It would seem that just yesterday your baby barely learned to hold his head up and uttered his first touching “aha”, and today he is already 4 years old. And, like any responsible mother, you, of course, worry whether your treasure is developing correctly. This is what we will talk about today.

Physical abilities of a 4-year-old child

Let's start with a description of the general physical development of a child at 4 years old. During this period, children have excellent control over their own body and coordination and can independently perform some rituals: washing, eating carefully with a fork and knife, drinking from a cup, dressing and undressing, putting on and taking off shoes, brushing their teeth. Of course, each family individually adds its own items to this list, which the child successfully copes with independently. This could be cleaning up toys or dishes after eating, tidying up your bed, helping mom around the house, etc. By this age, perseverance begins to appear, and the child is already able to concentrate on one thing for a longer time. But after this, the baby needs physical relaxation, and then active games or exercises are perfect. A wonderful place to have fun and have fun running around is the children's playground. Don't neglect going out together, help your child make friends and involve them in fun activities. Four-year-old mischievous children enjoy playing ball, catching up, climbing horizontal bars, ladders and slides, love to jump and gallop, and some even know how to swim and ride a small bicycle or balance bike. The main task of parents is not to lose sight of their nimble kids and strictly monitor the safety of their actions.
Now let’s look at specific indicators of the physical development of a four-year-old child. For any doctor, the primary data indicating the normal development of a child is his height, weight and volume (head, chest). There are average standards for each item

Head circumference in boys and girls at 4 years of age

According to WHO, normal indicators The head size of a four-year-old child generally ranges from 49.3 cm to 50.2 cm. Anything above or below the norm should be perceived by parents as a deviation and requires consultation with a doctor. Even if this is an individual feature of your child, it won’t hurt to make sure that there is no cause for concern and pathology is excluded.
The average head circumference of boys at 4 years old should be 50.2 cm, girls - 49.3 cm. Acceptable limits:

• for boys - from 48.8 cm to 51.6 cm;
• for girls - from 48 cm to 50.7 cm.

It is very important to take measurements correctly. Take a soft measuring tape and place it on the back of the child's head, on the most protruding part of the back of the head. From the front it should go straight along the eyebrows. For ease of measurement, take the beginning of the centimeter at left hand. During measurements, the tape should not be pulled tight.

How much should a boy and girl weigh at 4 years old?

Answering this question, let us again turn to the official source - international tables developed by WHO.
Thus, the weight of a 4-year-old girl can range from 14.1 kg to 18.4 kg, with the average weight being 16.1 kg. The normal weight of a four-year-old boy should be from 14.5 kg to 18.5 kg, the average value is 16.3 kg.
The general average weight of a child at 4 years old (normal) is from 14.1 kg to 18.5 kg.
Don't panic if your baby is a little plumper or smaller than the average child. Remember, these numbers are only guidelines that help to identify incipient deviations in time. And don’t forget to draw an analogy with the physique of your family members.

How much does a child grow in the fourth year of life?

Guided by the standards established by WHO, the height of a four-year-old child usually floats in the range between 98.5 cm and 107.4 cm. At the same time, girls by the fourth year grow on average to 102.7 cm (normal limits 98.5 cm - 106.9 cm ). For boys, the situation is as follows: the average height is 103.3 cm (the permissible range is 99.2 cm - 107.4 cm).
Don’t forget to check with your doctor to see if your baby’s height and weight ratio is normal. After all, indicators are not important in themselves; it is necessary to see the overall picture and assess the situation comprehensively.

How many teeth should a child have at 4 years old?

Usually, by the age of three and, even more so, by the age of four, children acquire a full set of baby teeth, and, by the way, there are 20 of them. A variation of the normal situation is 16 teeth. Parents should have long taught their children to brush their teeth on their own and explain why this is important. It happens that children neglect this procedure or refuse it altogether. This is where parental ingenuity, perseverance and play will come to the rescue. After all, it is in game form Children perceive information best and learn new things.
Molars appear in the sixth year of a child's life, but there are also unusual situations - early teething. If you suspect that your child’s molars are coming out at the age of 4, we advise you to consult a dentist for an accurate diagnosis and advice on how to ease this difficult period in your child’s life.

