How to educate a 4-year-old child

As children grow up day by day, parents must ensure that they grow up healthily and avoid getting sick or injured. Parents also have the responsibility to educate their children, teach them to read and reason, and let them know how to judge right from wrong. However, children are children after all. They will not obediently follow the route set by their parents. They also have their own ideas and they also want to be respected. So how should we educate a 4-year-old child?

Parents with a 4-year-old child at home are sometimes almost at a loss for what to do with their children, or even so frustrated that they don't want to pay attention to them. Only then do they deeply realize that parenting is not an easy task; but from another perspective, parents must also go through this stage in order to grow themselves.

If someone asks, "When is the most attractive stage for young children?" experts will answer without hesitation, "4 years old." But for most adults, this age is the most troublesome. Compared with the age of 3 or 5, 4-year-old children are the least docile; because they are in the so-called "energetic age", all the functions of the body begin to develop vigorously in all aspects.

Four-year-old children are indeed full of energy, but they are not as rebellious as adults think. Instead, they like to have close contact with people and have social life. It’s just that they are arrogant, confident, and independent in their rebellious consciousness, so they are considered to be rebellious.

In addition, the 4-year-old loves to try everything, whether it is a hammer, scissors, a swing or a tricycle, he can play with or use it freely. For example, he is often seen wearing flowery clothes and imitating the singing of TV stars, or playing house with his friends.

They grow very fast during this period. If they stop for a moment and look at something carefully, they will definitely find something new and interesting, and then they will ask questions relentlessly: "What is this? How could it be like this? Why? Mom." For 4-year-olds, most things in this world are still unfamiliar to them, and in order to understand, they will never tire of pursuing them. Adults often feel overwhelmed by young children's relentless spirit.

4-year-olds are also generous, boastful, and like to brag. If we talk about their interesting topics, adults will often feel inferior to them. In short, a 4-year-old child already has a miniature of the entire personality, which will be cleverly expressed in the future.

Deviations and confusion caused by rapid growth are common in four-year-old children. I hope adults will face these problems with tolerance. At this stage, family education for young children must pay attention to the following points:

(1) Don’t be annoyed

First of all, parents need to accept the phenomenon of their children being talkative at this stage.

The development of language must go through the stages of "listening and speaking", so adults should set correct speaking examples for children and also be loyal listeners to young children.

In particular, do not suppress young children's desire to speak. Parents should show concern for their words and create a pleasant atmosphere. Attitudes that prohibit children from speaking, such as "You're talking too much!" or "Shut up!" are the most inappropriate.

If there are guests at home and adults are worried that they will disrupt the conversation, they can first tell them: "Can you please wait a moment before I listen to you?" Let him develop the habit of waiting. The above statement does not mean that parents need to be with their children all the time. It is enough to take out thirty to forty minutes a day to accompany them patiently. The rest of the time, mothers can work while responding by saying, "So that's how it is!" and pay attention to their children's eyes to let them know that you are responding to their words.

Although this is just a very simple reaction, it makes the child quite satisfied.

In addition, when the mother is busy preparing dinner, it is also a good idea for the father to accompany the child. At this time, the father may as well tell the child interesting things he sees and hears in the outside world, which can satisfy the child's curiosity and enhance the relationship between father and son (daughter).

(2) Differences between inside and outside

No matter how talkative a 4-year-old child is, he or she will not be as talkative outside as at home. This tendency is especially evident when facing an unfamiliar environment. At this time, adults may immediately say impatiently: "Didn't you speak well at home? What's wrong with you now?"

This phenomenon is more of a social problem than a language problem of the child itself. As long as they get used to different people and environments, they will naturally overcome this obstacle over time.

(3) Don’t pay attention to your child’s foul language

Once a 4-year-old child's social life with his peers goes smoothly, swear words or unacceptable words will often come out of his mouth. At this time, adults should not pay too much attention to it; if they prohibit them from using swear words due to socialization and interfere with their interactions, it is equivalent to prohibiting their lives.

When a 4-year-old child utters a swear word for the first time, parents may say to him: "This sentence is not nice, you shouldn't say it like that!" and then teach him the correct way to say it; if you hear him swearing again in the future, parents should deliberately keep silent, let him think that this kind of words cannot be communicated with adults, and he will naturally change; if adults make a fuss about it, it will have the opposite effect.

In short, young children are constantly learning new vocabulary, and as long as their families use the correct language methods, the novelty of swear words will easily disappear, and adults don’t need to worry too much.