What can/could your 4 year do?

[Backonceagainwiththerenegademaster]

Could they read letters/sounds, words, books yet? Write letters, their name, sentences or nothing?
Just curious what sort of stage..ish, most 4 year olds are at.

*4 year old do 🙄

Mine could do everything listed except writing sentences by 4

My DD is 3yrs9 months and can write and recognise some but not all letters. She can write her name. She's not reading actual words yet. Knows and can recognise numbers up to 20 ish, some of the time!

One of mine could do all this by 4. One could do none of it. Other two fell in the middle.

I’d say my experience of working with this age group for years is that the majority at upper age 4 can write their own name confidently plus other letters, and can sound out simple three letter words plus recognise sight words.

My boy is 4 and 9 months. He could write his name and recognise all letters before he stated school this September. Since then he has come on immensely and can ready many words and has just started reading books.

@Kanaloa What age would the majority read a simple book by themselves?

My ds could read, do simple maths, recount, write basic words.

By her 4th birthday? That is exceptional. Most middle class 4 year olds I know can recognise some letters and read their own name if presented with it in a predictable situation. "Writing" their own name too perhaps but it might be illegible to a stranger!

Mostly yes but only because she was a summer born so was still 4 at the end of reception!

@slightlybonkersmum Had he learnt his letters and writing his name at home or nursery/preschool prior to school?

He went to an amazing childminder since he was 8 months old as I work full-time. They were amazing at doubt lessons from a young age and the year before school getting him school ready.
All kids learn at different times however

Yes by their 4th birthday

was normal in her peer group too.

My 4 year old has just started reception. She can ID letters and the sounds they make, but not join them together to make a word. She can write words if I spell them out for her, but she's just remembering the letters and drawing the shapes rather than understanding how they go together to make a word.
She can write her own name and has been able to do so since she was 2 - again, this is just her remembering it like a shape to draw. The R is always backwards

Depends. What do you mean a ‘simple book?’ Almost every 4yo I know can turn the pages of Bear Hunt and recite it but it’s not because they can read. A totally unfamiliar book picked up at random to be read perfectly? I’d say about 5-ish. But some children younger, some older.

My youngest is 4 in 2 months
She is great with numbers and letters and her drawing and colouring is really coming on
She can read a very simple book with me helping sounds out the words
But she has zero interest in writing. She won't even try to hold the pencil properly
I'm not worried though
My other children could easily write their names at her age and even younger. My older daughter could at just gone 3 but they're all different
She is as bright as Button in other ways. She talks for England and has loads of confidence and is very good at jigsaw puzzles and memory games

Dc1 could just about write his name at 4, not much else maybe recognised a few sounds and letters but he wasn’t interested either.

Dc2 could do all but read longer sentences (there is only 12 months between dc1 & dc2).
Dc3 was only just 4 starting school and could all of the above on leaving at 4. She knew all her phonics, read a few words & could read & write her name, letters and numbers.
Dc4 is 4 next year and starting school and is similar to DC1.

4 Dc all so very different abilities.

Depends entirely on when they start school.

I meant to say 5 in 2m not 4! Whoops sorry

Mine could recognise her own name and some simple words (cat/dog), and count up to ten, but that was about it. Covid meant she lost her last year at nursery where they’d do a lot of school readiness, and her reception year was in lockdown. I worried she would struggle, but she caught up so fast! Really, they’ll be a big spread of abilities but they all catch up.

At just 4 my eldest could blend simple words (c-a-t), recognise all numbers & letters, so simple addition & subtraction (plus or minus 1) and some basic multiplication/division eg 3 lots of 2, halving etc. By 4.5 he could read (with proper phonic knowledge) short books (like school yellow level), recognise and understand numbers to about 30, do any number bonds to 20, 2,5 & 10 times table (not memorised), was good at money, telling time, shapes & patterns. I thought he was exceptional on reading etc, i got it wrong really, he's good at that but not exceptional, maths is where he is miles ahead of peers.

He couldn't draw for shit, struggled with buttons & held a pen terribly. Knew the letters but physically could only really wrote his own name etc. Slow runner, poor jumper, but could ride a pedal bike no stabilisers from 4th birthday.

Youngest is 3 now. I don't think she'll know letter sounds or written forms by 4 but already holds a pencil better and pretends to "write". Shes ok at numbers & shapes etc, better than peers, but not exceptionally so. She's a much faster runner than brother was and is good at buttons/zips etc.

Gosh really, and they’re middle class and everything! Most working class 4 year olds i know can write their own name competently. It’s actually something we teach in preschools here in the working class underworld.

Mine just turned 4. He can't do any of these things. Can tell me about 3 letters. He's incredibly advanced physically. Can climb to the top of a climbing wall, has been riding a pedal bike without stabilisers since his 3rd birthday, can do a front flip off the sofa and land on his feet etc. I'm so amazed by him, but he's definitely a bit behind academically (if that's the correct word for it!)

Mine could recognise single letters but not digraphs (two letter sounds like th) and read a few basic words like cat/dog. Could write their name independently and could copy out a sentence (eg. To Granny happy birthday love from X). Knew numbers up to 10 and could answer "what comes after x" but didn't really get add/take away.

Well my just turned four year old can't do any of these things yet, thankfully he doesn't start school until September so has some time to get the hang of it.

He isn’t behind academically if he’s just turned four! He will pick all this stuff up, you’ll be amazed by the difference between just turned four and about to be five.