Preschool

3 Year Old | 4 Year Old
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Your Child and Preschool

Preschool helps develop social/emotional skills. Choosing the right preschool or childcare center for you and your child can be a daunting task, here are a few tips to help:

Refer to the Montelores Early Childhood Council list of local childcare programs here for advice about choosing the right setting and information on quality rated programs.

Visit at least three different preschools. Ask for a tour and, if possible, to observe a classroom. Ask the Director about:

• price
• hours of operation
• afterschool program (if needed)
• staff-child ratio
• illness policy
• curriculum

 

3 Year Old

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Developmental Milestones
Feeding and Nutrition
Well Child Check
Recommended Immunizations

 

Developmental Milestones

Social/Emotional:

• copies adults and friends
• shows affection without being asked
• takes turns
• understands the idea of “mine” and “his” or “hers”
• shows many varying emotions
• may get upset with major changes in routine

Language:

• follows instructions with 2 or 3 steps
• knows and communicates first name and age
• identifies self as girl or boy
• names a friend
• talks well enough for anyone to understand about 75% of the time
• converses using 2 to 3 sentences

Cognitive:

• can work toys with buttons, levers, and moving parts
• plays make-believe with dolls, animals, and people
• successfully completes puzzles with 3 or 4 pieces
• copies a circle with pencil or crayon
• turns book pages one at a time
• uses more than 6 blocks in tower
• screws and unscrews jar lids or turns door handle

Physical Development:

• climbs well
• runs with ease
• pedals a tricycle (3-wheel bike)
• walks up and down stairs, one foot on each step

Tell Your Health Care Provider if your child:

• falls down a lot
• has trouble with stairs
• drools or has very unclear speech
• can’t work simple toys
• doesn’t speak in sentences
• cannot understand simple instructions
• does not play pretend or make-believe
• doesn’t want to play with other children or with toys
• no eye contact
• loses skills he once learned

*Remember: all children grow/mature at different rates*

 

Feeding and Nutrition

• Set designated mealtimes for whole family and include toddler – Turn off TV and other electronics
• Offer a rainbow of colors on the plate.
• Include many textures; plenty of fruits, vegetables, proteins, and dairy being
• Decide when and where your mealtimes happen and offer many healthful choices
• A serving size for this stage is 1/2 slice of bread, ½ cup of milk, 1 slice of cheese, 3-4 tablespoons of vegetables, 3-4 tablespoons of fruits, 3-4 tablespoons meat (or 2 tablespoons peanut butter)
• Allow your toddler to choose which foods and how much to eat
• Avoid sugary drinks – Good choices are water and milk
• 4 oz of 100% juice (no sugar or high fructose corn syrup added) once per day can be a good choice
• Always cut a child’s meat in pieces and avoid known choking hazards such as, raw veggies like carrot sticks, whole hot dogs, whole grapes and raisins, popcorn, and nuts
• Always have child sit to eat

Ask your healthcare provider about your child’s growth curve; this is a great way to tell if your child is getting adequate nutrition. Visit the Montelores Early Childhood Council’s website for useful information and links about health and nutrition.

 

*Although these guidelines are appropriate for most children they may not fit all. Always consult your health care provider about specific nutrition needs of your child*

5.2.1.0.

• 5 servings of fruits & veggies
• 2 hours or less screen time
• 1 hour or more exercise
• 0 sugary drinks daily!

 

Well Child Check

During this check-up your child will be evaluated for health issues, development, growth, oral health, and vision

 

Topics to discuss with your Health Care Provider:

• parenting style and constructive discipline
• sibling relationships
• balancing family time, independent time, alone time with partner and work
• encouraging communication and early literacy
• social opportunities and peer play
• physical activity and TV limitations
• child safety
• any concerns about growth or development

 

Recommended Immunizations:

• Influenza (Yearly)

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4 Year Old

Use these links to jump to different topics
 
Developmental Milestones
Feeding and Nutrition
Well Child Check
Recommended Immunizations
School Readiness
Safety

 

Developmental Milestones

Social/Emotional:

• enjoys doing new activities
• is more and more creative with make-believe play
• prefers to play with other children
• cooperates with other children
• may not know difference between what’s real and what make-believe is
• talks about what she likes and what she is interested in

 

Language/Communication:

• uses “he” or “she” correctly in a sentence
• sings favorite song or says a poem from memory like: “ABC’s”
• tells stories
• says first and last name

 

Cognitive:

• understands the idea of counting
• remembers parts of a story
• understands “same” and “different”
• draws a person with 2 to 4 body parts
• uses scissors under supervision
• copies capital letters
• plays simple board or card games
• Interacts during story time

 

Physical:

• hops and stands on one foot up to 2 seconds
• often catches a bouncing ball
• pours liquids

Tell Your Health Care Provider If Your Child:

