Kira Is a 4-Year-Old Who Is the Physical Size of a 6-Year-Old

Essay

Kira is a 4-year-old who is the physical size of a 6-year-old child. In her preschool class, she is the tallest and most physically mature child. Her teachers admit that sometimes they forget that she is only 4 and treat her and think of her as an older child. Another child in the class, Steven, is particularly small for his age. His teachers often think of him as a 3-year-old, when in fact he is the same age as the other children in his preschool class. How might parents and teachers treat these two children differently than they treat average-size children, and how might this differential treatment influence their development of emotional regulation? Provide supportive examples.