Child Development and Milestones: Your 4-Year-and-10-Month-Old

Wow! In the blink of an eye, your little one is almost five years old: 4 years and 10 months to be  precise. Kindergarten days are almost over and he will be going to primary school soon. At this age, your 4-years-and-10-month-old child has an almost fully developed brain, so he is able to grasp more complex concepts.  

In this article, we explore common 4-year-and-10-month-old child milestones so you know if your little one is on track. At the same time, you should bear in mind that every child develops at their own rate. So, they might already hit some of these milestones or they might achieve them at different times.

Do observe your child as much as possible and if you notice any red flags, then the best option is always to talk to your paediatrician.

4-Year-and-10-Month-Old Child Development and Milestones: Track Your Child’s Progress

Physical Development

Your child’s development is now in preparation for them to start school.

At this stage, your child’s should be around this tall and weigh about this much:*

• Boys
  • Height: 108.1 cm (42.6 in)
  • Weight: 18 kg (39.7 lb)
• Girls
  • Height: 106.8 cm (42 in)
  • Weight: 17.7 kg (38.9 lb)

In this early childhood stage, your little one should be hitting these physical milestones:

• Loves physical activity like dancing, jumping, running and skipping. 
• Adopts a more adult-like posture when throwing and catching ball. 
• Engages in activities that require more hand-eye coordination.
• Accurately and skilfully uses simple tools like safety scissors.
• Becomes more physical with other children (which could include pushing, roughhousing, fighting).
• More spatial awareness. 
• Stands on one foot for more than 10 seconds. 
• Can turn somersaults and hop. 
• Rides a tricycle or bicycle.

This is the time some children’s baby teeth start to fall, making space for permanent adult teeth. However, most kids don’t lose their baby teeth until after age five. 

You can expect your child to grow about 6cm in height over the course of a year and also gain about 3kg in the same time period. Your child might also show a little more fussiness towards the food they eat.

Tips: 

• If you haven’t started your child in extra-curricular activities, then this is a ripe age to start doing so. Going for group classes outside will allow them to prepare better for school. Dance class is also a great way to encourage their spatial awareness. 
• Give your child plenty of space and time to move around and explore their flexibility. Bring them out to parks for cycling or children’s Zumba classes or to a jungle gym to expend their energy. 
• Your child is mimicking your eating behaviour, so if they are not gaining enough weight and are fussy with their food, it could be a reflection of what they see their parents doing. Try to minimise dieting in front of your kids at this impressionable age. 

When to Talk to Your Doctor:

If your child is eating but not gaining weight or growing in height, you should check with the doctor if there is any underlying health issues. 

You should also raise concern if your child is:

• Anti-social and refusing to participate in any activities. 
• Has started to lose energy drastically and appears “lazy”. 

Cognitive Development

At this age, your child is going to be answering back a lot. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It shows a lot of critical thinking skills and development. When you have conversations with your child at this age, they are absorbing concepts and forming their own opinions. 

You might also hear more complaints about tummy aches, headaches, body aches and such. This is because they’re becoming more aware of their bodies. 

While there is a whole spectrum of skills they pick up at this age, here are some cognitive development milestones you can check on: 

• Your child enjoys reading on his own. 
• He is well-coordinated in his thoughts and arguments. 
• Your child is curious about everything. 
• He can express ideas clearly and give relevant examples. 
• Your child speaks in longer sentences. 
• Your child’s play time involves more role-playing and is more reflective of real life situations. 

Tips:

• Give your child lots of age-appropriate materials to read. 
• Get books on rhyming, poems and riddles to entertain your child with and stimulate cognitive development further. 
• Test your child on their memory skills with memory games. 

When to Talk to Your Doctor

If your child is displaying very laggard progress when it comes to reading and vocalising their thoughts, it might be good to see a specialist to test their cognitive development. 

Social and Emotional Development

Ah, a little social butterfly is emerging right now. At this age, many children are not shy to express their feelings, even around strangers. 

Your not-so-little-one is also now learning that the whole world does not revolve around him or her. They should be able to pick up on other people’s feelings and body language. 

They are also less likely to throw unreasonable tantrums because they are able to process their own feelings better, while learning how to express them in an effective manner. 

At this stage, your 4-year-and-10-month-old should be able to: 

• Enjoy play time with friends and attempt for his or her actions to bring happiness to others.
• Understands sharing and rules of games. 
• Obeys rules that you have set.
• Become more independent. 
• Express themselves using words rather than throwing tantrums. 
• Determine their competitiveness – they will either be less competitive or a lot more than before.

Tips: 

• Play dates at this age will do lots of good for your kids. Bring them out to meet new friends as well as their existing ones. Expose them to different cultures and practices as well to expand their horizons. 
• At this age, structured play with rules to follow will shape your child into a better student in preparation for primary school. 
• Allow your child to express themselves using words, even though they might be angry or frustrated. 

