Parents of toddlers face many challenges, and these challenges evolve as their children get older. Children learn and grow very quickly in their first years building the foundation for learning in the future. Four year olds have very different needs than toddlers as they embark on a journey of learning.



Every child is different, but there are some common traits that most four year olds share. As your wobbly toddler develops into a preschooler you will probably have many questions and concerns about their behavior. Here are six things you should know about your four year old.

Most four year olds begin using more complex sentences and language structure as their vocabulary skills improve. Their vocabulary has exploded over the last year and they have a good grasp on grammar and sentence structure.

Four year olds also begin to adapt their language to the level of their listener, further illustrating their mastery of language. They may say "Daddy goes bye-bye" to their little sister and "Daddy went to the store" to you.

Many children have heard profanity by four years old and if they have they may use bad words on purpose to shock people or get attention. This is normal behavior and usually resolves itself if the child is not given much attention because of it.

Four year olds have very active imaginations and may have difficulty separating make believe from reality. They also have the tendency to stretch the truth or remember things differently than they happened because they get very involved in pretend play.

Many children this age develop imaginary friends as they begin to appreciate the company of others and at the same time develop active imaginations. Sometimes interacting with others can still be overwhelming and imaginary friends help children practice their social skills.

By the time a child reaches four they will usually enjoy playing with other children cooperatively in small groups. Peers become more important to the preschool child as well as developing specific friendships and being accepted as part of a group.

Four year olds are truly amazing with the amount of things they have learned and the skills they have mastered since they started exploring the world as toddlers. Teaching toddlers is different than teaching preschoolers as four year olds have different skills and abilities. Four year olds still have a voracious curiosity and naturally want to learn even more about the world around them.