4 - 5 years understanding the world

Your four year old is now busy trying to make sense of the world and will often ask lots of tricky questions – some of which may be difficult to answer in a way that will satisfy his curiosity. Don’t avoid answering questions about death or sex; instead try to keep your answer truthful but simple. Children at this age will only process what they can understand, so long and detailed answers are unnecessary.

Developmental milestones include:

• Understanding a two or three phrase instruction – ‘bring me the paper that’s on the table in the kitchen’.
• Sorting objects by size and type
• Understanding the difference between morning and afternoon
• Working out which object is heavier by comparing two weights
• Understanding the concepts of taller, smaller and shorter but he’s not yet able to sort things in a descending order – tallest to shortest
• Gripping a pencil correctly
• Using scissors to follow a line
• Drawing a person that includes a head, body, legs and arms
• Copying his name with pencil and paper.
• Copying a triangle, a cross and a square onto a piece of paper
• Recognising, naming and matching four colours
• Recognising some written words
• Understanding the numbers 1,2 and 3
• Reciting numbers up to 20
• As long as he’s been taught them, he’s able to tell you his name, age and address

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This article was written by Ella Walsh for Kidspot. Sources include SA Government’s Parenting and Child Health and ABC Parenting