The Secret Life of 4 Year Olds biogs

22 October 2015

TIA (Episodes 1 & 2)

"Sometimes I talk English… I can say bonjour, c'est moi, Tia."

Tia lives in Kent with her mum Cheryl, a manager of a bookmakers, and dad Glenn who works in waste management. She has a baby sister Amelia-Rose and a Staffordshire Bull Terrier called Princess. In her free time, she attends classes in ballet, pop dance, swimming and drama.

Tia turns 5 at the end of September, this year. She is one of the oldest in the group.

She has amazing social skills and a very strong sense of morality and justice, and expressed her ideas on this and other topics very clearly.

“Sometimes you feel she’s the parent.. you have to remind yourself she’s just a 4 year old… she tries to set the rules but is happy to break them herself” Cheryl, Tia’s mum

 

JACK (Episodes 1 & 2)

“I’m going to save the universe”

Jack lives in Middlesex with his mum, Kelly, a children’s photographer and Dad, Jason, who works in Sales. He is the youngest of three boys and as such has learnt from his brothers to stand up for himself!

Jack will turn 5 in November, this year. He is 4 ¾ and about average age in the group.

He’s a buoyant and energetic child with an outgoing and adventurous approach to life. Highly competitive, Jack strived to achieve the best at physical activities and tasks.

“He’s a loveable rogue… who can resist that angelic face” Kelly, Jack’s mum

 

Theo (Episodes 1 & 2)

“I want to make a twinkle star"

Theo is an only child who lives in Surrey with New Zealander parents Lisa and Freddie and is Steiner educated. He will turn 5 in December this year, and is about average age for the group.

Theo is thoughtful and imaginative, and develops strong and special friendships at the play centre, with both boys and girls. He delights in making others laugh. He’s also a loyal boy, and makes a beeline for Tyler early on, and he won’t rest until their friendship is cemented!

“Astrologically he’s a tiger… he’s a very brave little boy… he’s got an old spirit in a young body.” Lisa and Freddie, Theo’s parents

 

Lola (Episodes 1 & 2)

"I will be your best friend, I promise."

Lola lives in Darlington with her mum Hayley, a teaching assistant and Dad Jamie, head of design and technology at a secondary school. She has a younger sister, Mabel, who is two.

Lola has a vivid imagination and loves to inhabit a world of fantasy.  She is a confident child with an independent spirit who forms close friendships, in particular with the girls, and takes these friendships very seriously.

Despite being the youngest of the group, Lola expresses herself very clearly and has excellent language and social skills and she loves to have a good chat! Lola also loved the opportunity to demonstrate her dramatic and performance skills.

"She's happiest when she's dressed as a princess with friends.  We have to rein it in because she'd go everywhere dressed like that." Jamie, Lola’s Dad

 

TYLER (Episode 1)

“310 bus to Cheshunt!”

Tyler lives with his mum Nikita, who runs a photographic studio and his step-dad Jamie who is an air-conditioning engineer. He has a younger sister Hayden and they all live in Hertfordshire. Tyler is fascinated by letters, numbers and buses, but socialising with his peers takes a bit more coaxing.

Tyler turned 5 in the middle of September. He is the oldest in the group.

Tyler initially showed less interest in playing with his peers at the play centre, and seemed happier playing alone. But as time went on he developed a strong friendship, which would change things for him in ways no-one anticipated.

“I don’t think Tyler feels the pressure of being liked – He’s in his own bubble and he loves it” Nikita and Jamie, Tyler's mum and stepdad

 

 

TAYLOR (Episode 2)

"I will give you my pen, but first you've got to make me laugh."

Taylor lives in Manchester with his PE Coach Mum Katie and his Dad, Dave, who runs a bouncy castle business. He has a younger sister called Madison, age 2.

He is one of the oldest in the group.

Taylor is the social glue that holds the children at the play centre together - but shows distinctly more interest in spending time with the girls.  A born performer, he loves meeting new people and hates to see another child in distress.

"He's very cheeky but sensitive at the same time, if he sees someone crying he'll go and see if they're alright." Katie, Taylor's Mum

 

 

ELLIOT (Episode 2)

"This is a rocket pen. Be careful, it’s from my house and it’s very fragile."

Elliot lives in London with his father, Peter, and his 7 year old sister Saffron. His mother, Marie, died last year after a long battle with cancer.

He is one of the oldest in the group and is a bright and thoughtful child with a sharp logical mind.  He's happiest when constructing rocket ships or eating sweets.

He mixes well with both the boys and the girls, which is quite unusual for this age. He often brought a soft toy with him that gave him something to focus on while getting used to being a part of the group, which at first, he found quite difficult.

"His big thing is understanding how and why the world works." Peter, Elliot's Dad

 

NATHANIEL (Episodes 1 & 2)

“I’m a clever, clever little boy!”

Nathaniel is the youngest of two children and lives in London with his mother Natalie who works in fashion and father Kevin, a chef. He has a 9 year old sister Kelsey and is 4 and three quarters.

He has a very wide range of social strategies and skills to draw upon, and used these to quickly develop positive and reciprocated relationships with the other children.

Nathaniel is full of energy and is a natural leader. He’s drawn to other strong characters but this can sometimes lead to some interesting disputes over who’s in charge.

“He’s very determined, he’s the man, he’s the one in charge here.” Kevin, Nathaniel’s Dad

 

JADZIA (Episode 1)

“I can be your friend if you want”

Jadzia is an only child who lives in London with her mother Anneka, a Primary School Teacher, and Dad Kerry, a Retail Manager.

She doesn’t have many playmates her own age and throws herself into making new friends with enthusiasm, learning some important lessons about playing at the same time.

Jadzia also demonstrates acts of compassion and caring, revealing a strong, nurturing side to her character.

She is about average age for the group.

“She doesn't believe that there is anything that’s impossible for her.  Anything she sees any adult doing, she thinks that she's quite capable of” Anneka, Jadzia’s mum

 

CHARLOTTE (Episodes 1 & 2)

“I’m going to tell Father Christmas and the Tooth Fairy’

Charlotte lives in East Sussex with her parents, older brother Harry and baby sister Alice. Mum, Natalie is an Educational Psychologist and Dad, Nick is a Lecturer in Sports and Exercise Psychology.

At 4 and half, she is one of the younger children in the group.

During her time there, Charlotte demonstrates great strength of character in the group.  Integrity and justice are important to her, even if it means losing a prize or if it makes her unpopular.

“She is very rule based and she'll stick to them quite rigidly” Charlotte’s Parents

 

CONNIE (Episode 2)

“Do you like my nail varnish?  I've got it on my toes too”

Connie lives in Hull with her parents and older brother Archie.  Mum, Rachael, is a university student and Dad, Mathew, is the MD of a window company.

She makes firm friends in the group, especially with Lola and Charlotte and their play and communication developed during the week.   

Connie is one of the oldest in the group.

“She always pinpoints one person to play with, they're her mate and she won't stop talking about them”.  - Mathew, Dad.