Deck 10: Growth and Development of the Preschooler

Question 1

The nurse on the pediatric unit is working with the recreational and developmental specialists to plan some activities for the children. One activity is a card game, in which the participant is required to sort into piles cards picturing like objects. The nurse realizes that children of which of the following age groups have just begun to have this capacity?

A) 3 years
B) 3-1/2 years
C) 4 years
D) 6 years

Answer 1

4 years

Question 2

The difference in vocabulary between the 3-year-old child and the 4-year-old child is:

A) 150 versus 400 words
B) 200 versus 500 words
C) 300 versus 800 words
D) 900 versus 1,500 words

Answer 2

900 versus 1,500 words

Question 3

A mother is concerned about her preschool child running into the street without looking. The nurse would advise this mother that for preschoolers:

A) verbal reminders of established limits and looking before crossing are effective
B) fear of punishment is the only thing that works to prevent this behavior
C) an adult must be with the preschool child at all times
D) children this age seldom run into the street without looking unless chasing a ball

Answer 3

verbal reminders of established limits and looking before crossing are effective

Question 4

Which of the following ages might be a more opportune time for the birth of an additional sibling, because at this age the child is less jealous of a younger sibling?

A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 4

Question 5

Which of the following statements might a preschool child most likely make when questioned as to why something is right or wrong?

A) "Because my mother says so."
B) "Because there are rules about this."
C) "Because it's in the Ten Commandments."
D) "I just know it is so."

Question 6

A preschooler knows she should not ram her tricycle into the garage door at home, but she does this at a friend's house. What is the most logical reason for this difference in behavior at home and at the friend's house?

A) The preschooler values her own house more than she values the house of a playmate.
B) The child's mother is much stricter and supervises children much more closely than the playmate's mother.
C) A young preschool child may have difficulty applying known rules to a different situation.
D) There is a higher level of frustration when outside her own home and play territory.

Question 7

A nurse is instructing the mother of a 3-year-old about diet. The nurse will recommend that the mother look at the amount of fat in the child's diet and ensure that the fat in the diet is:

A) at least 40%
B) around 10%
C) less than 15%
D) no more than 30%

Question 8

The nurse practitioner is presenting the mother of a preschooler with a bottle of vitamins. The nurse most importantly needs to instruct the mother to do which of the following things?

A) Give the vitamins with sips of milk.
B) Give preschoolers half a vitamin and grade-school children a whole vitamin.
C) Store the vitamins in a locked cabinet that the child cannot access.
D) Teach the child how to be independent and self-administer the vitamins.

Question 9

The biggest predictor of a child's risk of developing obesity in adulthood is which of the following factors?

A) parental obesity
B) living in the country
C) amount of time spent sleeping
D) two-caregiver household

Question 10

To help a preschooler sleep at night, the nurse will recommend to the caregivers that they:

A) avoid milk drinks at bedtime
B) have the child watch television until he or she falls asleep
C) read a bedtime story and establish a firm bedtime
D) provide soda or coffee with milk at bedtime

Question 11

The father asks a nurse for advice on how to deal with his child's nightmares. The best advice from the nurse would be:

A) have the child get into bed with the father
B) sleep in the child's bed with him
C) have the child get up and play a game
D) comfort and reassure the child that nightmares are not real

Question 12

The caregivers ask the nurse for advice about their preschool child participating in some sports. The nurse shares that the main goal for children of this age engaging in sports is to:

A) learn how to compete with others
B) win whenever winning is possible
C) have fun, exercise, and learn to enjoy a sport
D) make their caregivers and relatives proud of them

Question 13

The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that caregivers do which of the following things in regard to physical activities for preschoolers?

A) Encourage a variety of physical activities in a noncompetitive environment.
B) Keep physical activities to a minimum until the child is in grade school.
C) Have the child engage in competitive sports to see there they excel.
D) Push the child to practice sports activities while they are more flexible.

Question 14

The caregivers ask what activities are appropriate for preschoolers. The nurse will recommend which of the following activities?

A) cross-country skiing
B) volleyball
C) T-ball, karate, and gymnastics
D) football and baseball

Question 15

The nurse is teaching a caregiver to select activities that will develop hand-eye-mouth coordination in a preschooler. Which of the following activities would indicate that this caregiver had learned to select well?

