Watching your child grow up can be a bittersweet thing. Your child is growing fast, and sometimes you wish that you could slow down time for a little while. On the other hand, some of your child’s new milestones are fun and exciting. These milestones get especially exciting once your child turns four. Age three may have been pretty challenging, but four-year-old milestones are fun to watch and experience. You’ll notice all kinds of growth in your preschooler. Here are just five of the best milestones to look for in your 4-year-old.
Creativity and Attention
Have you noticed how much your child’s imagination has grown lately? Four-year-old milestones include huge leaps in creativity. Four-year-olds are some of the biggest believers in magic. Any object can become a fairy wand or a wizard’s cloak. Even better, this boost in creativity comes with a bigger attention span. Your child may play pretend for several minutes at a time, and they’ll get deeply absorbed into their games.
More Agency
At age four, your child is gaining more independence and agency. Combine this agency with your child’s increased motor skills, and you’ve got a great teaching opportunity. Your child can now handle some basic “getting ready” tasks. For instance, they can brush their teeth and get dressed by themselves. This is also a great age to teach them how to make their bed in the morning.
Social Development
You’ll also notice some new social developments when you look for four-year-old milestones. Your child is gaining more self-awareness, and they’re also starting to realize that other people are separate beings with their own thoughts and feelings. As a result, your child can develop deeper friendships than they could just a few months ago. Their newfound creativity and attention span will benefit those friendships, too. When given the opportunity, your child will likely play make-believe games with friends.
Conversations
Your child may have gained a huge boost in their vocabulary recently. That’s because their brain is developing rapidly. It’s also because their new motor skills are making words easier to pronounce. You’ll notice lots of fun changes as your child becomes more verbal. For example, they’ll speak with fuller, more complex sentences. They’ll develop opinions and express them. Finally, your child will ask many, many questions. Age four is notorious for questions. In fact, your child may literally ask you hundreds of questions on a daily basis.
Literacy, Math, Colors, and More
Your child’s rapid brain development is showing up in other areas, too. These are milestones to look for in your 4-year-old. For example, your child may make steps toward literacy. They’re likely not ready to read and write yet, but they may show a greater interest in words. They may write their own name, for example. They may also have strong opinions about which books are the best ones, and they may pretend to read the stories that they’ve memorized.
You’ll see this growth in other subjects, too. Your child probably has a bigger grasp of numbers, colors, and shapes. Your child can learn a lot during this stage, so make sure that you nurture and encourage this growth.
At Rising Stride Child Care Centers
Want to take your child’s growth to its fullest potential? Ready to see your child thrive and blossom? Rising Stride will nurture all of your child’s four-year-old milestones. The teachers in this bright and encouraging learning environment will help your child grow. We encourage children’s natural curiosity and give them a fun place to learn. Want to learn more about how Rising Stride can benefit your child? Then contact Rising Stride today. You can start by scheduling your free tour.