When does yesterday become last week?

[Silversun83]

My DD has just turned 3 and is starting to understand a bit more about things happening in the past. However, everything that has happened in the past happened "Yesterday" She'll recall something, but always starts off with "Yesterday..." no matter how long ago it occurred.

For example, earlier we were driving somewhere and had to go on the motorway and she came out with "But we can't go on the motorway because yesterday there was a crash and there was an ambulance there!" (This happened last week).

I find child development quite interesting so just curious really.. Is this quite common and when are children able to differentiate between how long ago things happened?

I can't remember, but I do remember my DDs not really understanding that the Victorians, the Dinosaurs and mummy's childhood were all many years apart.

Yes, I imagine in their eyes it all falls under 'a long time ago'! My DD is quite interested in dinosaurs but I swear she thinks they're still alive.

I thought this was a genuine question and was pondering when does yesterday become last week?

I thought this was a genuine question and was pondering when does yesterday become last week?

Me too 😆 I was going to say when yesterday is Saturday.

Yes it's when you get "did you sit next to tutankhamun at school mummy?"

She’s yet. My nearly three year old says everything was “last night”. And then my 5 yo argues with her about it not being last night. I think they have to learn days of the week and concepts of time/days/years at least vaguely first

Sorry for the cryptic - was trying to be succinct

Sounds like it will be quite a while then.. I guess time is quite a complex concept!

@gookledygobb - Ha ha! I can well imagine that being DD arguing with her little brother in a couple of years time about the same thing.. He's only 15 months and yet she still corrects him as if he'll understand. That's interesting.. actually she does have a vague knowledge about the days of the week, for example, sometimes she will say "On Tuesday we went to.." (but the days of the week are just plucked out of the air and if they are correct it is only by chance!).

One of mine asked if everything was in black and white when I was young. Was quite old, definitely infants.

5yo DN still does this. 8yo DN doesn't. So somewhere between the 2?!

Ds5 calls tomorrow “in the morning”. As in “is Father Christmas coming in the morning?”. “No, tomorrow night.” “I mean in the morning at night mummy!”
I think it’s because he only looks ahead to the next day at bedtime. It really confuses ds7- cue lots of arguments!

DS(5) does this kind of thing, but DD(6) has been better at placing things in time and space more reliably since she was about 4.