Your child will reach milestones at their own rates. When you would like to nurture your child’s development for creating more opportunities to interact and bond with your child, here are some of the activities that you can try.
Cognitive
Milestone – Counting to 10, and then to 20
What Helps – Point towards or touch your child’s fingers and toes (while counting to 20) as you count out loud. It’s a fun and convenient way to learn basic numbers.
Why – At this age, your child is learning about relative quantities. Hearing their parents count out loud would help them memorize the order of the numbers and provide them with a concrete sense of how many
Next – To build upon and reinforce your child’s understanding, start counting objects during everyday activities, such as the number of items in the shopping cart, the number of different food items on your plate and the number of stuffed animals lined up on your child’s bed
Milestone – Drawing people with bodies
What Helps –Applaud the stick figures that your child draws, without pointing out intricacies like the arms are too long or there are three hands
Why – Your child’s visual creations are becoming intentional, if not realistic as they hone their coordination and control. They may have started doodling earlier and then determined that the end result turned out to be a house or a cat
Next – Show your child their printed names, and they may be able to copy some or all the letters. But again, do not expect perfection or start correcting the. The errors count as attempts and are common at this age. You can also have a caption for drawing, which you can dictate your child and read it back to them
Milestone – Recalling the narrative of a story
What Helps –Increase the length of the stories gradually and read it along with your child, picking up subjects that are of interest to them and ask them questions in the end
Why – Longer stories require higher levels of concentration. If they appeal to your child, they will pay closer attention and will become better at focusing. Reading aloud is one of the best ways to boost speaking skills as well as their readiness to reading. Books are a great way to teach your child the structuring of stories. As their memory improves, they’ll gain more skill at structuring their narratives and using longer and detailed sentences, like the ones they get exposed to in books
Next – Some 4-year old kids can make out words as you read to them, but most kids do better without letter drills or formal lessons, which tend to detract from the joy of learning to read. Instead, continue to find new and interesting books to read together and eventually, and your child will likely begin asking you to point out individual words
Social
Milestone – Wanting to please friends and be like them
What Helps –When your child sometimes oversteps the limits, make a point to distinguish between their behaviors and their self. For instance, picking up a bad word from a friend calls for reprimanding, but make sure that they are being reprimanded for their behavior and not because they are not good
Why – Though it is a very difficult balance to achieve, but your goal as a parent or caretaker is to teach your child the boundaries of good behavior, without damaging their sense of self
Next – Provide your 4 year old with more opportunities for independence, including instances when you visit a friend’s place or go for parties. They more practice they have in social situations, the more they will understand about different expectations at different places
