What Should a 4.5 Year Old Know ?

You are doing great. Kids don't have to know everything before they start school. Doing the sounds is great. Have fun with words and read lots of books. Talk with him about his world around him and ask him to tell you about it too. Sounds like he is off to a great start. Good job Mama!

My kids all went to Montessori. He sounds like he's right on track. My boys are now in kindergarten and all they are expected to know is to recognize letters and write their name. If he needs help with holding a pencil or using a scissor, you should work on that with him this year. My sons' pre-school had an occupational therapist and one of my twins got therapy to help him with his grasp of the pencil. He is doing amazing now with it... Good luck!

He sounds right on track. My daughter is also 4.5 and about the same level. She knows her alphebet sounds and can write a little, but has trouble getting past number 20. We got a bunch of preschoolstuff for her from the dollar store to gte her prepared for what will be needed to know and how some of the work will be taught. We got kindergarten level workbooks(which he would be ready for from what you have said he knows), we got wall posters with sounds for the alphbet and numbers. She also watches Leap Frog letter factory dvd. It was amazing how quickly she learned letter sounds and the concept of how letters worked from watching it for just a short time. I highly recommend it!! :)

You are both sound like you are doing great, don't worry and don't put too much pressure on yourselves.

Well, in case this is helpful: Other things my 4.5 yo is learning at her preschool: Name of months, names of the days of the week, names of the seasons; not just recognizing colors, but what two colors make a new color; last week the theme was different types of sports (like which balls go with which sports) and team sports vs individual sports; adding and subtracting zero thru 10 based on counting on your fingers; writing numbers 0-10; not only writing his name, but to write the letters in line with each other (as in, the letters appear in a line even if no actual line is present) instead of floating upward or downward.

He sounds like he is just fine...keep in mind that being able to hold a pencil the right away is more of a small-motor skill thing rather than knowing academics like letters, etc. My advice has always been to read to them every day...that can make a huge difference, as well as making to clear to them as they get older what your expectations are, and showing them through your actions and words that school is important and doing well in school needs to be their first priority. Be active and involved in their education, don't just leave it all up to the teachers.

Sounds like he is right on track and that you are a great mom for double checking!

He should be able to write his name by age 5. Also, fine motor skills like being able to cut out shapes and color in the lines. He's right on track.

I agree with the other mothers that he is off to a good start. My daughter is 4 1/2 also. She can count up to 100 but can only recognize the numbers up to 25. I'd start working on him writing his own name, memorizing his home phone number and address. Were still working on our address. Walmart and target both sell some fun workbooks for different age groups that my kids have fun doing. My daughter has also learned from them some basic adding and subtracting. good luck

Sounds like you are doing great!
You could do some fine motor skills like bead threading, macaroni on a string, cutting with scissors. Definitely keep helping him hold his pen correctly. Get some "dittos" of the internet or buy some Kumon books and start teaching him the basics of writing his letters.
You can do some early math... eg "which number is higher, 4 or 6?" sorting by size and shape. Play UNO but don't follow all the rules. Preschool age games like Candy Land and Hi Ho Cheerio help kids learn about following rules.
I also think now is a good time to introduce safety info. My 4.5 yr old daughter knows our full names, address and telephone #, how to dial 911 and what to do if there is a fire.
Again I think you are right on track and these are just suggestions of things I do with my very bright daughter.
Have fun with it... remember he is only 4 and learning should be fun.

He's on the right track. I would definately start teaching him how to write and spell his name as well as teaching him his telephone # and address. My daughter is 4 and everything we do,we make a song of it. They remember better when it's a song.

Another thing you can do is start him using scissors (the pre-school scissors of course) to help him with his motor skills. Let him cut and paste.

Sounds great - good for you. If a boy isn't reading until age 7, it is fine. The best things you can do for him is to read to him daily - get a library card and have one day a week where you go and pick out books. The pictures are really important - get beautiful ones - not just cartoon ones. If he can sit for 5 minutes in your lap, work on getting him to sit for 10 minutes - slow and steady build up. Ask him a question about what he sees in the picture on each page, have him turn the page - he'll love time with you. Instead of a dvd, get him outside - esp. boys do well running, climbing, jumping, exploring. Montessori is great for self directed learning and exploring.

HI R.,
It sounds like you arent too far off. My son will be 5 in 2 months (Nov) and he is in Kindergarden. After colors numbers and shapes it is phonics and letter recognition. Keep at it with him and he will catch up in no time. Good job mom!!

He will learn about letters, and letter sounds and numbers in Kindergarten, etc, He will learn to read and write in Kindergarten, as long as he knows how to listen, pay attention, get along with the other children, respect the teacher, and follow directions. If he knows those things he will spend his kindergarten year learning everything the teacher teaches and if he has curiosity he will learn even more than she teaches!

It always impresses me when a parent takes such a big role in their child’s learning. Excellent job Mom! Your son knows all the basics to start. When my 4 ½ y/o started school and like your son was never in preschool or daycare, he knew all the basics, plus how to write his name.

What I did know was that he needed to know how to use scissors and cut in a straight line, was familiar with the days of the week and months of the year, etc., and know their name and address.

Most kids catch up with each other by the end of Kindergarten. Oh and PLEASE don't feel like your child is behind and don't compare him to others. Just hug an kiss him everyday =-)

Keep up the great work and have fun teaching him!

Sound slike your son is right on traget. Kids all develop different skills at different times. My daughter who is an excellent student hardly spoke until she was three. My son was speaking full sentences at 20 months - but has a learning disability - although he is very very bright. Don't obsess about this stuff - at this age they need the desire to learn, the love of books (read with him - that's one of the best things), and a natural curiosity. Somekids are really good at math skills, others at reading, others at music. There are many different types of intelligence. Schools teach and measures for language & math - but don't really focus on music, interpersonal, athletic, spatial perception (think builders, engineers). So just follow your child's interests. He sounds like he's right where he should be. Enjoy him!

Sounds like your son is doing great. My son went to a montessori and they have a different philosophy about learning, he is a year older than yours and he knows all of what you said except not all of his alphabet. When I work with my son on his letters, I do a letter a week and focus on the sound matching the letter and then we look around the house for things that start with that sound. Hope that helps! In kindergarten they will go over letters again, so try not to stress to much:)

R.

sounds like he's doing great!