A Systematic Review on Physical, Cognitive, and Social-Emotional Development of Pre-Schoolers

Abstract

This systematic review analyses the three major developments of pre-schoolers, which are physical, cognitive and social-emotional factors. This journal review aims to get a better understanding of those developments, and the method used was a thorough examination and compilation of recently published studies within five years (from 2017 to 2021).  The physical development of pre-schoolers is based mainly on the growth of the body and features which were inherited biologically. However, external factors such as adequate exercise, nutrients, and sleep help to enhance it. Nonetheless, precautions are important to avoid the risk of catching contagious diseases caused by low metabolism, which will be pondered in detail in this article. Whereas, cognitive development refers to reasoning, thinking and understanding, ad to gain a better comprehension of it, studies based on famous theories such as “Piaget’s Preoperational Stage” and “Vygotsky’s Theory” has been included. While major crisis Covid 19 has certainly impacted pre-schooler's socio-emotional development in recent years. The way it impacted kids’ well-being, access to medical and therapy facilities, as well as the way it inflicted fear on parents has been explored. Besides that, in the discussion part, the limitation of studies and the expectation for future studies, especially in Malaysia, have been brought forward. To conclude, physical, cognitive and socio-emotional factors play a vital part in pre-schoolers life development, hence it’s important to invest in it to get a better comprehension and have a piece of updated information, especially with the changes in the situation.