Development at 45 Months
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Activity 1
Age Appropriate Fine Motor Development
Folds Paper
 I am learning how to fold a piece of paper three times! Sit beside me at the table with two pieces of paper. Show me how to make three folds in one piece of paper, i.e. fold the length of the piece of paper into half, then fold it length-wise into half again, then fold it length-wise into half again. Encourage me to imitate what you have done and fold the other sheet of paper three times. Observe if I am able to do so. I usually develop the ability to fold a piece of paper three time |
Steps
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Sit beside your child at the table with two pieces of paper.
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Show him how to make three folds in one piece of paper, i.e. fold the length of the piece of paper into half, then fold it length-wise into half again, then fold it length-wise into half again.
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Encourage him to imitate what you have done and fold the other sheet of paper three times.
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Your child must be able to align the top and bottom edges of the paper neatly with each fold.
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Observe if he is able to do so.
Feedback
Your child is developing good fine motor, eye-hand coordination and spatial planning skills in this activity. It takes all these skills to enable him to fold paper into two exact halves. If this is easy for him, challenge him with gradually more difficult patterns of folding. You may look at the suggested activities for more ideas with this task.
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 Provide lots of opportunities for your child to fold paper so he can refine his coordination and planning skills. Challenge him further by getting him to fold more complicated paper patterns such as a triangle or even a paper airplane.
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If your child has difficulty in folding the paper, provide physical assistance as you guide your child in folding the paper. Gradually decrease your assistance as he improves in his ability.
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Use a marker to mark a wide crease line in the middle of the paper where the fold should be. Teach him to use that as a guide to make the fold.
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You may also place the edge of a ruler at the position where the fold of the paper should be. Hold the ruler in place and ask your child to make a fold along its edge.
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Place a sticker at the top of the piece of paper near the top edge. Remind your child to cover the sticker as he makes the fold and encourage him to align the bottom edge with the top edge.
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Activity 2
Age Appropriate Speech, Language And Communication Development
Specifies Objects By Using 'This' Or 'That'
 As I grow, my speech will become more intelligible, and sentences will grow longer. I will also learn that I am able to use a minimal number of words to get a message across by using demonstratives which include words like 'this' or 'that'! So instead of saying 'I want the big, red car', I may say, 'I want that!'. I usually develop the ability to specify objects by using 'this' or 'that' when I am between 43 and 48 months old. (3 year 7 months and 4 years). |
Steps
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Sit down with your child for story time!
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Point to each picture and ask him, 'What's this?' or 'What's that?'
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Wait for your child's response. Can he answer using 'this' and 'that'?
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Prompt by asking comparative questions where possible e.g. 'Which is longer? This or that?', 'What do you think she wanted? This or that?'.
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Is your child able to answer correctly?
Feedback
This is a subtle change that indicates how much you child's language has matured! Don't worry if your child uses 'this' and 'that' interchangeably for now. By modeling the proper use, he will soon pick up when to 'this' and when to say 'that'. Check out the Suggested Activities for more ideas!
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Put a bunch of picture cards in a pail or a cut-out of a 'pond'. Attach paper clips to the pictures and get ready 2 'fishing rods' with strings and magnets on the end! Take turns to 'Go Fishing!'. Model for your child by saying, 'Oh, THIS is a boat!'.
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Provide opportunities for your child to listen to you use demonstratives such as ‘that, those, these, this' and 'them’ each day! Don't worry if he takes time to learn them or gets them mixed up! You'll begin to notice that you use demonstratives a lot in your daily activities so begin to put some emphasis on demonstratives in activities with your precious one!
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