Developmental Milestones for Preschoolers
As your child grows, their developing skills will help prepare them for preschool and beyond! This article will help you understand what to expect as they continue to grow.
As your child grows, their developing skills will help prepare them for preschool and beyond! This article will help you understand what to expect as they continue to grow.
Long before becoming a parent, I was familiar with the term “terrible twos,” but after becoming a parent, I realized that it’s the “threenagers” and “fournados” that can really make you second-guess your parenting ability. Emotions emerge and need managing. Independence becomes a new theme. Developmental milestones come fast and furious, as those uncertain toddlers bloom into bigger, more distinct personalities, and get ready to take on the world … and school.
Three- and four-year-old children are a wonder to behold. In such a time of rapid change, many parents look for reassurance that their little ones are still meeting typical developmental milestones—and to learn what they can do to support healthy child development. If there are delays, catching them early and getting intervention services is key.
Jane Squires, Ph.D., is an expert on early childhood development and identification of delays, and lead author of the Ages & Stages Questionnaires®, Third Edition (ASQ®-3). She stresses the importance of involving parents in the monitoring of young children’s development. After all, who knows your child better than you? Together, parents and pediatricians present a child’s best opportunities to meet developmental milestones and be ready for school and beyond.
Children’s social-emotional skill development and competence is particularly important indicator of school readiness. “Checking in on progress in these areas is an essential part of preparing for school,” says Squires, “Self-regulation and other social-emotional skills that help the child cooperate and listen in the classroom are often more predictive of academic and job successes than pre-academic skills.”
Here are some pointers on what parents should know about the development of three- and four-year old children.
Parents should make a priority of being present and engaged with young children. Read to them, interact, cuddle, create things together, take them places.
Squires suggests some simple activities parents can try with their children to enhance social-emotional development.
With a 3-year-old child:
With a 4-year-old child:
Dr. Squires invites parents of children ages one month up to seven years to go online anytime at www.agesandstagesresearch.com to try an ASQ developmental screener for free (no obligations; and no personal names or addresses are collected). The developers are continually conducting research to keep data as comprehensive as possible and to ensure the screening continues to be effective and family-friendly. Each questionnaire takes about 10–15 minutes to complete. Answer based on your observations of your child in natural environments, looking at communication, gross motor, fine motor, problem solving, and personal-social skills. You can see a copy of your child’s screening results by email and/or download at end of the session, and get more play and learning activities that fit your child’s age, as well as suggested resources if you have concerns about risk for delay.
You can also call your local public elementary school to ask about free evaluation and to find out if your child can get services to help. They are required to provide this service to you free of charge. A team of professionals will evaluate your child and determine if early intervention or special education services may be needed. If no problem is found but you still believe there is a need for services, you can request an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) to be paid for by the school system, or have your child tested privately at your own expense. Knowing your rights, being your child’s advocate, and acting early are among your most important jobs as a parent.
Parenting a preschooler can be a tremendously demanding/overwhelming/ entertaining/challenging/inspiring/frustrating/ exhausting/thrilling/rewarding experience, and day-to-day you might never be sure just what you’re going to get!
Children develop at their own pace, and there’s not an exact time they’ll learn a specific skill, but common milestones do help establish a general idea of what to watch for and when. It’s natural for parents to want to know whether their child is on track, and whether they should be doing anything differently to give them the best prospects for the future. Know that you’re not alone. And know that, if you’re still reading this, you are one of the parents that is invested and engaged in your child’s well being, making that little one every bit as lucky as they are loved!
Additional resources for parents:
Ages & Stages Questionnaires
www.agesandstages.com
www.agesandstagesresearch.com
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones
www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/positiveparenting/toddlers.html
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/concerned.html
American Academy of Pediatrics
healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/preschool
“What I love about the ASQ is that it allows our staff to catch delays quickly and allows us to get our clients the early intervention programs that they sometimes need. In many cases [ASQ] helps us catch children up before they start kindergarten, therefore providing children with the start that they deserve.”
Sharon Gee, Supervisor, Healthy Families Niagara