What to observe in your child of 4-5 years old?

Listen to what your child says when she expresses her feelings, such as "I'm not going in there because there is a monster there!!" or "I don't want to go there because she never wants to play with me" or "Mama, what can I do to show you that I love you so much?" All these things show that your child is confident in expressing her likes and dislikes. Some children clam up and do things they don't like quietly. Some show their dissatisfaction but do not know how to verbalise them thus you end up guessing what the problem is. Watch your child. Which one is she?

Children pleasure in who they are and what they can do so give them the praise and attention and KNOW who they are and what they can do. Ask your child lots of questions to really get to know them. Ask them what their favourite food is. Ask them what they think they are good at. Ask them what their favourite colour, toy, book, person etc is. Ask them if they would like to try out new things like roller blading or diving, why and why not. If you were to make a list of your child's traits, both good and bad, can you make a list of fifty characteristics?

Observe how your child shows her feelings towards other people. Is she shy? Or is she confident when speaking to people? Does she take time to warm up? Or does she treat different people differently? Watch how she responds to other people's questions. Does she nod and shake her head or does she just glare back in silence? Does she respond with proper answers? This will give you a clue as to how confident your child is.

Teach your child about the different people around her, their cultures, their likes and dislikes, for her to understand that everyone is different. Then observe how your child uses this information in her day to day life. Does she pass it on?

Children are a blessing from God. They are not ours, just temporarily for us to take care of. So care for them with the best of your ability.