4-5 years
 

1. Motor Skills:

   • Running and Climbing: Children run more smoothly, climb confidently, and have better coordination.

   • Hopping and Skipping: They can hop on one foot and may begin to skip.

   • Throwing, Hitting and Catching: Improved ability to throw, hit and catch a ball with more accuracy.

2. Fine Motor Skills:

   • Drawing and Writing: Greater control over hand movements allows them to draw recognizable pictures, write some letters, and begin to copy shapes like circles, triangles, squares.

   • Self-Care Skills: They can dress and undress themselves, brush their teeth, and perform other self-care tasks with minimal assistance.

Cognitive Development

1. Language Development:

   • Vocabulary Expansion: Vocabulary continues to grow rapidly, often reaching around 1,500-2,000 words. They use more complex sentences and can tell detailed stories.

   • Questioning and Conversation: They ask many "why" and "how" questions, engage in more complex conversations, and understand and follow multi-step instructions.

2. Problem-Solving and Imagination:

   • Logical Thinking: They can count, recognize numbers, understand basic concepts of time, and solve simple problems. They also begin to understand the concept of opposites and can categorize objects.

   • Pretend Play: Engaging in even more elaborate pretend play, often involving detailed scenarios, roles, and narratives, which enhances creativity and social understanding.

Social and Emotional Development

1. Self-Identity and Independence:

   • Autonomy: Children show increased independence in daily activities and take pride in their accomplishments. They often want to take on more responsibilities.

   • Self-Awareness: Greater awareness of their own emotions and the ability to articulate them. They start to understand the feelings of others and show empathy.

2. Emotional Expression and Social Interaction:

   • Emotional Regulation: Better at managing emotions, though they may still experience occasional outbursts. They can express emotions more appropriately and show concern for peers.

   • Peer Interaction: Developing friendships, playing cooperatively, and understanding the concept of taking turns and sharing. They can participate in group games and activities with rules.

Important Experiences and Activities

1. Play and Exploration:

   • Creative Play: Encouraging activities that foster imagination, such as dress-up, role-playing, and storytelling. Providing art supplies, building toys, and musical instruments.

   • Physical Play: Providing opportunities for active play, such as running, jumping, climbing, and playing with balls. Organized activities like dance, sports, and gymnastics are beneficial for developing motor skills.

2. Reading and Language Development:

   • Storytelling: Regularly reading together, encouraging them to tell their own stories, and expanding their vocabulary by introducing new words in context. Picture books, stories with repetitive phrases, and early readers are engaging.

   • Interactive Communication: Engaging in conversations, asking open-ended questions, and listening to their responses to develop language skills and critical thinking.

3. Routine and Structure:

   • Consistent Schedules: Maintaining consistent daily routines for meals, naps (If still needed), and bedtime provides a sense of security and helps with the development of self-discipline and understanding of time.

4. Social Interaction:

   • Group Activities: Participating in group activities, playdates, preschool programs, and organized sports to develop social skills, cooperation, and understanding of group dynamics.

5. Learning through Play:

   • Educational Toys: Using toys and games that promote problem-solving, fine motor skills, and cognitive development, such as shape sorters, puzzles, interactive books, imitative play and age-appropriate electronic and board games.