Developmental Stages - Three and Four Years |
We are learning to be Friends |
We begin to...
- care about others.
- share toys and take turns.
- settle our own arguments.
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We Have Many Emotional Needs |
Sometimes we need help...
- learning to trust.
- controlling behavior.
- learning to be independent.
- expressing and understanding our feelings.
- dealing with our fears & remembering our daily routines.
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We are Starting to Do Things by Ourselves |
We...
- wash and dry our hands.
- undress and dress ourselves.
- know when we need to use the bathroom.
- pick up and put away our toys.
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Our Arms and Leg Muscles are Growing Quickly |
We are beginning to ...
- bounce, throw, and catch a ball.
- hop, jump, and gallop.
- climb, balance and ride a tricycle.
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We Love Stories and Books |
We learn when...
- you read us books with pictures.
- you say rhymes and repeating words.
- you read us the same book over and over.
- you read us new books, we talk about the stories.
- we talk about the stories we read and heard.
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Soon We Will Be Learning to Read |
We..
- like to see our name in print.
- can recognize certain words.
- want to know what words say.
- are interested in what letters look like.
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We are Learning to Respect Ourselves and Others |
We need to be reminded...
- that we are special - to take turns.
- to be kind - to tell the truth.
- to say “please” & “thank you.”
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We Enjoy Lots of Different Things |
We really like to ...
- play with “messy stuff” (play-dough, mud, glue).
- sing and dance.
- play with imaginary friends.
- pretend to be grown ups.
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We are Learning to Communicate |
We...
- often talk just to talk - use lots of words.
- can tell you what we want or need.
- usually speak clearly enough for others to understand.
- follow simple directions.
- understand and ask a lot of questions.
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We Can Use Our Hands for Lots of Things |
We...
- build with blocks.
- eat with forks and spoons.
- use crayons, markers, and scissors.
- spread food with a knife - “dish up” own food.
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We Think We Can Write |
We like to...
- scribble and draw.
- pretend we are “grown up” and write like you.
- find or make letters out of sticks or pretzels.
- write our own name.
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We are Learning About Our World |
We begin to...
- learn our colors and shapes.
- learn to count and sort objects.
- learn about concepts like big and small, near and far, same and different.
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We like to be with Others |
We...
- like to help.
- like to play group games.
- usually share and take turns.
- value friends.
- notice that everyone is not the same.
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We are Developing a Conscience |
We...
- continue to learn about right and wrong.
- see our behavior as good and bad.
- care about others feelings.
- like things to be fair.
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We Like to Show You Our New Abilities |
We...
- are getting pretty good at throwing, catching, kicking, and bouncing a ball.
- can climb, balance, run, hop, gallop, jump and skip.
- like doing challenging tricks - so keep an eye on us.
- are learing to tie our shoes.
- want to ride a bike.
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We are Growing as Communicators |
We...
- can carry on a conversation.
- can listen and pay attention for longer periods of time.
- may surprise you with the big words we know.
- ask questions to get more specific information.
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We are Becoming Writers |
We...
- may reverse letters when writing.
- can write some words but spell many words like they sound.
- are learning about capital letters and sentences.
- want to share our stories with you.
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We Like to Be Creative and Share Our Creativity With Others |
We are able to...
- create realistic art with different materials.
- make up songs and dances.
- act out stories and “put on” shows.
- tell jokes.
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Our Bodies are Growing Fast |
We..
- need both noisy and quiet activities.
- tire easily but get over it quickly.
- can get tired even when we sit.
- can control our fingers better for cutting, drawing, and writing.
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Stories and Books are Important to Us |
We...
- need you to read to us every day.
- like to make up, tell, and write our own stories.
- often choose books because of the author or subject.
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We are Learning to Read |
We...
- know that the words tell the story.
- may point to words as we read.
- can read simple stories (but usually use the pictures to help us).
- know alphabet letters and the sounds they make.
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We Are Learning about the World |
We...
- have a daily routine
- need help selecting appropriate TV shows.
- are influenced by commercials/advertising.
- are still learning through hands-on play but can understand many things we cannot see or touch.
- write numbers but sometimes write them backwards.
- learn our address, phone number, and birth date.
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