The Mongolian Institute for Educational Research is conducting a comprehensive study of the development of three- to five-year-old children. This research aims to define comprehensive development of three- to five-year-old children or cognitive development of physical and social transition.

The research was carried out randomly with age and gender balance in five provinces. A total of 933 children aged three to five, 933 parents, guardians, and teachers from Dornod, Dornogovi, Khuvsgul, Orkhon, and Zavkhan provinces, and Ulaanbaatar city participated in the research. About 30.9 percent of children live in the capital city, 42.6 percent live in the provincial centers, and 26.6 percent live in soums.

37.9 percent of the children surveyed live in apartments, while 52.2 percent live in the ger district. 39.2 percent of children living in the capital and 53.1 to 68.9 percent of children living in the provinces live in apartments.

1.2 percent of children living in soums are underweight

A child’s physical development is rapidly progressing during preschool age. It affects the child’s ability to control oneself, perform special activities independently, and learn to communicate with others. In addition to speed, strength, flexibility, spatial orientation, and balance, children’s physical fitness is measured by the general physical development apparatus. The body weight of boys increased by 1.4 kg at the age of three to four, and 2.6 kg at the age of four to five. The body weight of girls increased by 1.5 kg at the age of three to four, and by 1.9 kg at the age of four to five.

1.2 percent of five-year-old children are overweight, and 0.6 percent have slight obesity. Overall, 61.8 percent of children are underweight, 37.6 percent are normal, 0.5 percent are overweight, and 0.1 percent are obese. 

If we look at the body mass index of children according to their location, it is noteworthy that children living in the capital have low or normal weight, while 0.8 percent of children living in the center of the province have obesity of the first degree, and 1.2 percent of children living in soums are overweight.

The heights of girls are between 99.6 and 112.3 cm, while boys are between 100.9 and 113.4 cm. The body height of girls grows at three to four years old by 7.1 cm, while boys’ height grows by 6.1 cm, four to five years old girls’ height grows by 7.1 cm and boys’ height grows by seven cm.