4 Years
Help me be healthy
At this checkup:
- I will be weighed and measured.
- I will be checked all over.
- I may have a vision test to see how well I see.
- I may have several immunizations.
- Look at the Immunization Schedule in this guide or ask if there are immunizations I need now. I will be required to have some immunizations before I go to kindergarten.
- Take my health journal with us so we can write down the date I got these immunizations.
- Notice what I am able to do. If you think I am 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!
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 you described.
- 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 children 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.
- Let me be involved in activities where other adults give the directions. I need to listen to and trust other adults too.
Balance TV with other activities. One hour a day of watching TV is really enough, whether it is a video or a television program. I should be active and learning how to do things, not watching TV all day. The TV that I watch should help me learn. Don't let me watch shows that upset or frighten me.
Help me deal with my fears. I may be afraid of monsters, snakes, or many other things. Do not force me to get near something that frightens me. If I am afraid of the dark, use a night light or leave the hall light on.
Register me for kindergarten. Call a school near where we live. Ask when and how I can be registered for kindergarten.
Help me be safe.
Teach me to be very careful in a garage. Our garage may be safe; however, other people may store insecticides, paints, equipment, and other things that are dangerous to me. Explain to me that garage door openers are not toys and that I am not to play with a garage door.
Practice crossing the street and walking through parking lots with me. I am 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.
When I start to ride a bicycle, make sure that I wear a helmet.
Remember, even though I am older, I still need to be watched and can't be left alone.
Help me learn my first and last name and the first and last name of my Mommy and Daddy. If we ever get separated in the grocery store, I can help you find me.
Watch for me to:
- put on my t-shirt 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 am cold, tired, or hungry.
- tell you how I use something when you ask me to talk about something I use almost every day. "What do you do with a fork?"
- point to a picture of something that you are describing to me. "Which one says meow?" Or "Show me what flies."
- stand on one foot for a few seconds.
- jump forward with my feet together.
I am always learning and trying. I will learn some things quicker than others. If you have questions about what I can and cannot do, talk to my doctor, nurse, preschool or Head Start teacher.
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.