feelings that are socially acceptable for the culture we live in.

Physical needs of a three year old are the tangible necessities s/he requires for secure and
healthy growth and development. Growth and development depend on suitable nourishment,
age appropriate exercise, rest and sleep, playing and learning, hygiene and health and
safety. A healthy diet is absolutely necessary for an all round development and physical
growth. However, individual children grow and develop at different rates. Percentile charts
help in assessing and recording physical development. Region and race appropriate charts
should be used to make accurate observations. Healthy eating is a key factor in promoting
good health. It is important to get the food nutrients balance right. Essential nutrients help
the body grow, repair damage and fight infections. The seven essential nutrients are;
carbohydrates, water, protein, vitamins, fats, minerals and fibre. A healthy balanced diet is
essential. Food should be attractive and appealing to the child. The child should be
encouraged to help in the preparation of the food, laying the table and clearing up.
Mealtimes are an excellent opportunity for socialisation.
Age appropriate exercise encourages ideal development of the muscles, heart and lungs. It
also curbs obesity and health problems associated with obesity. Good posture and coordination are also promoted. Both rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM sleep are
essential for healthy functioning of the nervous system. The effects of lack of sleep can be
serious irritability, poor concentration, visual problems and even hallucinations and
psychotic behaviour. A three year olds mind needs stimulation through play and learning.
Personal hygiene encourages a feeling of well being, helps prevent infections and helps in
the removal of waste products. Body, teeth, hair, nails and ears should all be kept clean and
groomed. Health and safety are priorities for a three year old. Providing a safe environment
where the child can thrive as well as adequate access to health care and a healthy loving,
environment.
Gross motor skills is the ability to move using the whole body while fine motor skills is the
ability to perform skills that require hand and eye coordination for example eating with a
spoon or building a tower of blocks (Macleod Brudenell & Kay, 2008, pp72). A nursery
should provide for enough indoor and outdoor room for the children to be able to refine their
gross motor skills. Play areas should be adequately stocked with swings, slides and monkey
bars, tricycles as well as child size tunnels and playhouses. This allows the children to play
in the sun to help make vitamin D, however, this play must be controlled, as too much
exposure to the sunrays can be harmful. Puzzles, building blocks, train sets, painting,
scribbling, reading from age appropriate books, sand and water play, gardening all
encourage and refine fine motor skills. As the brain, nervous system and muscular systems
mature and develop, the child will automatically develop complex gross and fine motor skills.
A nursery should provide adequate access to fresh air and ventilation. Poor ventilated areas
lead to poor mental functioning, spread of airborne diseases, inhalation of pollen and house
dust that can trigger allergies and inhalation of polluted substances. Dar es Salaam has
tropical weather with high levels of humidity. My daughters classroom is equipped with air
conditioning units that are essential during the humid and hot months. The children are able

to concentrate on their work better in cooler rooms. Children here are encouraged to wear
cool, loose comfortable clothing because of the weather. Classrooms also have large
windows that allow for cross ventilation. Care has to be taken to ensure that school
environments are temperature controlled especially in the cold months. Plenty of
opportunities for rest and sleep should also be provided. Sit down activities after vigorous
play should be encouraged. A nap in the afternoon is also advisable.
Classrooms should be bright, colourful and inviting for the children. A table and chair,
preferably name tagged, help children with routine. A clean environment, friendly faces and
lots of opportunities to explore and play will allow effective learning. Issacs, believes the
orderly organisation of a classroom, the freedom to move freely and select activities, the
readiness of the activities for use all contribute to the childs growing sense of well being as
they come to learn how the classroom works and what is expected of them. (Issacs. B,
2004, pp 13).
Psychological needs of a three year old are more difficult to observe than their physical
needs. Their social and emotional development comes from within and all children express
their feelings differently. Home environment plays a major role on the childs sense of
survival, belonging, participation and self esteem in an outside setting. Infants bond
emotionally with their caregiver within the first year and these are an important base for
future relationships. John Bowlby argued that the need for attachment was instinctive
(Macleod Brudenell & Kay, 2008, pp 99). From this age children learn empathy and the
ability to understand and be sympathetic towards others.
Self-esteem is a central and critical aspect of psychological well-being. (Macleod
Brudenell & Kay, 2008, pp109). It is the development of a sense of the self. How we feel
about ourselves and how we interact with others and in turn how they react towards us gives
insight into our self-esteem. A sense of belonging will lead to participation. Caregivers play a
major role in making the child feel comfortable in the nursery. I remember when my younger
daughter started nursery, a care giver was allocated to her until she settled in. I was also
allowed to sit in the class for about an hour daily until she settled. This helped immensely
with her sense of belonging and by week two she was making friends, participating in
activities and walking around confidently.
The importance of forming secure attachments between the child and caregiver is absolutely
necessary if the child is to reach his/her potential. Some children are securely attached
they maybe distressed when the mother leaves but they are easily comforted. Some children
are anxious/avoidant these children may not be concerned when the mother leaves,
however they avoid or run away when she returns. Other children are anxious/resistant
these children are extremely distressed when the mother leaves, but resist the mother when
she comes back (Macleod Brudenell & Kay, 2008, pp100). It is important for caregivers to
provide stimulating and responsive interactions with the children. This will help in the
transition of settling in. If the child develops a sense of trust towards the caregiver, the child

