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Preschooler (3–4 years): development and school
Stage: 3–4 years
Sleep
the nap becomes optional for many children
Feeding
Fully shares the family diet, with attention to enough vegetables and fruit and limited sweets and snacks. Involve your child in laying the table and simple cooking jobs — it makes trying new foods more likely.
Dairy: About 300 ml of milk a day.
Nappy size
Usually dry in the daytime; some children still wear pants at night (size 5–6).
Development at this stage
- Speaks in full sentences and tells a little story
- Draws circles and attempts crosses
- Plays with others and shares (with ups and downs)
- Counts a few numbers, knows colours
- Rides a balance bike or with stabilisers
Play & do together
- Playing with other children rather than just alongside them — playdates or playgroup
- Cutting, sticking and play dough for fine motor skills
- Hide and seek and tag
- Count real things: stairs, apples in the bag, buttons on the coat
- Ask them to retell the story — or make up a new ending together
Care & things to watch
- School: children start reception in the September after their 4th birthday. Missed the January application deadline? Contact your council straight away — late applications are still processed
- Many schools offer settling-in sessions before September — take them
- Phase out the dummy completely if that hasn't happened yet
- Not being dry at night is normal at this age — night-time dryness often comes between 3 and 5
- Vitamin D daily until age 4; from 4, a daily supplement is still advised in autumn and winter
- Encourage independence: dressing, tidying up, washing hands
- Pre-school booster (4-in-1) at 3 years 4 months — not had it yet? Book it with the GP. Children born before 2025 also get their second MMR dose at this appointment
- Free NHS dental check-ups every 6 months
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Create your own overview →Other ages: 0–6 weeks · 6–12 weeks · 3–4 months · 4–6 months · 6–9 months · 9–12 months · 12–18 months · 18–24 months · 2–3 years · 4–5 years
Also handy: the feeding schedule by month · which nappy size fits? · how much formula per day? · the full weaning plan
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