| Helping Your
Preschool Child |
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| What
to Expect Between their third and fourth birthdays, children: > Start to play with other children, instead of next to them; > Are more likely to take turns and share and begin to understand that other people have feelings and rights; > Are increasingly self-reliant and probably can dress with little help; > May develop fears (“Mommy, there’s a monster under my bed.”) and have imaginary companions; > Have greater large-muscle control than toddlers and love to run, skip, jump with both feet, catch a ball, climb downstairs and dance to music; > Have greater small-muscle control than toddlers, which is reflected in their drawings and scribbles; > Match and sort things that are alike and unalike; > Recognize numerals; > Like silly humor, riddles and practical jokes; > Understand and follow spoken directions; > Use new words and longer sentences; > Are aware of rhyming sounds in words; > May attempt to read, calling attention to themselves and showing pride in their accomplishment; > Recognize print around them on signs or in logos. > Know that each alphabet letter has a name and identify at least 10 alphabet letters, especially those in their own names; and > “Write,” or scribble messages. Between their fourth and fifth birthdays, children > Are active and have lots of energy and may be aggressive in their play; > Enjoy more group activities, because they have longer attention spans; > Like making faces and being silly; > May form cliques with friends and may change friendships quickly; > Have better muscle control in running, jumping and hopping; > Recognize and write the numerals 1–10; > Recognize shapes such as circles, squares, rectangles and triangles; > Love to make rhymes, say nonsense words and tell jokes; > Know and use words that are important to school work, such as the names for colors, shapes and numbers; know and use words that are important to daily life, such as street names and addresses; > Know how books are held and read and follow print from left to right and from top to bottom of a page when listening to stories read aloud; > Recognize the shapes and names of all letters of the alphabet and know the sounds of some letters; and > Write some letters, particularly those in his own name. What Preschoolers Need 3- to 4-year-old children require opportunities to: > Play with other children so they can learn to listen, take turns and share; > Develop more physical coordination—for example, by hopping on both feet; > Develop their growing language abilities through books, games, songs, science, math and art activities; > Develop more self-reliance skills—for example, learning to dress and undress themselves; > Count and measure; > Participate actively with adults in reading-aloud activities ; > Explore the alphabet and print; and > Attempt to write messages. 4- to 5-year-old children need opportunities to: > Experiment and discover, within limits; > Develop their growing interest in school subjects, such as science, music, art and math; > Enjoy activities that involve exploring and investigating; > Group items that are similar (for example, by size, color or shape); > Use their imaginations and curiosity; > Develop their language skills by speaking and listening; and > See how reading and writing are both enjoyable and useful (for example, by listening to stories and poems, seeing adults use books to find information and dictating stories to adults). |
| This guide is for
families and caregivers who want to help their preschool children learn
and develop the skills necessary for success in school - and in
life. |
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