is most likely to become independent earlier. My younger daughter used to cling to my legs
when I used to leave her at school, it would take her about fifteen minutes to settle after I
would leave. She would always sit in the lap of her assigned caregiver who would sing to her
until she settled down. She would be overjoyed to see me at pick up time. She soon learnt
that I would pick her up in a few hours. This consistent routine helped her understand that
she would be at school for a few hours only.
By the nursery allowing for routine and caregivers and parents being actively involved in the
process, the children are able to feel a sense of belonging. The caregiver has to make sure
that all the children are involved in the activity regardless of race, sex, or religion. The
caregiver should also be able to pick up on children with low self-esteem and help them gain
confidence. Depending on the severity of the situation, parents and/or professionals can be
involved.
Another way that helped my daughter settle in quickly was through a buddy system. An older
child in the nursery befriended my daughter. This allowed her to become comfortable at the
school a lot faster. This was beneficial to many of the new students. Circle time is also
beneficial in allowing shy children talk about themselves and/or their feelings. On 6
November 2009, Tanzanias parliament, the Bunge, passed a bill known as the Law of the
Child Act 2009. This landmark legislation effectively domesticated the UN Convention of the
Rights of the Child (CRC) and provides the legal framework through which the rights of the
countrys children can be protected and realized. Nineteen years ago, the Government of
Tanzania signed the CRC, which it ratified in 1991. Yet legal protections for children were
scattered among many statutes, and many laws were outdated, having been derived from
the colonial era. These inadequate laws provided scarcely any protection for children at risk.
The Law of the Child reflects many of the most serious challenges facing children in
Tanzania today. It addresses such issues as non-discrimination, the right to a name and
nationality, the rights and duties of parents, the right to opinion and the right to protection
from torture and degrading treatment. The law lays out the system for ensuring justice for
children, whether they come into contact with the legal system as offenders, witnesses or
victims. (UNICEF Tanzania, 2012).
Focusing exclusively on targeted interventions such as health and nutrition without
considering the holistic nature of early childhood development risks the hindrance of
childrens complete growth and development. Both biological and environmental factors
affect brain development and behavior. For example, young children who experience
extreme stress are at greater risk for developing cognitive, behavioral or emotional
difficulties. These impediments can have lasting effects on children's readiness for school
and later on their performance. For disadvantaged children, the initial deficit of interventions
for development has a multiplying effect: children raised in poverty complete far less
education than middle class children, due in part to their lowered ability to learn in school.
The opportunity to help disadvantaged children attain a more equal start in schooling is in
the earliest years of life, when childrens brains are developing most rapidly, and the basis

for their cognitive, social and emotional development is being formed. The right to a childs
development has been accepted and embraced by the international community. The
Convention on the Rights of the Child clearly highlights the importance of early child
development, saying that a child has a right to develop to the maximum extent possible.
(Article 6) and that States Parties recognize the right of every child to a standard of living
adequate for the child's physical, mental, spiritual, moral and social development. (Article
27). Based on new research and a new understanding of the complete well being of the
child, early child development is increasingly being put on the agenda for childrens rights.
Ensuring the healthy cognitive, social and emotional development of young children merits
the highest priority of every responsible government, organization, community, family and
individual for the sake of raising healthy children worldwide. (UNICEF, 2012)
A three year old child has various physical and psychological needs. How these needs are
provided for in a nursery are crucial to how the child will settle in and feel part of the school
and eventually part of the social circle. The UNCRC has tried very hard over the years to
protect the rights of the child in Tanzania. By passing the bill four years ago, children in
Tanzania now have access to their rights.
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