When to Talk to Your Doctor

If your child is displaying any of these signs, it could be an indicator of a delay in development. In which case, you should bring them to the doctor. Here are some signs to look out for:

• Your child is extremely afraid, shy, or aggressive.
• He is extremely anxious when separated from a parent even if it’s a short period of time.
• He is easily distracted and unable to focus for more than five minutes.
• Your child is anti-social.
• Your child has no interests.
• He does not make eye contact with anyone.
• Your child does not respond when others speak to him.
• You child is unable to say his full name. 

Speech and Language Development

Your chatterbox’s vocabulary should have expanded quite a bit by this age. You should hear your child speaking a lot more and a lot more clearly at this age. He should be able to:

• Enunciate words and use more complex sentences
• Count 10 or more objects
• Correctly name at least four colours and three shapes
• Recognise some letters and possibly write his or her name 
• Grasp more than one language if taught 

Tips:

• Allow your child to interact  with other adults like your own parents or friends, so he builds confidence in public speaking. 
• If your child is a little bit shy compared to their peers, don’t force him to speak in settings he is not comfortable in. 
• Expose your child to more educational shows or programmes to further expand vocabulary. But limit screen time to below an hour a day. 

When to Talk to Your Doctor

If you are concerned about your child’s language and speech development, here are some red flags to look out for before going to consult with a doctor:

• Your child is unable to interpret non-verbal communication at all. 
• He or she does not make eye contact with people when speaking. 
• Your child mixes up a lot of common words. 

Health and Nutrition

 To meet all of your child’s nutritional goals, here’s what he/she should be eating:

• Boys: 1,643 calories
• Girls: 1,543 calories

Their nutrition should be composed of the following: 

• Protein

A healthy amount of protein helps your child build muscles as he or she grows. Apart from this, it also gives your child the superpower to heal faster because it’s known to maintain and repair muscle tissues! Great sources of protein are eggs, lean meat, fish, tofu, and beans. 

• Fruits

Fruits have vitamins, minerals, and dietary fibre that help your child’s digestive tract throughout the day. Picking bananas and apples over biscuits and crisps for snacks can make a lot of difference in your child’s eating habits. Plus, you can make it more fun by mixing different colours into one bowl. Not only will every meal be scrumptious but it will be filled with a variety of health benefits as well!

• Vegetables

Just like fruits, there are many benefits this food group contains. It’s also important to alternate different colours from time to time to acquire the maximum of eating veggies. Incorporating vegetables on your child’s diet can also protect him or her form chronic diseases in the future. 

• Grains

Your child is ready to explore the world and his body needs to keep up. By consuming a lot of whole grains, your precious one will get enough energy throughout the day in school, at home, and during playtime!

• Milk/Dairy

For strong bones and healthy teeth, your child needs lots of milk and dairy products at an early age. Other great sources of calcium are cheese and yogurt. You can also have a little fun during dessert and serve ice cream, mousse, or dessert type custard. However, be sure to take these ones in moderation as it contains high sugars. 

To get an overview of your little one’s daily intake here’s a list

• Protein: 28.8 grams
• Fruits: 3 cups
• Vegetables: 2 cups
• Grains: 4 ounces
• Milk/dairy: 20 ounces

Vaccinations and Common Illnesses

There are no new vaccinations due this month. However, if you want to make sure that your child has completed all the necessary immunisations, here’s a comprehensive list. 

Don’t worry if your child gets a fever, cold, or cough. Although he or she has a complete vaccination record, his immune system might still react to different particles around him.

Treating Common Illnesses

When it comes to common illnesses, there are simple home remedies you can do so you don’t have to rush to the doctor every time. However, it’s important that you monitor your child’s temperature. If it spikes up to 39°C, you would need to talk to your paediatrician immediately.

• Fever

Your child’s slight fever can be treated with lots of fluids so it’s important to stay hydrated.  Applying lukewarm compresses on your child’s forehead, armpits, and groin area also helps bring down the temperature. Keep an eye on your child’s temperature and make sure it’s below 39°C, if so, talk immediately to your doctor.

• Cough

Coughing non-stop can be discomforting for your let alone for your child. A simple home remedy you can do is mixing honey and ginger in a glass of lukewarm water. If the phlegm becomes yellowish, it’s probably a symptom of an infection. 

• Cold

For the common cold, it’s important to stay hydrated. And although it’s east to get antibiotics, it’s still best to talk to your doctor before buying any over-the-counter drugs to treat your child’s cold. 

Incorporating proper hygiene in your child’s lifestyle does a lot in protecting him or her against harm. Remember that prevention is always better than cure!

When to Talk to Your Doctor

If you’ve missed out any of the vaccinations, it would be good to see a doctor and get your child caught up on them. Beyond that, if your child drastically puts on or loses weight, this is also a red flag. 

A fever at this age is not as serious as the younger years, but should still be monitored. If your child temperature is above 38 Celsius for more than a day, please consult a doctor immediately. 

Reference: WebMD

(*Disclaimer: This is the median height and weight according to WHO standards.)

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