Foot size at 4 years for a girl and a boy

Oddly enough, the average foot size for four-year-old boys and girls is the same - 27 European and 10-10.5 for the USA, which corresponds to a foot length of 17.3 cm. However, the shoe size of a four-year-old girl may still be slightly smaller, and this, again, is individual and absolutely acceptable.
To choose comfortable shoes for your baby, you need to correctly determine the length of his feet. Let's learn how to correctly interpret the shoe size of a 4-year-old child based on the length of his foot. What to focus your attention on:

• measurements should be taken in the evening, since by the end of the day the blood rushes to the limbs, and the size of the leg is maximum;
• To prevent future shoes from stinging and causing discomfort, before measuring, put on the socks in which he will presumably wear them;
• we measure both legs and if a difference is detected, we take into account the larger result;
• if you do not get a round result, we recommend bringing it to a whole number or half, making an increase rather than a decrease in the indicator. This way you will not only protect your child from possible inconveniences when wearing them, but will also extend the life of the shoes. After all, everyone knows how quickly a child’s foot grows.

How to take measurements:

• Place a piece of paper on a flat surface and place the child straight and stable on it;
• take a pencil and outline the foot tightly along the contour (when drawing, the pencil touches the leg);
• remove the child and determine the length of the leg from the drawing - measure the distance from the heel to the tip thumb(usually these are the most distant points);
• round the result up and compare it with the size correspondence table:

Do not forget to periodically carry out control measurements, because children grow very quickly.

The child’s psyche in such an early period is quite vulnerable. After all, he knows how to perceive the emotions of others, to be offended, ashamed, disappointed, this is exactly what he realizes at this age.

Many people think that if a child has grown up and finds things to do independently, then there is no need to give him any time. special attention for his upbringing. Parents spend a lot of time on their own affairs, forgetting about him, that he always wants to be paid attention to, wants to know that he is loved.

Very important at this age, adhere to psychological methods cooperative games, read books, do classes, do housework, because behavior is based on imitation of an adult, spending time together is the most important.

The child must feel responsible in the task assigned to him, it is also necessary to praise him if he succeeded in doing something. If he tried, but couldn’t do it, you still need to praise him and say “next time it will definitely work out.”

The tasks of raising and educating a child

The main tasks of raising and educating boys and girls at 4-5 and 6 years old depend on parents and harmony in the family, first of all, these are:

• teach them to communicate in society;
• give as much information and knowledge as possible;
• thank you for the help and gifts provided;
• respect elders and do not interrupt them during conversation.

Psychology shows that at this age a love of performing in front of others, a desire to recite poetry, dance, and sing are revealed, so the task of parents is to help and develop the talents of their children.

Behavior and education

Proper education and behavior in the period of 4-5 years develops cognitive activity well. It is necessary to carry out the tasks recommended by psychology, try to adhere to certain methods, find time to communicate with the child as often as possible, give him useful information, teach him everything new.

Now is the period when they are interested in everything, many questions arise, so dad for a boy, a girl can become real "teacher of life". Men know a lot and can clearly answer a child’s question.

Beginning to form moral qualities : sensitivity, understanding, kindness, feeling of friendship are shown. It is necessary to support and teach the boy and girl to have a positive attitude towards others.

R Parents should know the psychology of behavior of boys and girls at this age and by example, teach them to master the rules of a culture of behavior with peers and elders, to carry out assigned tasks, to teach them how to behave correctly in in public places, how to share toys, where to give in and where to stand your ground.

Five year old child characterized by mood swings, unpredictability of behavior, children become physically and psychologically resilient, and can fulfill the parent’s assigned tasks.

