She should know that the world is magical and that so is she. If he could care less about learning his numbers, his parents should realize he’ll learn them accidentally soon enough and let him immerse himself instead in rocket ships, drawing, dinosaurs or playing in the mud.ĥ. He should know his own interests and be encouraged to follow them.

She should know that it is always okay to paint the sky orange and give cats 6 legs.Ĥ. She should know how to laugh, act silly, be goofy and use her imagination. He should know his personal rights and that his family will back them up.ģ.

He should know that he can trust his instincts about people and that he never has to do something that doesn’t feel right, no matter who is asking. He should know that he is safe and he should know how to keep himself safe in public, with others, and in varied situations. She should know that she is loved wholly and unconditionally, all of the time.Ģ. So here, I offer my list of what a 4 year old should know.ġ. We are such a competitive culture that even our preschoolers have become trophies and bragging rights. It bothered me greatly to see these mothers responding to a worried mom by adding to her concern, with lists of all the things their children could do that hers couldn’t. The fewest yet said that each child develops at his own pace and not to worry. A few posted URL’s to lists of what each age should know. Others chimed in with how much more their children already knew, some who were only 3. Counting to 100, planets, how to write his first and last name, and on and on. One mom posted a laundry list of all of the things her son knew.

Most of the answers left me not only saddened but pretty soundly annoyed. “What should a 4 year old know?” she asked. I was on a parenting bulletin board recently and read a post by a mother who was worried that her 4 1/2 year old did not know enough.

A Magical Homeschool by Alicia Bayer