Parenting 4-year-olds can be both beautiful and challenging. Here are some successful Parenting Tips to help you along the way.

4-year-olds are inquisitive. They are becoming independent, using more words (can be quite chatty), getting more physically active and enjoy spending more time in social interactions with peers.

Preschool or kindergarten-aged children are growing in leaps and bounds but come with their challenges.

Some challenges that I have faced with my 4-year-olds as a mom, and my 4 -year-olds as a Kindergarten Teacher are:

 My children:

• being too independent- lacking a sense of boundaries

• not being independent enough for their age e.g., with toileting, self-care and making choices for and engaging in independent play.

• lacking Cooperating, sharing and turn-taking skills

• not having enough emotion recognition and emotion regulation skills

• back talking

• having frequent Temper tantrums and meltdowns

• being fussy eaters

• trouble sleeping or following a bedtime routine

• being responsible (taking responsibility for their actions and understanding consequences)

• lacking the sense of safety awareness

• not being able to communicate clearly (of ideas and use of age-appropriate words and sentences, engaging in purposeful conversations)

• persisting in challenging manipulative experiences

• not engaging in enough outdoor experiences for fundamental movement skills and risk-taking.

If you are a parent of a preschooler or a kindergartener and are going through these parenting challenges, then continue reading for simple and practical parenting tips.

4-Year-Olds are Visual Learners.

I have found that using a visual chart, e.g., a rules chart, chores chart or a daily routine chart works wonders with this age group.

Children love studying and talking about the pictures on charts.

When they can see and talk about these pictures, they tend to understand the steps or instructions better and are then able to apply them to their actions.

I can understand why parents hesitate when it comes to using visual representations. It takes time and effort to find or make one that suits your needs.

That is why I have created a daily routine template that you can download, and custom create a Daily Routine Chart for your child, for free. Scroll Down to Download Your FREE Routine Chart Template.

Having a Routine for Children

I find that having a routine with children is super important

A routine chart acts as a guide that tells children visually what to expect from their day or what they are expected to do.

When children can see the visual representation of the events of their day, they can prepare themselves mentally and physically for the next event.

For example, when children can see (see on the routine chart) that playtime is after breakfast, they are less likely to make a fuss about eating breakfast.

The routine chart is also a fantastic way of teaching children emotion regulation skills.

The pictures help the young 4-year-olds develop patience for waiting or regulate their emotions for tantrums and outbursts.

There will be fewer tears, tantrums, and meltdowns when children understand that they can do what they want if they do this or that first.

Consistently following the routine chart, will also help your child develop healthy habits for eating, toileting, taking care of personal hygiene like brushing teeth or showering and a bedtime routine.

You can also assign children small jobs or chores through the routine chart.

Children love being a ‘special helper’, especially if there is a reward afterwards.

Doing little chores helps children develop confidence in their abilities; they can do it!

They become more independent and responsible and learn to make better choices.

Engaging in little tasks around the house teaches children skills for lifelong success. 

For example, children begin to learn time management and organisation skills.

Encouraging children to pack their bags straight after homework ensures that they have everything ready, and prevents stress and chaos in the morning.

When children get into a routine, there is a notable change in the home environment.

It is amazing when children are cooperative, do things without the nagging and fighting and go to bed on time. 

When children cooperate, it allows more happy time spent together, as a family. This creates a stronger bond between the kids and the parents.

It also gives parents time to have more ‘me time’ or ‘couple time’ together to reconnect and strengthen their relationship.

Read this article where I share how establishing a routine for my kids was so helpful for me to reconnect with my husband.

Here is a helpful article on How to Use a Children's Daily Routine chart with FREE DAILY ROUTINE CHART TEMPLATE that I mentioned earlier. Or just

Download your FREE Routine Chart Template here!

Making Rules and Being Consistent

We all have to follow rules. For example, when driving, at work, at the amusement parks and live with the consequences when we break those rules.

Likewise, children must also understand the importance of rules and the consequences.

