In this article about 4 year old behavior, we're going to see what is a "normal" behavior and what you can do to avoid 4 year old behavior problems. If your child is difficult to manage, the parenting advices given in this article will help you see what you can change in your parenting and better understand the 4 year old behavior.
At the bottom of this article, you'll find advices for parents who have a difficult time dealing with their child's behavior issues.
4 year old behavior characteristics
4 year old is an important milestone. Your child's skills are expanding quickly and this year is the continuum of last year's development which also means that previous behavior problems might be persisting. 4 year old behavior issues are often already present during the child's third year.
- 4 year old behavior is defined by better self control and the need to be more self-reliant, making decisions and exploring the world (new activities, new friends).
- As their language skills expand, toddlers are very willing to share their own feelings and experiences with others. They're better at managing their emotions and are also less centered on themselves and more interested in others as they understand their needs and feelings.
- Having a lot of imagination and engaging in complex pretend play is a typical 4 year old behavior pattern. Imaginary friends are ok! Not making a clear distinction between reality and fantasy is a normal 4 year old behavior. They shouldn't be punished for making up stories.
- Children who are 4 have a logical reasoning and can understand complex things that they can see. They need to be reassured and things explained to them.
Preventing 4 year old behavior problems
To help you avoid 4 year old behavior problems, below are advices to help you parent your child. Being an educated parent about the 4 year old behavior pattern will help you handle the 4 year old behavior issues you may face.
- Always praise your child's good behavior. Children want their parents to be happy so if you empasize the fact that your child's good behavior makes you happy and proud, you'll see more of this good behavior.
- It is part of a 4 year old behavior to ask for some privacy and this should be respected by parents.
- They can participate in chores and have to be praised if they do them well.
- It's important to give them choices. Still, open questions such as "what do you want to wear?" should be avoided. It's better to give your child the choice between something and something else so that your 4 year old understands that you're the one who takes the main decisions but that you're open to discussion and to listen to our child opinion.
- Be consistent, firm and loving. Do not spank nor yell. Time-out are effective but consequences of broken rules have to be very clearly explained. 4 year old behavior issues are often caused by misunderstandings or consequences that are not applied by the parent.
- Asking embarassing question is also a 4 year old behavior aspect that shouldn't be neglected. Answer your child's questions (even the ones about death and sex) in a simple and clear way. Use the correct terms.
What if 4 year old behavior problems are impossible to handle?
Some 4 year old behavior issues can be very difficult to handle especially when children haven't been well managed the year before. But even tricky 4 year old behavior problems can be dealt with the right way if you have effective parenting guidelines to follow. But parenting tips won't necessarily be enough as the only way to parent a 4 year old effectively is to apply a coherent and consistent parenting method.
The good news is that some parents and therapists have created very effective parenting programs that you can easily apply.
Parenting programs are effective and detailed step-by-step guides that are help parents being consistent as they apply new parenting techniques. These parenting programs are also made for very difficult children. All the 4 year old behavior problems can be solved.
If you think you might need a parents guide, feel free to follow the link to visit our website about parenting help to browse our selection and read our in-depth reviews of effective parenting programs we tested.
Laura Kaine is a mother of two and an expert parenting writer and owner of YourParentingHelp.com where she selected effective parenting methods with other parents.
About the Author
0 comments:
Post a Comment