Tips for your 4 year old child
HELP ME BE HEALTHY.
At this checkup, the doctor will:
- Weigh and measure me.
- Check me from head to toe.
- Test my vision.
- Give me a few vaccines. I will need to get some vaccines before I got to kindergarten. Ask if there are vaccines I need now.
Take my health journal with us so we can write the date I got my vaccines.
Notice what I’m able to do.
If you think I’m clumsy and fall a lot, if I don’t talk or play with others, or if i don’t enjoy moving around, you might want to talk to my doctor about this and have me checked. Call for an appointment now!
TAKE CARE OF MY TEETH.
- It might be time for my six month dentist visit. Call and set up a visit for me.
- I’m still too young to brush my teeth by myself. Help me keep my teeth clean.
HELP ME BE SAFE.
- Teach me to be very careful in a garage or storage area. While ours may be safe, other people’s garages or storage areas may have insecticides, paints, equipment, and other things stored that are dangerous to me. Explain to me that garage door openers are not toys and that I’m not to play with a garage door.
- Practice crossing the street and walking through parking lots with me. I’m short. People can’t see me in their rearview mirror when they are backing up. I need to be by your side, holding onto your hand or your clothes.
- Make sure I wear a helmet when I start to ride a bicycle/tricycle.
- Remember, I still need to be watched and can’t be left alone.
HELP ME DEAL WITH MY FEARS.
I might be afraid of monsters, snakes, or many other things. Don’t force me to get near something that scares me. If I’m afraid of the dark, use a night light or leave the hall light on.
PLAY WITH ME, IT HELPS ME LEARN.
- Let me use play dough. I like to make it into shapes. cut it with cookie cutters, and roll it.
- Let me tear or cut paper and paste these pieces onto another piece of paper.
- Let me tell you the stories from my favorite books.
- Play listening and guessing games with me. Make the sounds of different animals and let me guess what the animal is. Another guessing game is to find something that I can see, describe it for me, and let me tell you what it is.
- Let me trace in the sand or do a finger painting.
- Let me help make and serve our snacks and meals.
- Take me to the zoo, library, and other places that have special events just for kids my age.
- Let me help you do things around the house so I can learn how to be a helpful family member.
- Make an obstacle course with boxes, chairs, and tables, and let me find my way around all these things.
- I should not watch much TV. One hour is the most I should watch in a day – it doesn’t matter if it’s a video or a TV show. I should be active and learning how to do things. The TV that I watch should help me learn. Watch my favorite TV program with me. That way we can talk about it. Don’t let me watch shows that upset or scare me.
WATCH HOW I GROW.
I’m always learning and trying.
I will learn some things faster than other things. If you have questions about what I can and cannot do, talk to my doctor or nurse. Call my preschool or Head Start teacher or the Special Education office in our school district. If you’re worried about how I’m doing, don’t wait for my next doctor visit. Call and ask now. The sooner we find out if there is something to worry about, the better it will be for me.
Watch for me to:
- Put on my t-shirt all by myself.
- Tell you the names of my friends.
- Wash my hands with soap, rinse them, and dry them with a towel.
- Use a normal tone of voice.
- Ask you many questions.
- Copy a line that goes up and down on my paper after you show me how to do it on your paper.
- Copy a picture of a circle.
- Tell you what I need If I’m cold, tired or hungry.
- Tell you how I use something when you ask me to talk about something I use almost every day. For example, “What do you do with a fork?”
- Point to a picture of something you are describing to me. I can answer questions like “Which one says meow?” or “Show me what flies!”
- Stand on one foot for a few seconds.
- Jump forward with my feet together.
You may notice that I also:
- Know at least one color.
- Use sentences with four or five words most of the time.
- Brush my teeth.
- Take care of myself at the toilet.
- Play with other children.
REGISTER ME FOR KINDERGARTEN.
Call a school near where we live. Ask when and how you can register me for kindergarten.