learning, growing, and developing your child's potential

by Deborah Meiklejohn

"Between the ages of 3 and 4 years old . . . children should begin to show an interest in rhymes, and should be able to recite a favorite rhyme like Humpty Dumpty. This is an important reading readiness skill." - Deborah Meiklejohn

As new parents, we are always aware of our child's important "firsts". We can usually remember the age at which our child smiled, walked, got their first tooth, and said their first word. Once these major milestones are reached, the rest become a little fuzzy. However, as our children approach school age, there are other milestones equally important to a child's school success. Parents can start to look for these milestones during the preschool years.

Milestones are often measured within four domains of learning: language, intellectual, social/emotional, and gross/fine motor. Parents should always keep in mind that children develop at their own pace, and milestones are general guides for development. If a child has not mastered a skill, it should not cause panic, but merely encourage a parent to give their child opportunities to learn and acquire that skill.

Between the ages of 3 and 4 years old, parents start to see the emergence of school related skills.

Early language should become more sophisticated, with children using 4 to 6 words in a sentence. Their speech should be 90% understandable, remembering that some sounds, especially blends like sh, take a while to master. Children should begin to show an interest in rhymes, and should be able to recite a favorite rhyme like Humpty Dumpty. This is an important reading readiness skill. A child should also be able to sing phrases from a favorite song. To encourage all of these things, parents should expose their children to nursery rhymes, especially the traditional ones. By using books, CD's, and just reciting them for fun, parents will encourage their child to learn the rhymes. This can also in turn help with their language development as they learn new words, not normally in our daily vocabulary.

Intellectual development at this age usually focuses on early mathematic skills. Children should be able to sort objects by category (animals, toys, food, etc) and they should also be able to sort by color and shape. They should be able to name simple shapes, like square, circle, triangle and name at least 4 colors. Children should be able to complete an 8 piece interlocking puzzle, which is different than fitting 8 pieces into separate spaces. They also should be able to count 3 items out loud. Again, this is different than being able to count to 3. Many children at a young age learn to say the numbers, but they have no meaning. True counting is being able to touch items, one by one, and count them accurately. Parents can help these skills develop by making a game out of sorting items, even the laundry. Have a child sort their belongings into categories like toys or books. When giving a child a snack, have them count their goldfish crackers, or apple slices. Ask a child which color fruit pop they want, or which color shirt they would like to wear. All of these give a child practical application for these skills, which leads to more learning than quizzing a child.

Social/emotional skills develop as a child becomes aware of themselves as a person, learns to interact with others, and learns self care. A 3 to 4 year old should be able to tell you their first and last name. They should be able to dress and undress, with the exception of some tricky fasteners, and should be able to blow their nose, and brush their teeth. They should also be able to play cooperatively with a group of two or more children, and begin to share. Parents should encourage their child to take more responsibility for their own care. Children often enter preschool at 3 or 4 years old, and it is important for a child's self esteem to feel capable. The more children can do for themselves, the more confident they feel. That confidence leads a child to be able and willing to try new tasks.

Gross motor skills also become refined at this age. Children are usually able to catch a large ball and balance on each leg for more than 5 seconds. They should be able to jump forward with two feet together. Parents can help children practice this by having them jump over something, like a magazine. Children should also be able to walk down stairs, alternating their feet, without holding on. Often children are unable to do this, just because of a lack of opportunity. If a parent is fearful, worried their child may fall, start small. Try just a few steps at a time.

Fine motor skills are extremely important for school readiness. Once a child enters school, it is expected that they have acquired certain skills, including some cutting, pasting, and writing skills. Children at this age should be able to cut on a 6 inch line, straight or curved, build a tower of more than 9 blocks, and draw a person with at least 2 to 4 body parts. Children who need help with cutting skills can practice first with cutting play dough snakes or stiff paper. This helps because the child can focus on manipulating the scissor, without worrying about a flimsy piece of paper moving around. Misting plants with a trigger style plant mister is another way to develop the cutting motion, as it is the same motion needed to open and close a scissor. Parents should also provide children lots of opportunity for writing. Children love to play with paper, envelopes, and stickers. Making a post office play set with junk mail and old stationery is a great way for a child to have fun with writing. Providing different kinds of writing tools of different thicknesses also helps as it take a different touch to write with a thin pencil, a fat crayon or even sidewalk chalk.

The most important thing to remember is that children at this age learn more effectively through doing and not through direct instruction, so keep it fun. Everything can be turned into a game, and a child will learn through play. To get more information on developmental milestones and for parenting tips, visit the parent section of the Parents as Teachers website, www.patnc.org.