A) bubbles and stickers
B) horseback riding
C) swimming
D) hide-and-seek

Question 16

A nurse is assessing the play of a 4-year-old. Which of the following best describes what the nurse would observe in the play of this age preschooler?

A) playing alongside but not with playmates, taking toys away from others, using a pounding bench, and playing with a musical toy
B) interactive play, obeying limits, creating an imaginary friend, and engaging in fantasy play
C) engaging in group sports or games and playing with puppets
D) playing by him- or herself in the corner, engaged in putting a puzzle together

Question 17

A mother asks the nurse for advice on what kind of books would best keep the attention of her preschooler. Which of the following descriptions by the nurse would be the best advice?

A) books with a predictable storyline and repeated phrases that help keep a child's attention
B) adventure books with unusual and unpredictable surprise happenings throughout the book
C) various types of poetry
D) nursery rhymes

Question 18

The nurse is doing an assessment with a preschooler and her caregivers. The caregivers reveal that their child watches an average of 8 hours of television each day. The nurse will share with the caregivers that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends which of the following number of hours of television a day for a preschooler?

A) 1 to 2
B) 3 to 4
C) 5 to 6
D) 7 to 8

Question 19

The nurse will advise caregivers not to allow their child to watch programs with violence or programs there people make poor choices and behave badly because:

A) these shows are too long considering the amount of time children are allowed to watch television
B) preschoolers cannot differentiate between reality and fantasy and may use the behaviors of actors on television to deal with their own problems
C) young children keep these pictures in their minds all their lives and affect them when they are older
D) preschoolers begin to confuse the actors with their caregivers and accuse their caregivers of doing what the actors did

Question 20

When a preschooler is watching a new show or a new video, the caregivers need to:

A) watch the new show or video with the child
B) allow extra time or play the video more than once
C) invite other children to watch this presentation in a group
D) limit viewing time to 20 minutes

Question 21

The pediatric nurse spends time teaching caregivers about prevention of dental caries. Later a caregiver correctly tells the pediatric nurse that he paid careful attention to daily brushing and flossing with his preschooler because he had learned from the nurse that dental caries can cause:

A) extreme mouth and jaw pain
B) loss of a majority of the taste buds
C) a serious loss of appetite, weight loss, and anorexia or other eating disorders in childhood
D) premature loss of teeth, alteration of the dental arch, and compromised development of permanent teeth

Question 22

Which of the following statements by the caregiver of a preschooler would indicate that the caregiver had paid attention to the nurse's instructions on dental hygiene practices?

A) "Our child brushes his teeth all by himself without any help from us."
B) "We give our child a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste."
C) "When our child is 6 years old, we will make an appointment to see the dentist."
D) "When our child does a good job brushing, we let her have a lollypop."

Question 23

A caregiver asks the nurse why her preschooler grinds her teeth at night. The best response by the nurse is which of the following statements?

A) "This is a common practice during the preschool years; it may be a way she releases tension and calms herself so she can fall asleep."
B) "This is the time when permanent teeth are trying to grow, and the pain causes grinding at night."
C) "Loss of baby teeth will cause the mouth to get out of adjustment, and this causes grinding at night."
D) "You are probably keeping your child up too late at night and not making sure the child gets a nap."

Question 24

A child with a diagnosis of cerebral palsy is admitted to the hospital pediatric ward. The night nurse notices that this child is grinding his teeth. This nurse is aware that this behavior is most often due to which of the following causes in a child with cerebral palsy?

A) jaw muscle spasticity
B) normal preschooler tension
C) lack of sufficient oxygen
D) low hemoglobin

Question 25

In regard to safety, compared with the toddler the preschool-aged child is:

A) more prone to falls and more reckless
B) about the same, regarding falls and reckless behavior
C) more apt to listen to rules and be aware of potential dangers
D) less apt to listen to rules and be aware of potential dangers

Question 26

When teaching the caregivers about transporting children safely in the car, the nurse will stress that the adults must abide by the same rules they expect the children to abide by, and this includes putting on the seat belt before the car moves, because of which of the following reasons?

A) Preschoolers like to imitate whatever adults do.
B) The caregiver could die or be comatose and be of no help at all in an accident.
C) It is not fair for an adult to expect a child to do something the adult will not do.
D) Adults are more likely to be hurt in an accident.