Now it’s easy to agree with them, parents should agree with them best friends. Good parenting is based on love, which should be felt in any situation, even when you have done something bad; you don’t need to be afraid of your parents.

Always be on your child's side, trust him, help him solve problems, be a support for him in life. Know how to always find an alternative, show understanding without violating the individuality of the little person.

Upbringing must be correct, because this is important for them age period. Personality traits are fixed and character is formed. The child copies behavior in his life own parents, because adults are role models for him.

In this period the main thing is to pay a lot of attention, develop cognitive processes. Psychology suggests giving your child entertaining tasks, telling him a lot, he finds it interesting and remembers it well.

Develop some rules in the family and strictly monitor their implementation, for example, the child must be able to clean up after himself, put away toys, throw garbage in a bin, etc. But it is advisable not to forget to praise and reward with a kiss for a task done.

Features of education

Features of raising a child 4 and 5 years old are that they must adhere to established rules in the family, which should be strictly adhered to.

If the mother forbade it, then the father should also be at the same time as the mother. There should be no exception: today you can, but tomorrow you can’t.

When raising parents must be observant and attentive in order to respond in a timely manner to the reasons for disobedience.

Relationships between parents and children are built continuously, every day. A feature of upbringing is considered to be a correctly defined type of temperament, so taking it into account we can confidently say that communication and upbringing will be much easier and correct.

This rule will help to form a harmonious personality. You should always try to build trusting relationships, develop their personality, not limit their imagination, be able to listen, laugh more often with children, teach them to communicate, be able to react correctly to hysterics, allow them to make mistakes and learn from them.

Moral education of a child

The child begins to follow moral standards of his own free will; he can correctly make the right moral choice in practice.

Psychology shows, that during this period he develops moral values ​​​​of life and trusting relationships with people, empathy is shown, a feeling of guilt is manifested, and he becomes trusting.

For all moral standards a social way of behavior is reinforced, for example: “You can’t lie to adults,” “you can’t take someone else’s,” etc. They know how to differentiate what can be done and what cannot be done.

Moral development of children aged 4-5 years: signs:

they form their first moral judgments and assessments;
begin to understand the meaning of moral norms;
the effectiveness of moral ideas increases;
conscious morality arises, that is, his behavior begins to adhere to the moral norm.
Proper upbringing advice from a psychologist

1. There is no need to ask questions that provoke bad behavior;
2. Make positive requests;
3. There is no need to explain to the child what he already knows;
4. No need to read hourly notations;
5. No need to manipulate the child
6. be able to find a compromise, teach how to overcome difficulties in life;

Difficulties in parenting at 4, 5 and 6 years old

Difficulties in education arise when parents do not know the characteristics of children's behavior and constantly demand certain actions and achievements from the child, do not take into account his personal opinion, do not allow him to make decisions on his own, do not listen, constantly criticize, scold and humiliate.

In this case, the girl or boy completely closes down, stops trusting their parents, does everything in defiance and shows their character, does poorly at school, and then has problems in adult life.

To avoid difficulties in education, you need to start using psychological methods, first of all, you should learn to ask politely, and not order and demand, to respond correctly to hysterics, and to develop your personality.

So you have come to a peculiar adolescence your boy. 4 years is the age when, it would seem, a small child becomes different. He is becoming an adult. Small, but grown up. The boy's character changes most clearly. At the age of 4 years, you need to be as careful and attentive as possible to changes in your child’s perception of the world. The boy's further development depends on this.

But first things first. What exactly changes in a boy at 4 years old, and what should he be able to do?

About character and psychology

Often at this age, parents take their children to a psychologist. Much has changed dramatically in the child, but it is not known what to do about it. It's simple, this is a transitional period in a boy's awareness of the world. From a state of a completely immature child’s attitude towards what is happening around the child at 4 years old, everything moves into a more conscious direction. The view of the world becomes more serious. It happens that against this background, the boy’s mood becomes pessimistic, a feeling of uselessness, uselessness appears, he says that no one loves him.

