beastboy said:
My daughter is being taught how to read at the age of 4 at her pre-school.
You may think you have an awesome four year old, and I'm sure she is, but your child's preschool is teaching something that is developmentally
inappropiate for a four year old child. This is also assuming she is closer to four than she is to five years old. When children are exposed to things that they are not ready for it can cause frustration and much worse it can cause your child to dislike learning which will in turn cause regression over time. Many children who are exposed to developmentally inappropiate tasks, skills, etc. regress emotionally, socially and cognitively. Meaning, for example, a four year may start acting like a two year old emotionally and socially.
Each age has developmental milestones. At four years old a child should know the following.
Physical Development
-Runs, jumps, hops, somersaults, may be able to skip
-Throws and catches a ball
-Swings and climbs
-Cuts on a line
-Copies geometric shapes (circles, squares, triangles, etc.)
-Draws a person with some body parts
-Dresses and undresses by self
-Usually toilet-trained completely
-Uses fork, spoon and dinner knife without assistance
-Brushes teeth
Cognitive Development
-Recalls parts of a story, tells own story
-Says name and address
-Can count ten or more objects
-Correctly names at least four colors
-Combines two or more sentences (orally)
-Understands meanings of words
-Makes of words and rhymes (orally)
-Asks questions (Why? How?)
-Follows simple rules
Social and Emotional Development
-Likes to imagine and is able to distinguish fantasy from reality
-Likes to sing, dance and act
-Is able to play with a group
-More likely to agree to rules, can begin to understand games
-Learns to express sympathy
-Shares with others
-Seeks out playmates
-Shows more independence
-Aware of sexuality (can differientiate between male and female)
Ideas For Parents
-Read to your child every day. Visit your local library and encourage your child to choose books. Encourage your child to tell you stories.
-Say nursery rhymes and fingerplays together. Sing songs.
Allow your child to practice writing. Have your child copy shapes, letters and numbers.
-Foster your child's creativity by allowing her to paint and color. Provide materials such as play dough, chalk, glue and crayons. Allow your child to use scraps to make collages.
-Praise your child's accomplishments. Foster independence by encouraging self-reliance.
-Encourage physical activity by playing follow the leader (run, jump, hop, skip and swing).
-Provide multicultural experiences and foster an attitude of acceptance for diversity.
-Expand dramatic play by providing a variety of props for themes such as grocery store, beauty salon, restaurant, and birthday parties.
What To Expect: School Readiness
Success in school readiness involves good health, being socially and emotionally mature, having good language, problem solving and creative thinking skills, and a general knowledge about the world.
Prepare your Child by Focusing On
Physical Well-Being: Be sure your child eats nutritious meals and gets plenty of sleep and exercise. Regular medical care and immunizations are important. Regular dental checkups should begin at age three.
Social and Emotional Preparation: Children are often not socially and emotionally mature when they enter kindergarten, but it is important that they have an opportunity to begin developing confidence, motivation, independence, curiosity, persistence, cooperation, self-control and empathy. You can help your child by setting good examples (e.g. treating everyone with respect and sharing). Your child will also know if you have a positive attitude toward learning and school. Encourage self-reliance to foster independence. Provide chances for your child to socialize with other children and adults who are not family members.
Language and General Knowledge
It is important for children to learn to solve problems and communicate with others. You can help foster these skills by providing opportunities to play, answering questions and listening to your child. Reading aloud and monitoring television viewing are also important.
School readiness depends on a combination of many aspects of child development. It does not mean your child needs to know the alphabet, colors, shapes, numbers and how to read.
Toys
dolls, puppets
balls
trucks, tractors, trains
blocks
dramatic play props
blunt scissors, washable markers, crayons, paint
sewing cards
simple board games
books
play dough
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