Early childhood development (ECD) is a complex theory that explains how a child learns and how the brain advances through stages of abilities from birth to 5 years of age. One part of this theory is Four-Year-Old or Pre-Kindergarten Development. As your child’s parent, you are their most important teacher. As teachers, we support the children’s development as they advance their abilities. This blog focuses on the modern teaching approach in ECE, called the whole-child approach, where teaching encompasses the development of all aspects of the child’s learning: physical, cognitive, language, and social-emotional abilities.
Abilities & Preferences
Abilities are skills a child has or is developing; preference means their likes or dislikes. Pre-kindergarteners develop abilities and preferences at their own pace, also called developmental milestones or skills. Many abilities overlap with one another, making it difficult to separate them. It is important to remember that children develop various abilities at different rates. Any child could be above the typical age in one ability and below the typical age in another.
This blog focuses on how children engage and interact with toys and the abilities necessary for that interaction. We do not provide medical advice, medical conditions, child health suggestions, or disease control.
Table of contents
Pre-Kindergarten Development: 48 through 60 months
As a parent of a four-year-old in pre-kindergarten, you may wonder what to expect regarding your child’s development in the upcoming year. This is an exciting time for you and your child as they embark on their journey towards formal education. To help you navigate this important milestone, let’s look into the key areas of development your child will focus on in pre-kindergarten are physical, cognitive, language, and social-emotional development.
Physical Development
By age four, your child will likely have developed gross motor skills such as running, jumping, climbing, and balancing. In pre-kindergarten, your child can expect to further refine these skills through outdoor play, gym time, and structured movement activities. They can walk on a straight line, hop on one foot, pedal and steer a wheeled toy with confidence, and climb ladders, trees, and playground equipment. They will be able to jump items 6 inches high, land with both feet together, run, start, stop, and move with ease. In terms of throwing a ball, their overhand throw will improve in terms of distance and accuracy.
In addition, fine motor skills such as cutting with scissors, drawing simple shapes, and manipulating small objects will be emphasized to help your child develop hand-eye coordination and dexterity. Your child will be able to build towers with ten or more blocks. They will make shapes and objects using playdough, reproduce some shapes and letters during writing, and hold onto a writing tool using a tripod grasp. They will also be learning to paint. They will draw with an idea in mind, and use tools such as hammers more accurately. Additionally, they can thread small wooden beads on a string.
Cognitive Development
In pre-kindergarten, children explore, question, and solve problems as they start to understand the world. They will be able to stack at least five graduated cubes from largest to smallest and build a pyramid of six blocks. They might also be able to name about 20 uppercase letters and write some of them, including their first name. Some children may even start reading simple books with a few words per page and lots of pictures. They enjoy stories about growth and how things work. Additionally, four-year-olds understand the sequence of daily events and can identify missing puzzle parts in pictures, such as recognizing a missing arm in a stick figure.
Language Development
At four years old, kids are learning so much about using words and talking. They love playing with words and making up silly language. They’re also starting to use words like “on,” “in,” and “under,” and saying things like “hers,” “theirs,” and “Mommy’s.” They can answer questions like “who?,” “why,” and “how many.” They can put together really long sentences, like “The dog walked around the fence before I could see what color it was.” And they’re starting to talk about things that happened in the past, like “Daddy closed the door” or “Grandma went outside.” They’re also learning how to adjust their voice and the way they talk to fit who they’re talking to.
They can tell you their first and last name, their gender, their siblings’ names, and sometimes even their own phone number. They know what to do if they’re tired, cold, or hungry. They love to sing and say rhymes, too. If you want to help your child get even better at talking, you can read books together, talk about things that happen every day, and use your imagination to play pretend games that use lots of words.
Social-Emotional Development
During pre-kindergarten, children learn to navigate relationships, regulate emotions, and develop a sense of self. They tend to be outgoing, friendly, and enthusiastic, but their moods can change quickly and unexpectedly. Sometimes, they may go from laughing one minute to crying the next, even throwing tantrums over little things. It’s normal for them to have imaginary playmates with whom they converse and share strong emotions. They also tend to boast, tell exaggerated stories, and find bathroom talk funny.
Four-year-olds are usually good at cooperating with others and participating in group activities. They take pride in their achievements and seek adult approval. However, at times, they may seem selfish, struggle to take turns, and may tattle on other children. They like to try doing things independently but might get frustrated and have tantrums. They enjoy role-playing and make-believe activities and use more verbal than physical aggression, such as threats, name-calling, and taunting to exclude other children.
Pre-kindergarteners are developing close relationships with playmates and may even have best friends. To nurture their social and emotional development at home, parents can model positive behaviors, acknowledge their children’s emotions, and engage in activities that foster empathy, cooperation, and self-confidence.
Pre-Kindergarten Developmental Alerts
Toy Safety
Toy safety is essential because small objects should not be around young infants and children. As children turn three years old, this is a great time for parents to create a dedicated, safe place and play area.
Conclusion
As four-year-olds grow, this pre-kindergarten year is important for their physical, mental, language, and social growth. Understanding and supporting these areas can really help your child do well in pre-kindergarten and lay a solid foundation for future school success. Your child will be exposed to various activities that promote thinking skills, memory retention, and creativity. Teachers will introduce basic math concepts, such as counting, measuring, and sorting, and literacy skills, like recognizing letters, sounds, and basic sight words. Be sure to support your child’s cognitive development at home by engaging in activities that encourage curiosity, critical thinking, and creativity. Remember to keep in touch with the teachers, join in on school events, and cheer on your child’s achievements. Let’s work together to make the most of this exciting journey through education and growth.
References:
- Essential Toy Safety for Infants, Toddlers, and Preschoolers.
- Whole Child Education: What is the Approach to Teaching?
- Developmentally Appropriate Toys: What and Why are They Important?
- American Academy of Pediatrics
I value your input and comments tremendously. Please let me know if there is anything else I should include in this blog post!
catherine
Friday 10th of January 2025
I like this post and I like that you are giving us an idea and information on providing the proper way of helping our child in terms of their development and milestones based on their ages.
SONIA SEIVWRIGHT
Thursday 9th of January 2025
When my daughter started pre-k I worried if I was doing enough as a single mom. Watching her hop on one foot, tell silly stories and express emotions reminded me every child grows uniquely. Celebrate small wins, nurture curiosity and know you’re doing better than you think – even on tough days.
Hadassah Treu
Thursday 9th of January 2025
Such an interesting and helpful read about pre-kindergarten development and milestones! Thanks for sharing: I learned a couple of things.
Emily
Thursday 9th of January 2025
I find it so interesting watching little ones' social-emotional development at this age. They really start to connect with other kids at this age and become more out-going.
Sarah
Wednesday 8th of January 2025
This is a good article to consider about pre-kindergarten development. Kids go through stages at different times. Fours are my favorite age group to teach. Not reaching one of these milestones isn't cause for alarm, but I do like having a general list and that you mentioned discussing this with your pediatrician. There are so many brain leaps between 3 and 6 and it's wonderful to see their little brains connect more to the world around them and to be able to express themselves more.