The 4th and 5th years are the pre-school period. During these years, your child will experience important social and spiritual developments in preparation for school with the support of you and, if participating, the playgroups. Watching these will be exciting and enjoyable for you as well. Now you will see that your little one has more relations with the outside world and makes friends. And you will watch him become more and more outgoing, more independent of you, and you will be happy to realize that he is no longer the little baby he was a few years ago.
At this age, your child will be eager to do new things. He will like to pretend to be mom or dad and will often imitate you. At the age of 5, he will start to like playing with other children rather than playing on his own, and he will learn to agree and cooperate with other children.
At age 4, your child cannot yet distinguish between what is real and what is fantasy. But by the age of 5, he will be able to distinguish between reality and fantasy.
He will be able to explain what he likes to do and what he does not like, and he will be able to insist on not doing things he does not like. And sometimes he will be very compatible with you, he will listen to your word, and some days he will be very demanding and incompatible.
By age 5, your child will be able to count more than 10 objects. Will be able to name at least 4 colors correctly. The concept of time will now become more understandable for your child. He will begin to understand concepts such as “tomorrow, later, yesterday”. He will begin to know what the use of items such as money, food, plates, pots, and telephones used at home and in daily life are also useful.
Your child will now start to make friends and prefer friends. But at age 5, unlike previous ages, he will also want to be approved by his friends. This is an important step in his socialization because he wants to be liked and approved by others. It is also possible that at this age he is trying to look like some of his friends. For this purpose, he can imitate them, try to dress like them and talk like them. These are normal developmental stages.
At this age, your child will begin to care more about the rules. He also learns to dance, sing, imitate and act, and he practices it fondly. Your child, who will gain a little more independence, may even try to go to the neighbor by himself. That’s why it’s okay to talk to him about safety and set firm but unflinching boundaries against strangers and acting on his own.
At the age of 4-5, your child will begin to wonder about sexuality and to question the differences between boys and girls. Try to answer his questions in a simple but correct way, as much as he asks.
This year, you will get to know your child better, whose personality is emerging, and you will learn to find the right path together according to his attitude. Never forget to be patient.