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Information for Preschool (3-5 Years) Social & Emotional Development

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Information for Preschool (3-5 Years) Social & Emotional Development

As your child reaches preschool age, they are starting to focus more on the outside world and becoming more independent. The interactions they have at this time will shape their personality and how they see the world. They are getting ready for school and learning more every day. By age five, their brains will be 90% developed.

In this section, you will find information and resources to help you understand what your preschooler is going through during this stage of development. You’ll also find answers to many of your questions with tips, learnings, resources and more for the next few years.

Need Help Finding Child Care?

Great Start to Quality helps families find the best early learning settings for their children. Once you choose a child care provider, there will be many positive experiences. You may also have some concerns. Our Concerns in Child Care page has resources for those special situations

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Need Free PreK for your 4-year old?

Michigan offers two quality free preschool programs designed to support school readiness. Many families qualify for these programs at no cost. Learn more about Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP) and Head Start below and find a location near you.

MiPreKForAll.org 

Preschooler Development & Milestones

Preschoolers will want to ask questions and explore the world around them more, becoming more independent. They can help dress themselves and recall songs or parts of stories. Here are some tips and resources to help their development, along with milestone checklists.

Get Pre-K Milestones Checklists

Preschooler Social & Emotional Development

Just as important as the physical milestones, your preschooler goes through a lot of social and emotional milestones as they begin to interact more with others outside their world. Learning to become more aware of others feelings, developing friendships, and practicing being more independent – these are all social and emotional developments.  Learn some of the things you can do with your preschooler to help them develop good social and emotional skills.

Find Pre-K Social & Emotional Tips

Preschooler Physical Health & Safety

As your preschooler starts getting bigger and more independent, they need to be made aware of the things they can do to keep themselves safe. Things like staying out of traffic and not going anywhere with strangers need to be learned. We have tips and resources to give you everything you need to keep them safe and healthy – in the home, on the playground, going off to preschool and more.

Keep Preschoolers Safe

Pre-K Parenting Tips

Helpful tips, resources and ideas for parents with preschoolers. Whether this is your first child or you have been through this before, there are always new things to learn. We put together a list of helpful tips for parents.

Get Pre-K Parenting Tips

Programs for Preschoolers

There are a number of State and Federal programs designed to help families with preschoolers - from finding a preschool to extra help with developmental delays.

Explore Preschool Programs

Getting Ready for Kindergarten

Now that your child is at preschool age, you may be starting to think about what you need to do when it is time for your child to go to kindergarten. Find answers to frequently asked questions about kindergarten enrollment right on this site.

 

More Kindergarten Readiness Information