The Universal Pre-K program is specifically geared to four-year-olds. Expert educators discuss the language used by four-year-olds and what makes children of this age special.

What’s So Special About Fours?
Adapted from articles by M. Eileen Wasow

The Language of Fours

Play provides four-year-olds with a language of their own. They can express themselves through play. When children take part in dramatic play, they often use it as a vehicle to communicate emotion and to learn about the world. Play enables fours to try on new roles and take risks in a safe arena. In play children often seek to solve problems of shape, size, color, aesthetics, form, and function.

Play also has a vital role in children’s physical development; when children use their bodies to run, skip, hop, or climb, they are negotiating space and “feeling” their place in relation to the real world. Early play experiences are critical in helping children gain a sense of mastery and self-confidence about themselves as learners and as members of a community.

What’s So Special About Fours

Four-year-olds come to pre-school with many different attitudes and learning styles, but for the most part, they are more ready to seek out other children to play with than they were at three. They are more willing to work in small groups and have a growing attention span that enables them to work for extended periods of time.

Physical Development

With a growing command of their large muscles, many fours are curious to climb, run, balance, and twirl. Many use their growing small motor control to work towards competence at activities like painting and cutting. They are increasingly eager to say, “I can do it myself!”

Socio-emotional Development

Some fours are confident, curious explorers, while others are more tentative. When conflicts arise, some fours are quick to express anger, while others may need to work to find their own voice. As fours become more self-aware in the classroom, they are increasingly able to engage in problem-solving and understanding other children’s points of view.

Cognitive Development

Fours are curious about their world. They like to learn new information. As the language skills of fours grow, you can see them integrate new ideas and experiment with ways to express their thoughts and feelings. Language play is important to many four-year-olds. They extend their exploration of language to match their exploration of the world through play. They are equally eager to explore symbols, such as letters and numbers, a sign that they are working to make sense of the world around them.

General Development

It is important to look at the four-year-old as a total, developing individual. It is also important to recognize the impact of multicultural factors such as gender, race, class, and family values. Each of these factors will influence the ways that fours interact and build meaning out of their experiences.