Get to know a four year old’s skills

During the preschool years your child develops at a rapid pace. A once hesitant, solitary little person starts to discover the peers around them. You may notice they have become more persistent and handle challenges more easily. You can now plan activities that call for their stamina too, cycling, short walks, a kickabout, and outdoor games.

For a four year old, adults are the most important role models and children learn by imitation. That is why the example we set matters, we carry real responsibility here. It is not only direct teaching that shapes them. What they quietly pick up from us has a deep impact on their personality, problem solving and behaviour. Inherited traits play a part as well.

Children’s physical traits and interests differ 

Even in infancy you can spot inherited features, especially if there is an older sibling who may be a very different build and temperament from the younger one. As a child grows and explores more widely, they gain more chances to seek out experiences that match their individual interests, and to act with confidence according to their physical abilities.

As parents we can offer the right mix of freedom and a safe environment. Do you also find it tricky to balance letting go with gentle guidance, or at times clear limits? Perhaps the most important thing is to stay consistent and firm in situations where only the parent can decide.

Why is play the most important developmental activity? 

Because children play by instinct, driven by a strong inner need. Every kind of play is also learning, it develops movement, attention, concentration, creativity, communication, and later social skills. Their vision and hearing mature along the way.

Every child plays in a way that is unique to their personality and experiences, so their play is just right as it is. Certain conditions help, space, time, an encouraging atmosphere, playmates, and most importantly the freedom to play.

Play is most fun with others 

While in the youngest nursery group children mostly play alone and begin to observe others, by the middle year this curious, watchful phase suddenly shifts. Your child starts to interact with peers and can pick a preferred playmate. You may see them attach to another girl or boy, wandering and looking around together. They are already playing side by side, although full cooperation has not arrived yet.

Co operative play also blossoms, the first conscious team effort. “Let us cook a tasty lunch for the dolls and make them some tea.” This is where role play truly appears.

Movement becomes efficient and quick

A four year old adapts well to physical demands, climbs frames with skill, pumps a swing and runs fast. What else can they do?

• Stand on one leg for about 6 seconds and hop 3 to 5 times on one leg

• Walk a straight line, placing one foot in front of the other

• Run fast, making sharp turns and sudden stops

Football skills come on nicely, they swing the leg back to kick and judge direction towards a target. They can also kick a rolling ball.
Keep an eye on posture. To have well developed muscles by school age, children need plenty of movement at preschool age, not long periods of sitting. Avoid one sided strain on the spine. If their muscles are prepared for longer periods of sitting at school, posture is less likely to be a problem and sitting will be less tiring.

By age four, handedness is usually clear. Fine motor practice always matters. There are many activities to build dexterity, threading, sorting, screwing and unscrewing, drawing, cutting with scissors. Your child may not yet hold a pencil correctly, that is fine, finger control is still developing. You can support this with strengthening activities such as play dough, sand play, all kinds of making, and collecting treasures in nature.

How does a four year old perceive the world? 

When focusing on something, they can separate figure from background. Shape perception, form recognition and understanding of size categories become stable. Play games with opposites, small and large, wide and narrow, hot and cold, or games where a single colour shape must be identified by its outline.

Today’s world throws too many stimuli at children. Much of it is not processed and can overload the nervous system, leading to frustration and restlessness. What do we mean, things we adults may be used to, loud environments, constant background noise, crowds, and the flickering, fast cut images and sound effects in TV cartoons.

Preschool years encourage independence 

In nursery, teachers and support staff cannot help every child at once, nor is that the aim. In this setting there are small tasks and responsibilities. Children learn that the toy they took out must be put away. They tidy together before lunch and help with laying the table. It is good to make room for these new routines at home too, so ask your child’s nursery teacher what they are practising.

Independent toilet use develops, although it is a process that needs patience and sensitivity from adults. Getting dressed becomes routine, with help only for the fiddliest actions, such as tying shoe laces before going outdoors. Be understanding and let your child master new tasks at their own pace, with practice they become second nature.

Do they talk all the time? 

Yes, do not be surprised, it is the phase. Communication really moves into the foreground. Children want to tell us everything that has happened to them, and we are glad to listen. They also use language a lot during play.

Talk with your child. Do not let them be only a receiver, give them space to express their own thoughts. This is how they learn give and take. Aim for quality time when you shut out distractions and focus solely on each other. If you would like to read more about quality time, see our earlier article.

Regular live storytelling is important at this age. You can chant rhymes, recite poems, and even family stories tend to fascinate children now. Through stories they can process emotions and fears, stories motivate and help shape character.

Sources:

NHS Cambridgeshire & Peterborough — 4 year developmental milestones

NHS — Learning conversations and telling stories: 3 to 5 years