Irrespective of your child attending preschool, this age is the perfect time to help your child enhance their cognitive and motor skills, apart from their social and communication skills. The activities enlisted below will go a long way and help the child expand their horizon.
Cognitive Skills
- Two Step Instructions
Encourage your child to explain the steps that they use while performing a task, which in turn would build on your child’s abilities to process and act on two step or multi step instructions. For instance, “Please keep this book on the table and get me a pen.”
- Planning List
Ask your child to help you with planning lists, like a weekly grocery list for example. Ask them aiding questions like, “What are the different things we should make for dinner this week?”
- New Experiences
Expose your kids to new experiences and different kinds of learning by taking them to places like Zoos, Museums, Story hours etc
- Looking for Answer
When it comes to big topics like history, space, weather etc, four year olds tend to show a lot of curiosity. When you don’t know the answer to a question that your kid asks you, ask them to look it together with you in a book or over the internet
Motor Skills
- Outdoor Activities
4 year olds love to explore the world. Moreover, it’s a healthy dose of exercise while they play in the park, or just take a walk around the neighborhood
- Art and Craft
Encourage your 4-year-old to indulge in art and craft and keep plenty of art supplies handy at home. Easel painting (with fat handled brushes), paper collage (using colored paper images and child safe scissors) and clay sculptures (using molding clay) are particularly popular with preschoolers
- Spoon and Fork
Now that your 4-year old’s motor skills and hand eye coordination have improved, the kid is ready to learn how to use a spoon and fork. They would of course need some practice before they can easily do this on their own
Communication
- Interactive Reading
Keep your child engaged by asking them questions while reading a story together. Ask questions like “Where did the princess go?”, “What do you think will happen next?”
- Invention of Stories
Make up your own stories (or re-invent a classical fairy tale) featuring your child as the protagonist in a great adventure. You should also encourage your child to tell you what’s happening when they draw a picture or a painting. You might even offer an installment each night at bedtime and invite your kid to add to the story
- Swearing
If the child picks up and uses curse words, you don’t have to stress out. Its just a normal imitative behavior in children. Making a big deal out of it might result in giving the words more power and allure. Just tell you kid that these words are not good to use, and move on
Social
- Affection
As the kid grows older and attains more independence, a parent’s touch becomes reassuring and provides a sense of security
- Aggression
If the child becomes aggressive and starts hitting and throwing things in anger, the parent needs to hold the child firmly and yet in a calm manner, so that the child can regain control over their emotions. Let them know that what they’re doing is unacceptable. Later when the kid is calm, the parents can talk to them about other ways to vent their anger
- Cleaning Up
Kids like to be helpful and contribute to the household in some manner. The best way is to instill the habit of picking up after themselves and make cleaning up a playful and enjoyable experience
- Good Behavior
Praise the child whenever they display good behavior in public or while playing with a friend. Your appreciation through loving words and hugs are all that the child needs for positive reinforcement
