Health Tips
- Teach your child traffic and water safety.
- Continue to keep an eye on children when they are playing inside or outside.
- Talk to your child about speaking with strangers — what is okay and what is not.
- Remember well-child visits at 4 and 5 years of age. See the Parent Resource section for information on Well-Child Exams.
- Limit your child’s sugar intake to minimize cavities.
- Continue to work with your child on proper flossing and brushing techniques. Be sure to brush his teeth after he
finishes
- Remember dental visits every six months.

Nutrition Tips
- Minimize distractions during meals (turn the TV off)!
- Begin to allow your child to help cook and set the table.
- Eat dinner as a family and model good eating habits and good manners for your child.
- Promote healthy food choices and physical activity. Obesity is caused by eating more calories than you burn.
- Children’s tastes are always changing. Don’t give up on a particular food. Continue to reintroduce foods 10-15 times; you might be pleasantly surprised when she finds out she DOES like peas or he decides he DOES like cucumbers!
- It is common for children to like foods separated on the plate. They do not like foods mixed together or touching another type of food.

Behavioral Tips
Fantasy play can help children feel safe acting out strong feelings in acceptable ways. Continuing to give children words for their emotions is useful since many behavior problems occur when a child cannot adequately express emotions. Because some children may begin to resolve conflicts on their own at this age, it is helpful to model mediation and negotiation.

Encouraging your three and four year old

Three and four year olds begin to show greater focus and are able to concentrate on an activity for more than five minutes, even as long as fifteen minutes. They also enjoy helping others, which demonstrates increased social connection. Your child’s independence is now apparent in day-to-day routines such as feeding himself/herself and even using utensils regularly. You will also see your child dressing (but not zipping and tying), brushing teeth, and washing hands; somewhat and then totally independently.

Three and four year olds like showing even more independence. Allowing them to make some of their own decisions — by posing some acceptable options — helps them feel good and they also gain confidence in themselves as they learn to come up with solutions. For example, “Would you like to hear a story, sing some songs together, or draw on this paper?”

Children in this stage of development will begin counting, naming colors, and drawing shapes. While three year olds match animals and their sounds, four year olds are able to make more difficult matches, such as a cow goes with the barn and a spoon goes with the fork.

Playtime becomes more social as these children play with each other instead of next to each other. You will notice that as your child plays with others, he or she will begin creating stories and using objects and clothing that support the story. Remember that three and four year olds also like to play with you.

Most three year olds:
- follow two related requests such as pick up the book and bring it to me
- point to a few colors when you name them
- count a few objects
- jump, using both feet
- imitate the drawing of a line or a circle
- can be understood by others at least half of the time
- use the toilet independently, most of the time
- have received all twenty of their baby teeth

Most four year olds:
- are easily understood by most people when they talk
- will try new foods
- count six to ten objects
- name colors when asked
- draw a person with five or more body parts
- hop a few times on one foot
- follow a series of 3 related directions