Social development in children of all ages is a challenging topic, but when it comes to social development of a 4 year old, your troubles can become that much more magnified. Before we look at the specific developmental aspects of a 4 year old child, let us first try and understand what are the things or behaviors that social development entails.
Relationships are the framework of each and every person’s life. Whether it is the friendship between two kids, or the bond of a teacher student relationship, or maybe the working relationship between colleagues, or perhaps even the loving one between a husband and wife – all these relationships are what make up an individual’s life. And to ensure that we can have lasting bonds with different people in our life, social development is a must. Basically the term refers to social behavior. How we think, talk and act in front of others, whether they are our family people, close friends or complete strangers – that is what constitutes our social development.
Now coming back to social development of a 4 year old kid. By the time a child becomes 4 years old, he/she has already gone through their terrible twos. As a parent of a small kid you probably know exactly what I am talking about. As a 2 year old, a child is now old enough to know what they want and their biggest development comes from defying their parents. They try to test their boundaries and see how much they can do before they are stopped by their parents. The idea here is not to do what they desire, but to do anything that will defy authority.
Thankfully, social development of a 4 year old is very different. By this time kids are enjoying stories for children and are becoming independent in their own right. These stories for children that are a big part of a 4 year olds life make him want to do things on his own. Perhaps reading the books makes kids aware of the world around them and their desire to explore it becomes greater. But whatever the reason, a 4 year old will exhibit behaviors that are challenging to himself. Do not make the mistake of thinking that the child is being defiant just like a 2 year old. On the contrary, standing up to his parents is far from a 4 year olds mind. His main target is to do things that make him feel independent and give him the sense of becoming a big person.
Thus, social development in children is quite important and without proper development your kids will not be equipped to go through adult life in an optimum manner.