• has difficulty jumping in place
• has trouble scribbling
• shows no interest in interactive games or make-believe
• ignores people outside the family
• resists dressing, sleeping, and using the toilet
• can’t retell a favorite story
• has difficulty following three part instructions
• can’t understand “same” and “different”
• doesn’t use “me” and “you” correctly

*Remember: All children grow and develop at their own pace.*

 

Feeding and Nutrition

• Set designated mealtimes for whole family-Turn off TV and other electronics
• Offer a rainbow of colors on the plate. Include many textures; plenty of fruits, vegetables, proteins, and dairy being mindful of choking hazards
• Decide when and where your mealtime happens and offer 2-3 healthful choices
• Allow child to choose which food and how much to eat
• Avoid sugary drinks – Good choices are water and milk
• 4 oz of 100% juice (no sugar or high fructose corn syrup added) per day can be a good choice
• Always have child sit to eat
• Limit foods that are high in fat, sugar and salt
• Offer three meals and three healthful snacks each day and strive to provide 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily
• Include at least one hour of physical activity for a child daily, attempt to include the whole family in this routine

Ask your healthcare provider about your child’s growth curve, this is a great way to tell if your child is getting adequate nutrition.

 

*Although these guidelines are appropriate for most children they may not fit all. Always consult your health care provider about specific nutrition needs of your child*

5.2.1.0.

• 5 servings of fruits & veggies
• 2 hours or less screen time
• 1 hour or more exercise
• 0 sugary drinks daily!

 

Well Child Check

Topics to discuss with your health care provider:

• the sensitivity of children at this age
• how to model respectful and honest behavior
• opportunities for child to be social with other peers
• preschool or other early childhood learning environments
• importance of everyday reading
• communication with child
• bedtime routine
• oral hygiene
• limiting television and promoting physical activity
• child and family safety
• any questions or concerns you have

 

Recommended Immunizations

Between 4-6 year of age:

• DTaP
• IPV
• MMR
• Influenza (yearly)

For more information on Immunizations and the diseases that they protect us from go to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention website at: www.cdc.gov/vaccines/parents/index.html

School Readiness

Getting children prepared for kindergarten starts before birth with good prenatal care and habits.

As they grow the most important things to do are to read, talk and play with them daily. Sharing these interactions builds brain power and important pre-reading skills

Preparing your kids emotionally and socially for school is critical to learning success. Children need to feel safe and loved to reach their full potential. Academic skills are important, but can be added if the child is ready to learn, knows how to behave in a classroom setting, and can interact with other children and adults.

Preparation for school leads to learning success for years to come!

Healthy Kids are Ready Kids!

5 Ways to be Ready for Kindergarten

Ready to Share and Care- Social/emotional skills are most important- children should:

• take turns
• try new things
• share
• control and express feelings
• independently use the bathroom
• dress and undress self
• clean up after self

 

Ready to Learn and Listen- Teaching kids the “art of learning” is very important – children should:

• keep trying to master tasks when encouraged
• be building self-esteem
• be prepared to learn in the classroom
• have listening skills and follow directions

 

Ready to Talk, Read and Write- Talking with and reading to children helps develop larger vocabularies, increased attention span and a desire to read more – children should:

• recognize letters
• write their own name

 

Ready to Count and Experiment- Basic math and science skills, such as counting and curiosity, help prepare early learners – children should:

• explore the world around them
• ask questions
• know some numbers and count to 10

 

Ready to Exercise and Eat- Exercise, healthy eating and getting enough sleep are critical for success in school – children should:

• follow routines, especially bedtime and mealtime
• get 10 hours of sleep per night
• eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily and eat healthful foods for good nutrition
• limit TV and game time to 2 hours or less daily
• get 1 hour or more of physical exercise daily
• drink only water and milk, and have 0 sugary drinks daily

 

*If your child is in the care of family, friends or neighbors during preschool years, or you are concerned about Kindergarten readiness contact the Montelores Early Childhood Council about opportunities and activities to help prepare you and your child for the transition.*

Safety for the 4 Year Old

• Until your child is 4 years old and AT LEAST 40 POUNDS use a forward facing car seat
• Once the child is over 40 pounds s/he may sit in a booster seat placed in back seat of the vehicle
• Always use the car’s seat belt to secure the child in the booster seat
• Teach child about Stranger Danger and appropriate touch
• Teach your children about animal safety
• Always supervise children in or around water
• Popcorn, hot dogs, carrot sticks, grapes, cherries and any other food larger than a child’s windpipe are chocking hazards – Cut foods such as these into bite-sized pieces and have child sit to eat
• Consider taking a CPR class
• Secure all medicines, cleaning supplies, alcohol, and weapons in a locked cabinet
• Supervise your children outdoors and indoors AND speak to them about how to be safe