Your 4-Year-Old: Figuring out the Fours

Figuring Out the Fours

Wow, 4 years old already?! If 3-year-olds are busy, inquisitive, and fun, 4-year-olds are all that, magnified — yet with a budding maturity, self-control, and understanding of rules that help make life a bit calmer. Sociability is a hallmark of this age. Wariness around new people wanes, and your child will likely enjoy making friends and playing with them.
哇！！已經四歲了！小馨轉眼間就四歲了，園所老師說她感觸很深，看著從她一歲半到4歲...我們為人父母者又何嘗不是這種感受?!
但是就像上面描述的，小馨的社交、成熟度與控制度都愈來愈好，也深知生活裡的常規不容踰矩，細細想來，小馨算是很乖巧、好帶的小孩，除了兩歲時常發燒生病，讓人擔憂不已外，其他倒是沒讓我們傷太多腦筋。

Your 4-year-old now
Welcome to a year that's full of building on old skills while picking up brand-new ones at breakneck speed. Four is typically a lively, energetic, and sociable year. 四歲是充滿生氣、活力和社交生活的一年！Confident about basics like speaking, running, drawing, and building things, your child is ready to use these skills to the fullest.小馨無時無刻都在證明自己已經是個大姊姊，而且她還很會「管人」：管把拔開車時不要講話、管馬麻不小心說錯話....一直覺得小馨跟自己小時候很像，像是個大姐頭！哈！
Even more reserved 4-year-olds tend to enjoy the company of adults and children of all ages, from the smallest babies (next to whom they feel "so big") to the oldest great-grandparents (with whom they can often connect on the simple level of enjoying a moment together). Everybody seems fascinating now, from the mail carrier to cousins to random new faces on the playground.
四歲小孩的社交人物從小到大，從寶寶到阿祖等級的人物都是她可以play with的對象，不過小馨自己說她很害羞，看到很多人時她會低下頭或將頭埋入把拔馬麻懷中，不願見人...特別是當她成為焦點時，她要好一會兒才可以自在與別人互動，這點從小到大都沒變過。

Your life now
Your child's birthday probably brought a few (or more than a few) new toys into your house. Time for the post-birthday purge. Look through your child's playthings to figure out what hasn't seen any action in a while and might be expendable. It's easiest to give toys away on the sly.
哇！這段話說得太好了！我們前一陣子果然將客廳的玩具好好整理了一番，家裡的玩具實在太多了，這次的生日小姑姑送了骨排遊戲，可是她還不會玩，而且需要很多耐心，至於其他毛茸茸的玩具，我也提醒老公不要再買了，這些玩具她很難割愛，送也送不走只好堆在家裡...If you ask permission, your child is apt to insist on saving everything, but at this age she isn't likely to notice the disappearance if it's not mentioned. (If you're worried, you could put outgoing toys into purgatory in the garage for a week or so to make sure they're not missed before heaving them for good.)
哈！這點說得一點也沒錯！又是勝得我心的一句話：「可以將一些玩具悄悄地丟掉，如果擔心她突然想起來，可以先放在車庫中一段時間，她不會注意到後再丟掉」！Charities such as Goodwill, family shelters, daycares (especially at religious centers or other nonprofits), and fund-raising bazaars may welcome toys that are in good shape. And you'll be glad to have less clutter around the house.

It's also wise to start hiding away some of the toys you decide to keep and bringing them out periodically in rotation. A child who has too many toys around can have a hard time focusing on anything for very long. Having fewer playthings helps create a sense of order, which is calming for both of you.
「或將玩具藏起來....」，小馨的玩具分散在秘密基地及客廳，以前每隔一段時間我會將兩邊的玩具互換，現在懶了，客廳的玩具幾乎都被她玩遍了，所以偶爾如果到秘密基地發現舊玩具，又可以讓她玩上一段時間。