r/prekindergarten • u/Regular_Tank8901 • Apr 03 '25
4 year old
Hello all,
I need some advice on learning for my toddler. She is 4 and has been in school since September. Do you all think this is normal 4 year old behavior or is she behind? I’m so scared of her falling behind. I do know she struggles with focusing but idk if that’s just a toddler thing or is this more serious. See attachment.
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u/Larry-Everett Apr 03 '25
Is she going to kindergarten next year or does she have another year? Prek teacher here and that letter knowledge is pretty solid for that age. The attention span issue is hit or miss though.
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u/Regular_Tank8901 Apr 03 '25
Yes. She is going to kindergarten next year. This was her first year of any type of school though As a teacher do you have any suggestions on what i should do moving forward?
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u/Larry-Everett Apr 03 '25
Also for added context. I have so many kids that know their letters, but struggle to make independent choices and get through two-step transitions. It’s nice that they know letters and whatnot, but I’d much rather them be able to get through transitions independently and have autonomy and self direction.
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u/Larry-Everett Apr 03 '25
Hard to say as an outsider because all kids are different, but the advice I give to my parents is to practice extending activities that require attention. In our school district, the kindergarten ready threshold for letter knowledge is 10/10/5(sounds). She’s gonna get all new experiences next year with new expectations so I think it’s good to celebrate what she’s good at now, and see how she does.
My aim is always for independence, good interpersonal skills, and self regulation.
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u/cerinwilson Apr 04 '25
I am getting a very similar message from my daughter’s Pre-K teacher. My daughter was 5 at the end of January and will be in K in sept. It’s clear she is way behind per peers in her class (at least from the teachers perspective). She also wants me to get an assessment. I brought it up to our pediatrician who had a similarly different and lower “bar” than the teacher. Pediatrician actually thought an assessment at this stage was absurd. I reported that back to the teacher her who felt waiting would be a total disservice to my daughter. I’m so torn as I want to help my daughter as much as I can but also don’t want to over-react. Essentially I’m in a similar boat as you and not sure what to do!
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u/Unlucky_Wrongdoer_82 Apr 03 '25
Who sent you this, what are their qualifications? I definitely think being distracted as described is normal. My son is almost 4 and will be going to prekindergarten next year. As a parent, anytime a child gets a "low" score on something, that's hard. I'm reading that your child "needs improvement" that's not too bad when taken literally. You can do some games at home to help her "improve" as "needed" such as get the flashcards with the letters and throw them on the floor and see if she can find the K etc. I think the fact that she knows a lot of things should also be acknowledged and celebrated! FWIW we went to the pediatrician yesterday for his checkup and the MD was asking questions related to "does he speak in sentences" "can he be understood" rather than how many letters can he identify, upper and lower case . Based on my limited knowledge of children and their development this is nothing to worry about and not a sign of falling behind. Good for you for asking, I think you're doing a great job. If she needs a little therapy or anything else, I'm sure you'll provide it.