Four Year Old Child-ages and Stages of Development
Characteristics of 4 year old children
If three is the age of doing, four is the age of finding out. The two words most frequently used by a four-year-old are Why and how. He is also a doer who lives in the here and now. So when you say, "Let's hurry and clean the house and we can go to the circus tomorrow," you are really pushing his buttons. Yesterday means nothing. Tomorrow is a vague promise. However, he can get very excited about coming events, but, because he cannot grasp the meaning of time, he may ask, "Is it tomorrow yetc"
A typical four-year-old offers more enthusiastic help than children of most other ages. He wants to please you so much.
Keep reading to learn about physical, emotional, social and mental development as well as realistic expectations for assuming personal responsibility.
Task Expectations:
Dress and undress himself
Comb his hair
Wash his hands and face
Brush his teeth
Tidy up the bedroom or playroom
Put away silverware from a dishwasher
Empty the hamper and put dirty clothes in the washroom
Fold washcloths and towels
Set and clear the table (use a felt tip pen to mark old placemats with the correct location of dishes and silverware)
Service projects like sorting outgrown clothing and toys for others
Physical Development
May suddenly only like a certain food, prepared a certain way
Love to dance and swing their arms wide
Starting to learn where their bodies end and others begin-Personal space
May still need extra sleep at night and are learning to do without the nap
Mental Development
Girls, especially, have developed good language skills and have a wide vocabulary
They make up words and practice riddles and nursery rhymes
Ask millions of questions and take the answers to exaggerated extremes
They are learning to think about illness and death, especially if they have a pet who has died
Emotional Development
They are more self absorbed than they used to be.
They are beginning to understand right, wrong, acceptable and unacceptable behavior
Love their home, have favorite chairs, toys and hiding places
Tend to idolize the father
Social Development
Love to talk "potty talk"
Tattling and quarreling is common
Learning to get along with others and take turns
Like to dress up and role play different occupations
Louise Bates Ames of the Gesell Institute of Human Development call the 4 year old "Wild and Wonderful." This is the age that loves a party, mainly because they know they will get gifts and be the center of attention.
It is fun to learn about the stages and ages of development, but remember, these are only generalities. If your child is ahead or behind a bit, that is fine and no reason to be unduly concerned.
Enjoy your children and encourage them with words and actions that reinforce your acceptance of them as individuals. If you would like a free eBook on using nonverbal and verbal language to encourage, please go to http://www.UseEncouragingWords.com
(c) Judy H. Wright http://www.ArtichokePress.com You have permission to reprint this article in your blog, ezine or offline magazine as long as you keep the content and contact information intact. Thank You.
Artichoke Press is the home site of Judy H. Wright, family relationship coach and author. If your organization would like to schedule Auntie Artichoke, the storytelling trainer, for a workshop please call 406.549.9813.
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Can a two year old use a computer? Is that too soon?
I mean for Toddler Educational Games Only!
Im asking because he is showing interest in wanting to use the mouse. My son and I also visit the Thomas and friends website and he loves it.
My daughter began showing interest in the computer at 2 1/2. I bought her the game Reader Rabbit Toddler and I was amazed at how fast she picked up using the mouse. The game also helped her learn the ABC’s and numbers. She would spend 15-20 minutes at a time and loved every minute. It was great because the game was geared towards her age and her educational level with the abilities to increase as she went. I don’t think that it was too early to start her on the computer I think that it helped add a different style of learning. We were able to purchase other games as well like Blues Clues and Dora. She was not ever connected to the internet so there was no risk of getting on porn sites. Personally, I think that any computer knowlege is great. Technology and computers are the future and all children will need to know how to use them. I think that you too will be pleased with what educational games via the computer can offer your son.
What are some good PC games for a 2 year old?
My father got my two year old daughter her first desktop computer and he put a few educational games on it but the games may be outside her age range and her mouse skills are not developed yet. She knows her alphabet and can count to 15 or so.
There is no such thing as a “good pc game” for a preschooler. she shouldn’t even be on a computer at this age.