Advice for taking care of a 4 year old...

[SpitNCobra13]

Hi everyone,
As most of you know I am in the YMCA big brother mentor program-which is basically where you spend one day a week with a child in need. Anyway, I was working with a 10 year old, but it kind of fell apart so I have been rematched with a 4 year old this time. He is a really cute kid, we do really well together! I pretty much know how to take care of a child this age, and his mom gave me a booster seat for my car and all, but if anyone has any advice on stuff that it would be really important to know about a 4 year old boy, please let me know! I will keep people on here posted on how it goes!

 

[jtee]

How many hours do you have him for?

Care to say what went haywire with the 10 year old?

 

[SpitNCobra13]

I have him once a week for at least 2 hours, but its usually longer than that. For example, I have him on tuesday after preschool, so like 12-5 or so.

Nothing really went wrong with Kieran, but we werent connecting that well, and it was really hard to get in touch and arrange meetings and stuff, because he was in part time foster care on a farm in a different town. He will probably get rematched with someone more capable of meeting his needs.

 

[SpitNCobra13]

Also, I know its an akward question, but do most 4 year olds wipe their own bottoms? He just turned 4 a few weeks ago.

 

[Kim]

Some do and some don't. I let Hannah wipe herself at that age, but I checked her afterwards. That may be something you would want to discuss with his mother.

4 year olds love to be silly. Play silly games, sing silly songs, tell silly jokes. They will also ask *seriously* 200+ questions a day, so be prepared for that.

 

[fallon]

Some do and some don't. I let Hannah wipe herself at that age, but I checked her afterwards. That may be something you would want to discuss with his mother.

4 year olds love to be silly. Play silly games, sing silly songs, tell silly jokes. They will also ask *seriously* 200+ questions a day, so be prepared for that.

yep

 

[SpitNCobra13]

yea, he loves to ask a million questions, and also tell a million stories. I heard one yesterday involving a motorcycle and a swimming pool, and possibly spiderman. I went out today and bought tissues, wet ones, snacks, and juice boxes, and I am keeping them in a bag so I can be prepared for pretty much anything....of course I cant keep it in the car, because at -20 the wipes FREEZE! It is terribly cold here, I can't wait for spring!

 

[FooserX]

Games are good at that age. Checkers, connect 4, sorry, puzzles Memory...etc.

I like games because then I get to have fun instead of feeling like I'm bored.

 

[Trina]

Zander, what a cute name! You probably already know this, but just in case... Don't ever let him ride in the front seat of your car. Kids are safest in the back. All boosters require a seating position with both a lap and shoulder belt. Be sure he's buckled in correctly, especially if he buckles himself. If he has a backless booster, he will need a vehicle position that not only has a lap and shoulder belt, but a headrest or high seat back as well.

If his mother gave you a shield booster (pic below) DO NOT use it with the shield! They are no longer manufactured or recommended. If possible, remove the shield and use it as a backless booster.
More info:
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/shieldbooster.aspx

 

[SpitNCobra13]

Zander, what a cute name! You probably already know this, but just in case... Don't ever let him ride in the front seat of your car. Kids are safest in the back. All boosters require a seating position with both a lap and shoulder belt. Be sure he's buckled in correctly, especially if he buckles himself. If he has a backless booster, he will need a vehicle position that not only has a lap and shoulder belt, but a headrest or high seat back as well.

If his mother gave you a shield booster (pic below) DO NOT use it with the shield! They are no longer manufactured or recommended. If possible, remove the shield and use it as a backless booster.
More info:
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/shieldbooster.aspx

He will for sure be in the backseat, and I do not have a shield booster for him, just a small regular looking one. I do remember my little sister having one like that in the picture 10 years ago! Ill definitely be buckling him in, I know independence is important, but some things are not worth the risk.

 

[Kaytee]

Sounds like everything is going well so far. I would agree with Fooser, get some games. THose kids games are cheap and they love them. Good for mental building and such!

 

[jen]

4yr old boys are awesome! My son is the funniest little person I have ever known, and you never know what will come out of his mouth at any given moment. Keep spare clothes, they tend to get really dirty and the slide across the floor is heck on the knees of their pants!

 

[amy]

Teaching young children is no easy task. Using the Montessori methods will certainly help the young ones to grow independently and learn at its own pace. Check out Montessori-book.com