McKenna Preschooler Summary: 4 Years Old

A full summary of life for this 4 year old who has been raised on Babywise. Find out what daily life was like and find a 47 month old preschooler schedule to follow. Get tips for dropping rest time, how to keep your prescholder in in dependent playtime, sibling dynamics, and life when your kiddo is much taller than average for the age.

4 year old McKenna excited about a birthday gift

McKenna is now four! This is a summary for the last month before she turned four. Question–should I continue her summaries monthly, or take them to quarterly?

EATING

McKenna caught some virus this month that killed her appetite. Absolutely killed it. She didn’t want to eat much of anything for a long time.

SLEEPING

We are straight rest time these days…and honestly, we often don’t even do that! I will when summer starts, but right now she is so excited for Kaitlyn to be home from kindergarten and they just have so much fun playing together that I don’t do it a lot. I will do it when Kaitlyn isn’t home, it is the weekend, or if it is a day she just needs a break.

At night she is sleeping about 12-13 hours. She was doing 11-12 before we stopped napping each day.

>>>Read: When To Drop Rest Time

PLAYTIME

I had to teach McKenna about the hand clock for independent play. We do it for one hour, and she was getting out about every 10-15 minutes asking if it was time yet. So I now show her on the clock each day, “This is where the big hand is. It needs to get all the way around and back here again, then it is time.” And that works for her. She stays put.

That also worked well for Brayden.

>>>Read: When Your Child Won’t Stay in Independent Playtime

COPYCAT

She wants to do everything just like Kaitlyn right now. Eat what she eats. Wear what she wears. Play what she plays…whatever Kaitlyn does is the absolute best to McKenna. And Kaitlyn is highly flattered by it right now.

SIBLINGS

Beyond being a copycat, she is still completely obsessed with Brinley. She LOVES that baby.

She always tells me how lucky we are that we got her instead of someone else.

She has been afraid of swimming all of a sudden–at least afraid of swimming the way she is supposed to. She will still swim McKenna style, but is afraid of doing things in the proper technique. We are talking real fear–body shaking with fear.

With Brinley there, she would face her fear and do it if I told her Brinley wanted to see how it was done. The power of Brinley with McKenna is amazing 🙂

MAMAS GIRL

I have noticed lately that McKenna is quite the mama’s girl or daddy’s girl. It wasn’t so noticeable because she is fine with siblings around.

But she doesn’t like to be gone with friends for very long (which is good because I still find she can’t handle more than two hours with friends and still be a nice person) and she doesn’t like me to walk out of her sight without her knowing where I am going (like, one day we were at the park with friends. It is right across the street from elementary and I needed to pick something up. So I ran in fast while my friend watched her. She got upset that I left without telling her where I was going).

TALL

McKenna is TALL. I am talking maybe half an inch shorter than Kaitlyn. And Kaitlyn isn’t a little shorty–she is average.

This brings in an interesting dynamic.

People assume she is at least a year older than she is. Even her doctor initially was thinking she was going go kindergarten next year, then realized she was barely four and he commented he was messed up because she is so tall.

I haven’t seen negative effects from this, but I do remember when I was pregnant that I had a friend with a tall son and she commented it was hard because people expected him to act much older than he was.

I am guessing it is easier because McKenna is older–she is a four year old who looks five or six, not a two year old who looks four. Two year olds are a lot more different from four year olds than six year olds are from four year olds. At least in discipline functions.

>>>Read: Having a Taller Than Average Child

WHY?

Oh the questions! She is the most questioning child ever (I think my mom would interject and say I was the most questioning child ever).

She asks why.

And she asks how.

And she asks what.

And she asks where.

And she asks who.

And she asks if someone is a boy or girl.

And she asks what people’s names are (even Brinley’s).

And she asks the questions over, and over, and over again.

In a row.

And she has certain questions for certain times of day.

For example, at each breakfast we talk about nutrients and why we don’t have a stomach in our toes and how our toes get nutrients so far from our tummy.

Every. Day.

“What did I say yesterday (or five seconds ago) when you asked that question.” She repeats verbatim  Then she asks the question again. (yes mom, I hear you laughing from here).

OUR SCHEDULE

8:30–Wake up and eat breakfast. Get ready. She then can play with siblings.
9:30– Chores then play with Brinley.
10:30–Independent Playtime
11:30–Time with Mommy
12:00–Lunch
1:00–Play with Kaitlyn. Learning activities.
4:30—TV Time/Computer time
5:30–Dinner
6:00–Family Activities
7:00–Get ready for bed
8:00–Bedtime

>>>Find sample 4 year old schedules here

GOOD BOOKS

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8 thoughts on “McKenna Preschooler Summary: 4 Years Old”

  1. My daughter is still younger, (about 3 instead of 4) but I find one way to at least pause the questions is to respond with, "What do you think?" Or "Why do you think it is that way?". Sometimes I then get an answer that gives me a clue as to why she keeps asking, like a clarification on what part she doesn't understand.

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  2. My two girls are almost precisely the same ages as McKenna and Brinley, and my older daughter loves her sister, too. Last night she told me "I can't help it, Mama! I just have to give her (the baby) kisses!" It's so sweet!

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  3. Feels like just yesterday I had Jack (4/09) and you had just had McKenna…and I was hanging onto her every move through these updates! It's still very fun to compare! I'd say do them quarterly or else start quarterly when she turns 5! Thanks for doing these!

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  4. Janice, that is a trick I use (I think I have even blogged about it), but it doesn't work for McKenna. She just answers the question but doesn't stop then repeating the question.

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  5. Thank you Sarah and Amy! I still don't know what I will do…maybe monthly until it seems things are too boring for that often (if McKenna ever gets boring?)

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  6. Yes, the questions! I have twins that are a little younger than McKenna, and they are both extreme questioners. I am an introvert, and it is hard for me to talk so much — I get really, really tired of all of the questions. I do ask "What do you think?" a lot — any other ideas to help satisfy them, or at least slow them down??

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