Encouraging Healthy Development - Healthy Development Ideas - 4 Years

Young children are busy exploring their world and discovering new things every day. And there are many things you can do to support and nurture healthy growth and development. Below, we’ve listed some specific activities to help a 4-year-old learn and grow.

Moving - Physical or Motor Development

Provide opportunities for physical play.
Play with balls while running and kicking.
Visit parks, playgrounds and large indoor play spaces where your child can run and climb freely.
Teach your child to play outdoor games like tag, follow the leader and "duck, duck, goose."
Provide riding toys such as a trike, bike with training wheels or scooter.
Put on your child’s favorite music and have a dance party; copy each other's moves.

Talking - Communication and Language Development

Read with your child every day.
Pay attention when your child is talking and carry on a conversation.
Urge your child to use words to ask for help.
Use words like “first,” “second” and “finally” to help your child learn about the sequence of events.
Read to your child every day; ask him/her to tell you what happened in the story as you go.
Say colors, sort items by color, shape or use such as, “Let’s put away all of the toys with wheels now” or “Find all of the green blocks and make a tower.”
Save cereal boxes and other food packages to make paper "money" and set up a pretend grocery store.
Point out letters and numbers in signs and everyday objects, such as, “This sign has the number four in it and you are 4-years-old.”

Interacting - Social and Emotional Development

Play make-believe with your child - let him/her be the leader and choose what you will play.
Set limits and be consistent with what your child can and cannot do.
Say positive things to and praise your child and what he/she is doing.
Give your child opportunities to play with other children.
Encourage your child to use words, share toys and take turns playing games of one another's choice.
Help your child prepare for something new by pretend playing about what he/she might be nervous about such as going to preschool or staying overnight with grandparents.
Let your child solve problems when playing with friends, but be nearby to help out if needed.

Thinking - Cognitive Development

Take time to answer your child’s “why” questions; show patience and be responsive to the questions and if you don’t know the answer, look it up together, ask your child's thoughts or say you don’t know.
Provide your child with toys that build imagination such as blocks, kitchen sets and dress-up clothes.
Give your child simple choices whenever you can; let him/her choose what to wear, play or eat for a snack.
Make an activity box with paper, crayons, tape, markers, ribbon, glue stick, etc.
Say colors in books, pictures and things at home.
Count items at home such as snack crackers, steps or stuffed animals.
Provide materials for art projects using crayons, paint and play-dough. Praise your child’s work and display it on the refrigerator or wall.

If you have concerns about a child's development and think a child might need extra help to learn and grow, don't hesitate to refer a child.

The family will be contacted by the local school district to arrange for a screening or evaluation to determine if their child is eligible for Infant and Toddler Intervention or Preschool Special Education services in Minnesota.

Refer a Child

Services are free!

Regardless of:

Income
Immigration Status