Often the catalyst for such thoughts is the parents themselves. It is important to understand that the psyche of a child at 4 years old, and especially at that age, is quite fragile. He begins to sense emotions and feelings, tries them out, applies them to different situations and sees what comes out of them. Sadness, resentment, shame, disappointment - all this is very unstable at 4 years old.

Going to a psychologist with your child is, of course, good, but you should still start with yourself. To do this, you should pay attention to your own behavior. Are you spending enough time with your boy? Do you sincerely praise him for his victories or is it just a stock phrase about how well he did? Should a parent do this?

But by the age of 4 he should already be able to feel, notice, and draw his own conclusions. And most importantly, the boy must be able to follow the example of his parents.

You can’t allow everything, just praise and allow slacking. But it is extremely important for parents to be able to build a system of punishments and rewards for the boy. It's not that easy, but they have to learn it. This way the child will begin to understand what to do is good and what is bad. This is basic values ​​education that will stay with your boy throughout his life.

Skills: what a child should be able to do at 4 years old.

Everything is very simple. Beyond the basic developmental milestones, by age 4, boys have all the skills you taught them. In a word, by this time he should be able to do everything you put into him.

At this age it is good to start instilling cultural values. He is at the stage of forming emotions, and such a useful ability as he must be able to see and feel the beautiful, must be able to distinguish good from bad, taste from bad taste, will fit very well during this period of development.

Take the boy to theatres, plays, concerts. Anything he might like. But don’t overdo it, if the child doesn’t want to attend such events at all, and he goes there under pressure, under duress, because mom and dad said “it’s necessary” - it’s of little use. No, you, of course, will achieve results, but only the opposite - the boy will treat cultural life and going out with caution and disdain for a long time. Look for moderation in everything.

At the same age, children begin to be interested in professions. They discover a huge world in which adults do something. They are asking the price, looking at what they would do - from artists to astronauts, from train drivers to scientists.

Such an early choice of profession is a good and important educational moment. A child at the age of 4 already begins to feel part of the world and develops views on relationships between people, including business ones. The choice of profession in childhood sometimes determines the choice of his specialty at a university, and possibly in later life, and it is not so important what profession your child is attracted to. This could be a car mechanic at such an age that then, 10-20 years later, it will be the beginning of a career as a great engineer, or the desire to become a teacher will end with a career as a scientist, writer, and many other branches. The main thing is the beginning, the entry point. For many, it really lies somewhere around the age of 4 years.

The choice of profession is influenced by kindergarten, parents of the child’s friends and your acquaintances with whom your son meets or hear about them in conversations. At this age, children have already learned to listen, perceive and evaluate, compare, and draw their own conclusions based on information from the environment.

But the biggest role in choosing an “early specialty” is played by the parents themselves. They are an example in everything. And his opinion about employment depends on how your work influences your son.

What else can you teach a child at 4 years old?

It's time to learn letters. Start with the simplest ones - vowels. They are most easily absorbed by children. It is worth finishing with the most difficult letters, hissing ones. For such activities, you can buy letters on magnets, hang them on the refrigerator and move them together to form words. You can also lay out the letters themselves from cubes, sticks, sculpt them from plasticine, plastic or any other safe materials that are available to you.

Also at this age it is worth contacting a speech therapist for a consultation. If there is even the slightest hint of pronunciation defects, the specialist will notice them and tell you in which direction to move and what exercises to perform, so that in the future this problem does not take root and become difficult to correct. Many people like, for example, burr or other small speech defects, but in adolescence a boy may begin to have complexes because of them.

Children of four years of age are already considered preschoolers: the child acquires his first ideas about the world, which will expand with age.

Four years is a stage full of discoveries for parents and babies. And for your discoveries to be successful, you should rely on the child’s age characteristics, helping him develop.