Now, I am not talking about strict, rigid rules.

But simple rules that set boundaries for manners and behavior. For example, "You can have dessert when you eat dinner.”

“When you talk rudely to mommy, you do not get screen time this afternoon."

Here is an article How to Set Limits for Kids- 9 Tips for Behaviour Management

Being consistent with the rules states that you mean business; that you will not tolerate rudeness, or back talking.

However, the consequences for behavior for 4-year-olds should never be unreasonable or extended for the rest of the day, because that will do more harm than good.

Here is a helpful article for parents to understand triggers for back talking and parent tips on how to handle little back talkers.

Taking Parenting Courses

Sometimes parenting young ones can become challenging.

I get it! I have been there.

Not knowing how to manage some of the behaviour emerging from your 4-year-old can be quite overwhelming.

Embrace online parenting courses, especially if it is beneficial in creating a lifelong healthy relationship with your child.

I did!

It saved me years of frustrations and stress and helped me create a even stronger bond with my children and husband.

Going to Day-Care/Preschool/ Kindergarten

Children must spend time with their age group in a guided environment.

Being an Early Childhood teacher, I can go on and on about all the benefits of children attending kindergarten.

Anyway, back to the topic. In a preschool/ kindergarten setting, children learn many skills during interaction with peers that they might not learn in a home environment.

At day-care children learn to:

• Stand up for themselves

• Respect others work and space

• Understand what sharing and turn-taking is

• Learn skills for self-regulation and coping with challenges

• Learn to negotiate

• Make friends and learn social skills

And it gives children a head start to school. Here is another helpful article: 3 Main Reasons why Kindergarten is Important for a Head Start at School.

Importance of Outdoor Play

If you are finding getting your little one to sleep at night a challenge, then you must try outdoor play every afternoon.

Outdoor play is vital for children’s healthy physical and emotional wellbeing. Sunshine, fresh air and a bit of exercise immediately helps lift the mood, transforming kids into happy little beings.

Outdoor play gives children a sense of freedom where they are more inclined to experiment with ‘fun unstructured games’ thus developing their skills for curiosity, creativity and resilience.

Children’s sensory and motor skills are more engaged where they can practice hand-eye coordination (catching), foot-eye coordination(kicking), balancing, muscle strength when climbing and so much more.

Children develop a sense of awareness for their physical safety and learn to take calculated risks. Here is an article on Outdoor Play: The Key to School Readiness

Planning fun outdoor games (just general ideas for where you will go and what sort of play the physical environment will present) for kids in advance could help exert kids for a night of good sleep.

With a consistent routine and good physical exercise, children will fall into a quick and deep sleep, every time- which means more ‘me time’ or 'couple time' for you. Yay!

Reading Everyday to Children

Reading with children helps me as an educator and as a mom to talk tactfully about certain issues with my children.

Picture books are a great way to help children understand basic concepts that could be otherwise difficult to explain.

For example, through a picture book, I can use the characters to engage my kids in a conversation about their anxiety about going to kindy. 

Reading time helps me understand my child’s concerns or fears. I can then effectively work on eliminating those fears.

Here is a helpful article Why Should Parents Read to Their Children Every Day

When read to aloud, children can hear words, which helps them improve their articulations. 

Asking children some simple questions like, "What do you think bluey is going to do next?”, helps children develop skills for imagination or questions like “Why do you think Bluey did that?”, can help children practice their comprehension skills.

And of course, a discussion of any sort, always helps children build on their conversation skills.

Conclusion

My goal is to help parents develop a healthy, loving bond with their children, see children’s learning and development through my educator's eyes to help you solve some of the parenting challenges that you might be going through.

Now, if you missed some of the free helpful articles along the way, here they are again.

How To Manage Children's Behaviour With Daily Routine Charts

How to Put a Stop to 4-Year-Olds Talking Back Forever

This Is How You End Tantrums Forever- Awesome Parenting Tips (Ages 2-6)

3 Main Reasons Why Kindergarten is Important for a Head Start at School.