Friday, September 14, 2012

Goals for a Four Year Old


Last month my son turned 4 years old.  If you've been around here for a while, you may remember that I like to evaluate my children every 6 months.  This is just reviewing the purpose statement I have written for them, looking at their strengths and weaknesses, seeing what they have accomplished over the past 6 months, then setting goals for them for the next 6 months.

This may sound intense, but I promise it is not =)   It is just a way to make sure that I am being purposeful in my parenting and it also provides a good record to look back on in the future!  I will share with you some of what I wrote down this time.  I'm going to leave out the part about his weaknesses, because he may be little, but he's a person too =)

First I went back and looked at the goals I had written down for him from last time....

Academic

  • Be able to write all the letters of the alphabet (yes!)
  • Be able to pronounce phonograms 1-45 in Writing Road to Reading (yes!)
  • Be able to read and write all the words in sections A-G in Writing Road to Reading (yes!)
  • Be able to count to 100 (yes!)
  • Be able to skip count by 10's, 5's, and 2's (10's and 5's yes! I forgot to keep working on the 2's)
  • Be able to read and write numbers up to 100 (yes!)
  • Memorize 50 Bible verses (I didn't go back and count, but it was around there)
  • Be able to add and subtract using manipulatives (yes!)

 

Life Skills

  • Master using scissors (yes!)
  • Participate in a sport (took two sessions of gymnastics)
  • Be able to dress and undress himself (yes! with the exception of doing zippers, but I am confident that with the coming of jacket season that he will get that down in no time!)

 

Character

  • Learn to consider others before himself
  • Learn to not interrupt
  • Learn to not take toys from Mackenzie
  • We have made great strides in these things, but obviously these sort of character issues are lifelong =)


Then I start a new page for this year....

Trevor's Purpose Statement:

To become a man of God.  A strong, discerning, compassionate leader, equipped to be a husband, father, and provider.

Specific Goals (with the purpose statement in mind):


Academic -
  • Be able to add and subtract numbers totaling up to ten
  • Be able to skip count 2's
  • Be able to tell time
  • Learn to write all letters in cursive
  • Be able to read and write all words in sections H and I in Writing Road to Reading
  • Memorize the basic events on our timeline from Creation to Christ
  • Memorize at least 50 new items for our memory box (Bible verses, poems, science facts, etc.


Life Skills -
  • Master the use of a zipper
  • Learn to tie shoes
  • Learn to ride a bike without training wheels
  • Learn to interact with adults more appropriately (eye contact, answering questions, not running in front of them, etc.)


Character -
  • Learn to channel anger appropriately
  • Learn to channel energy appropriately
  • Consider others better than himself
  • Be a diligent worker (don't be lazy or give up)

 

Trevor's Strengths:

  • He is incredibaly smart and has very good mental capacity
  • He is gaining interest and confidence  in reading without me asking him to
  • He is getting much stronger (physically)
  • He has great hand-eye coordination (like hitting a tennis ball)
  • Most of the time he is very appreciative (of food, gifts, etc.)
  • He is beginning to be a hard worker (notably with his chores)
  • He desires to be a 'strong worker man' when he plays
  • He is continuing to grow in his creative play

 

I (mom) Will:

  • Remember to encourage him more specifically (like "your letter Y's are looking so good!)
  • Give him lots of opportunities to release energy
  • Have regular read-alone times
  • Have him tackle 'man' jobs with daddy
  • Give him regular opportunities to serve others


Now, I don't share this to suggest that every 4 year old should look like my son.  God gifts us each uniquely and we all have our own strengths and weaknesses.  I share this to give you ideas if you happen to be looking for some, and also to encourage you to take a moment to evaluate your child and set some goals for this coming year!  Even if your child did not recently have a birthday, this is a great time of year to do this because most people are just getting back into the swing of things with school.  This can give you specific areas to work on in the coming months and specific things to pray for your child about!

Do you keep written records of your child's growth, achievements, areas of struggle? 

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6 comments:

  1. Hi Amy!

    I loved this post - it brought me back (many years...) to when my kids were four...what a wonderful time that was!

    You wondered if anyone keeps records of growth/achievement/struggle - yes, I have and still do! It's been a terrific resource for me especially in planning curriculum and lessons (sometimes even the best of us forget the details!).

    Love your blog!

    God Bless!

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    1. I'm glad to hear that you keep records and that you have seen the value in it over the years. I know I always think I will remember things (in my head), but I always forget =) Thank you for your thoughtful comment!

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  2. Thank you for this post! I have general goals for my children but I have never written them out! Having them in plain site, where we have school will help me, I think, in mastering and completing our goals. One thing I did add for our children is to have our 3, 4, and 6 year old learn how to use the cell phone. Since hardly anyone has a land-line anymore, and most phones vary on use, I wanted them to understand how all the cell phones worked in our house. "Just in case" I am so thankful for your blog! Having someone else work through this method helps me tremendously!

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    1. Cell phone use, great idea! Our kids talk to grandparents a bit, but I don't know if they would actually know how to unlock it and dial. I'll have to add that to the list! I'm so glad that my blog is an encouragement to you =) Your comments always encourage me!

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  3. Wow! I never did that, but I do kind of wish I had. What a wonderful set of memories you are building up!

    And I'm sure this list will help you with your homeschooling as well.

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    1. I know! I think it will be neat for a child to look back on when they are older. Thanks for the comment!

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