Psychological state of a 4-year-old child

A psychological feature of a four-year-old child is a vivid manifestation of “feelings and sensitivity.” As the Soviet psychologist and teacher V.S. Mukhina notes, “in preschool age, especially at the age of three or four years, feelings dominate all aspects of a child’s life, giving them a special coloring and expressiveness. Small child does not yet know how to manage his experiences, he almost always finds himself captive of the feeling that has captured him” (Mukhina V.S. “Developmental psychology. Phenomenology of development”, 1999).

The scientist also focuses on the fact that “the feelings of three- to four-year-old preschoolers, although vivid, are still very situational and unstable.” Therefore, parents should not take an over-emotional reaction to events seriously. Sometimes children deliberately play pranks in order to see the reactions of others and understand what emotions pranks evoke in them. This is how the child learns to distinguish between positive and negative sides.

Now children are beginning to become more aware of what is happening. They develop new emotions: shame, resentment, disappointment, sadness. Children at 4 years old become sensitive: they pick up on moods loved one and empathize. Moral qualities are formed: understanding, insight, kindness, responsiveness.

Intellectual characteristics at 4 years old

The intellectual characteristics of a child at 4 years old are explained by the level of his anatomical development. The brain is already almost comparable to the brain of an adult. But the right and left hemispheres are developed to different degrees: the right hemisphere, responsible for the manifestation of emotions and feelings, predominates.

The fourth year is a time of increased interest in studying the world and manifestations of cognitive activity. A child learns about the world not only through books and toys. It's time to consciously explore the world while walking or attending a children's event.

It's time to introduce your son or daughter to the alphabet and prime numbers. Teach your child to perform simple arithmetic calculations and form words from letters. You can still teach your child foreign language. There are many schools offering foreign language programs for preschoolers. Or conduct classes at home.

It is important to regularly train your memory. For example, lay out cards with simple images and ask them to remember the sequence. Mix and ask your child to restore the order of the pictures from memory. Read short children's fairy tales and poems more often, offer to memorize them and tell them from memory.

Full physical development of a child at 4 years of age implies the formation fine motor skills hands To practice finger dexterity and prepare your hand for writing, sculpt from plasticine or clay, cut out large and medium-sized elements with scissors different shapes. Also draw with different art tools (brushes, felt-tip pens, pencils, crayons, finger paints). Albums and coloring books will serve as assistants for the young artist. Continue collecting puzzles and construction sets.

How to raise 4 year old children

From parenting depends on what your son or daughter will become. Therefore, the key rule for parents is to be attentive to the child. Spending time together brings you closer and establishes an emotional connection. A child who feels the love and care of loved ones has the right example of family relationships.

• Cultural leisure. Attend cultural events to introduce your child to the world of art. Going to the cinema, puppet theater, circus, zoo, and city festivals socializes and develops imagination.
• Praise for small and big reasons. Praise even for small victories - this will give confidence and understanding that the child is proud.
• Self-care skills. Teach to observe the rules of personal hygiene, use cutlery, dress and undress, throw garbage into bins, put toys away.
• Observation by a doctor. Bring your child for routine examinations, especially if you suspect any disease. The child should be regularly examined by a pediatrician, ophthalmologist, surgeon, ENT specialist, cardiologist and endocrinologist.
• Healthy food. Provide a balanced diet containing proteins, fats and carbohydrates. The frequency of meals for a 4-year-old child is 4-6 times a day.
• Mode. Establish a daily routine: this will make it easier for you to control his activities, and for him to get used to the routine.
• Useful games. Teach in a playful way: this makes classes more fun and easier.
• Living encyclopedia. Don't ignore or get angry at a child who asks questions. Four years is the age of a “why” who wants to know everything. Explain phenomena while being patient and understanding.
• Search for friends. Help establish contacts with children: give tips on how to get acquainted, invite the little one’s parents and friends to visit, spend leisure time together.
• Rules without exceptions. Create family rules and responsibilities that all family members must follow. If a child breaks the rules, punish, but without humiliation. Agree with your relatives that in the event of punishment, you will all act according to the same scheme, without exceptions out of pity or misunderstanding. The baby must learn to be responsible.