Preparing for preschool! What should my child be doing?
At 3 years old children are becoming more independent and are wanting to do more activities by themselves. They should be able to:
- Get undressed by themselves and help with other self-care activities like dressing, tooth brushing, washing their body in the bath
- Be toilet trained or close to being toilet trained
Their fine motor skills have improved and they are able to manipulate objects and play more efficiently with their hands to complete play activities like:
- Simple inset puzzles
- Shape sorters
- Stacking blocks
- Stringing beads
They are able to play more appropriately with other children including:
- Sharing
- Taking turns
- Sit and complete a tabletop activity for about 3-5 minutes at a time
A 3-year-old’s speech is allowed to have some sound errors but should be understood by most people. 3 year olds can understand these concepts:
- 2-3 step directions
- WH questions
- Size differences (big or small)
- Prepositions
- Early pronouns (I, me, you, he, she)
- Simple problem solving
They can say:
- 3-4 word sentences
- Ask “why” questions
- Have a word for everything (around 1000 words)
- Remember song lyrics
They can play by:
- Telling stories
- Mixing real events with pretend events during play
- Sharing with peers.
If you have any concerns with your child’s occupational or speech development as they prepare for preschool, call us at TEAM 4 Kids to schedule an evaluation!
Sara Reid M.S., OTR/L and Megan Macilroy M.S., CCC-SLP
In the video below, OT Sara and SLP Megan share a few milestones your little one should be reaching to show they are ready to go to Preschool!