Body
Movement Intelligence
at 4 Years
at 4 Years
| Characteristics | Things to do |
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Large Muscles:
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| Four year olds run fast, climb high, gallop, jump and hop. This is a very physical age. This is the age when people are most likely to label a child “hyperactive.” | Four year olds need lots of outdoor play time and space. Play time at a playground with a good jungle gym and space to run is important. They can ride trikes every day. During bad weather, try dancing with scarves to different music. Bean bags are easy to catch and safer than balls indoors. Trying to hit a target with a bean bag is a fun activity. |
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Small Muscles:
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| Four year olds are better at using their hand muscles. They can learn to button, zip, lace shoes (most can’t tie yet) string beads, cut with scissors and pour from a pitcher. | Cut-up straws, cheerios, and macaroni are good things for stringing into necklaces. Tape around one end of a knotted string to make stringing easier. See if they can repeat a pattern, for example: one straw, one cheerio and one macaroni. Then repeat. |