MumCentre Essentials

2 to 3 years | 3 to 4 years | 4 to 5 years | 5 to 6 years

3-3½ Year | 3½- 4 Years

The most obvious difference at this age is appearance. From this moment, your toddler is officially a little boy or girl because of how he/ she looks and what he/ she can do!

What your child might do:

Physically and mentally
• Body proportions change with limbs and torso taking a more grown-up look
• Stands fully erect, walks with arms swinging at sides
• Has better control e.g. of finger grip when colouring or painting, of legs and feet when running or hopping
• Raises feet high and lands squarely back when jumping

Language and emotions
• Recognises letters of the alphabet
• Says “I love you”
• Likes asking family members if they love him/ her
• Physically dramatises emotions e.g. twists body away when crying
• More willing to share toys with other young children
• May use longer sentences e.g. “I want that toy” instead of “want toy”
• May read short words e.g. ball, cat, dog

Feeding
Your child is ready to drink fully from a cup. Continue to watch what your child drinks. Studies show that three to six-year-olds consume much less milk and much more high-sugar fruit juice and soft drinks than the recommended amount.

Sleep
Many three-year-olds stop taking afternoon naps. However, do still try to incorporate some quiet-time into his/ her day to give your child (and yourself) a chance to recharge.

Ideal toys for this age
• Action figures
• Hand puppets
• Science themed toys
• Fairy-tale themed storybooks

Useful tips
Your child will very likely already have a full set of 20 milk teeth. Teach your child to brush his/ her teeth twice a day or preferably after each meal to ensure optimal oral health.

Does your child refuse to hold still? Give him/ her plenty of outdoor outlets to expel this burst of energy.

What your child might do:

Physically and mentally
• Has better balance (girls usually achieve this quicker than boys)
• Has intentional ideas about what to scribble or draw
• Shapes scribbles into semblance of alphabets or even short, misspelled words
• Catches ball thrown directly at him/ her
• Rolls play dough into balls and puts them together to make shapes or people

Language and emotions
• Uses longer sentences
• Recognises and reads short words such as own name and cat, dog, etc
• Empathises with characters in stories

Sleep
Nightmares are very common at this age. And so is fear of the dark. Ease your child’s night-time anxieties by giving him/ her a nightlight, flashlight and/ or a comfort object such as a favourite toy.

Ideal toys for this age
• Intermediate-level jigsaw puzzles
• Simple board games
• Scooter and tricycle
• Early-learning computer games

At this age, a child should be allowed to choose his/ her own toys.

Useful tips
If you haven’t already, emphasise good etiquette and manners now itself. Teaching children to say “please”, “thank you” and “I am sorry” from a young age helps them grow into conscientious adults.