Question 27

The pediatric nurse working with preschoolers will find which of the following problems to be more common at this age than at any other age?

A) appendicitis and tonsillitis requiring day surgeries or one-day hospitalization
B) accidents, cuts, bruises, and major traumas requiring emergency room care
C) poisoning with lead, plants, household chemicals, and other sources
D) minor illnesses such as colds, otitis media, and gastrointestinal disturbances

Question 28

Which of the following statements by caregivers of a preschooler would best indicate that the caregivers were paying attention to the teachings of the nurse on how to decrease the incidence of illnesses in their child?

A) "We don't let our child play with other children unless the caregivers assure us they are not ill."
B) "Our child's temperature is taken every morning and every night, and if it is elevated, we call the health care practitioner."
C) "We make certain that our child washes her hands after using the bathroom and before eating."
D) "Our child takes a vitamin pill every day, eats a balanced diet, and takes sufficient fluids."

Question 29

The preschooler can best learn to cope with frustration and dissatisfaction through which of the following activities?

A) interacting with caregivers in regard to rules and expectations
B) attending some type of early childhood program such as day care or preschool
C) observing the interactions of groups of people on the television
D) going out to eat or to social events with the caregivers and other adults

Question 30

The main goal of the activities of early childhood programs is to provide:

A) caregivers a safe place to leave their children while they work
B) the elementary schools with school-ready students
C) the preschooler a mastery of skills and a sense of confidence and success
D) teachers of elementary schools with a nucleus of students who can abide by rules

Question 31

Caregivers of a preschooler ask the pediatric nurse how they can tell if their preschooler is ready for school. The nurse would most likely:

A) refer them to a psychologist for specific tests to measure readiness
B) conduct one of the tests with absolute indicators of school readiness
C) instruct the caregivers on indicators of school success such as age, ability to play with other children, and attention span
D) suggest they enroll their child just as soon as they can get the school to accept the child

Question 32

The nurse is working with the caregivers to prepare the preschooler for the first day of school. Which of the following activities by the caregivers would most likely help?

A) put the child on a school schedule a few weeks before school starts
B) have an older child tell the preschooler about the school schedule
C) talk about the expectations and rules of the school
D) give the child a book with lots of pictures and big print

Question 33

The caregivers can best minimize separation issues associated with school by:

A) letting the child know that this experience will not be fun all the time
B) presenting the experience as a fun and exciting adventure
C) telling the child ahead of time about all the things he or she will not like, to prepare the child
D) staying away from the school and letting the child know he or she is big now and can solve his or own problems

Question 34

The caregivers ask the nurse how long the time-out should be for their 5-year-old preschooler. The best reply by the nurse would be which of the following?

A) "The time depends on the offense. The worse the offense, the longer the child needs to think about what he or she did or did not do."
B) "About 20 minutes is time enough to think about what he or she needs to do next time to stay out of trouble."
C) "Time-out ends when the child agrees to follow the rules, so the time varies."
D) "No longer than 5 minutes, which is 1 minute per year of age."

Question 35

A caregiver asks the nurse to explain what happens if the time-out is too long. The best reply by the nurse is which of the following?

A) "If the child is kept in time-out beyond the time it takes to calm down, he or she has enough time to become resentful."
B) "The child will begin to think up new bad behaviors if given enough time in time-out."
C) "Too much time-out will exhaust the child, and he or she will have difficulty thinking."
D) "Time-out will stop having any effect on the child at all as he or she designs ways to amuse him- or herself."

Question 36

The nurse is teaching a group of caregivers about reverse attention. Which of the following statements by a caregiver 2 weeks later would indicate that this caregiver was following the instructions of the nurse?

A) "My child was coloring quietly, and I gave him a compliment on his good behavior."
B) "Our child was coloring the walls with crayons, and I put him in time-out."
C) "When our daughter took crayons away from a playmate, I put all the crayons up until she could agree to share."
D) "I had my child gift wrap the crayons and give them to a playmate."

Question 37

Which of the following adult behaviors would be most important for preschoolers to witness caregivers engaging in?

A) modeling positive behavior
B) giving or receiving rewards for positive behavior
C) punishing others for poor behavior
D) receiving punishment or feeling bad about their bad behavior

Question 38

Generally, children will gain an average of ____________________ pounds per year.

Question 39

Generally, a child will grow ____________________ inches in height per year.