Should I be concerned about my 4 year olds development?

[kentuckyfreudchicken]

This is gonna sound odd but as my eldest I have nothing to compare my 4 year old dd with other than looking at her peers...which I know I shouldn't do but can't help myself. Dropped her off at playgroup and it seemed all the other kids were riding bikes and drawing fabulous pictures and reading.

She has just turned 4 and can't ride a bike, read any words or recognise letters, remember the days of the week in order, do up a zip/ buttons, draw very well, write her name, do a jigsaw puzzle on her own (she can fit the pieces if I show her where they go), use scissors, use a knife to eat (but can use spoon and fork)

she can recognise her name if written down, can draw a very basic face, knows her colours, can recognise numbers 1-6 written down, can count to 30, knows her body parts, can get dressed herself, build basic things with bricks, plays imaginatively with her toys, work her CD player, follow instructions

She seems very happy and talks well but if she sees any of her friends in the street she has to be prompted to say hello when they rush over and almost seems embarrassed by it or very stiltedly says 'hello' and then ignores them. She can use the toilet herself and it dry at night.

She is usually well behaved and polite but has her cheeky moments. Does this sound ok to you or is she behind?

Sounds ok to me. They all do different stuff at dif ages.
My dd1 is 3.3. She recognises no's to 10, but messes about when i try to teach no's.
She can do jigsaws on her own, but only the ones she's familiar with.
She sounds fine. Perhaps she's just not bothered about drawing.
Apparently most school kids can't use utensils these days.
As long as she can communicate pretty clearly what she wants she should be fine.

sorry, when i try to teach letters

Why not speak to the HV and see what she says?

My DD1 is 3.7 and has dyspraxia, and possibly other learning difficulties.

She doesn't draw well, either, but she also has trouble with colour matching, counting, following complex instructions, riding a bike and speech delays (she's in group speech therapy and present and awaiting occupational therapy assessment).

She can, however, use scissors, do puzzles, play imaginatively, etc.

I don't bother comparing her with other children, because she's herself and she has strengths many others have not - such as self-contentment, politeness, thoughtfulness, etc.

Sounds fine to me! I wouldnt worry, they all develop differently, it sounds like some of the others are ahead, my 6yo has only just mastered the basic reading and writting skills. Some kids are more outgoing than others, its nothing to worry about.

I don't get all this pressure to read right away.

I read when I was five, but in the long term, this means nothing.

My ex is half-German, brought up in Germany, and didn't read till he was 7.

He's a very successful engineer.

What do you mean by ride a bike? Presumably pedal? I think she sounds OK.

my twins were 4 in Jan - your dd sounds in line with them and most of their peers at playgroup.

I have found with mine that the first child was very slow to pick up letters, reading etc, whereas the second ones are way ahead at the same age (friends have noticed the same with their kids).

Nothing to be concerned by IMHO.

Yeah she just can't pedal it....she can balance on it and tries to pedal but can't seem to grasp the movement. Steering is a bit hit and miss as well.

My 2 year old is nearly as good at drawing as she is and recognises same numbers etc.

My dd does have an interest in books at asking what words say but when I try to do letters with her she just gets silly and has no attention span.

Whenever we do an activity she gets fed up half way through and wanders off or just does half a puzzle and wants to put it away. Tips a box of bricks everywhere, builds a tower and then wants to put it away.

My ds2 has dyspraxia and didn't learn to pedal a bike even with stabilisers till he was almost 6 . He also had difficulty with scissors , drawing etc .

Yes, chip, we decided just to leave off on the bike for a while w/DD1.

She has no established handedness and changes hands in the middle of tasks, too.

She's finally drawing circles, but the rest is pretty much scribble.

Oh, and she is not in any way potty-trained or even close (she's 4 in June).

Your daughter is still very little. She sounds very normal to me. Some children are naturally shy. If you got any worries then prehaps you could ask your daughter's pre school teacher.

I doult that many four year olds can read. They might be just reciting a book that they know well. It is easy to think that other children are more advanced than they really are.

she sounds absolutely normal.

My ds is four and a half and has been at school since september and he can:

recognise his name
count reliably up to about 18
very very shakily write his name
ride a bike - ish
draw a very basic face

he can't
read
write
do buttons up
dress properly on his own - everything's inside out and shoes on wrong feet
do a jigsaw alone
use scissors very well at all
use a knife

hope that's of some help; my ds is very articulate indeed and can understand and talk about some really complex concepts; their output at this age doesn't always seem to be up there with what they can understand.

I'm sure your dd is completely normal and bright.

I would speak to her preschool teachers and see how they feel she is developing. Not because I think this isn?t normal, but because we don?t know your dd and only have what you?ve posted on here to go on. But if you talk to someone who also knows your dd well and who is interacting with her on a daily basis, they may be able to give you reassurance that there?s no need for concern.

Thanks,

I will tlk to her pre-school teacher tomorrow. Sunnyside up - she sounds exactly the same as your ds!