Early childhood is defined as ages 2 to 6-7 years. There are three stages of development: physical, cognitive, and socio-emotional. Physically, the brain grows rapidly and motor skills improve. Cognitively, children develop language and question asking. Socio-emotionally, they start to understand self and relationships. Motor skills become more refined after age 6 and are perfected through adolescence as physical growth accelerates until maturity. Education should support healthy development through this period.