4 Year Old Milestones
Now that your child has outgrown the toddler phase, there are plenty of new and exciting milestones that you may be expecting them to reach. They will start to become more independent and self-aware, meaning that everything from how they play, how they move, and how they communicate will change so it’s best to know what to look out for. While the below milestones are by no means concrete, if you are worried about your child’s development, there is no harm in consulting a doctor. Just remember that every child is perfectly unique and develops at their own pace. This is an exciting age and should be spent joyously as opposed to anxiously. Without further ado, here are the 4 year old milestones!
Note: The below 4 year old milestones are approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
4 Year Old Milestones: Social and Emotional
Your child’s new-found independence will mean their social and emotional skills will develop dramatically. While they are normally unable to differentiate the real and the make-believe at this point, you will find that they start to enjoy learning new hobbies and being more creative. Below are the following social and emotional 4 year old milestones to expect:
Enjoys doing new things
Plays “Mom” and “Dad”
Is more and more creative with make-believe play
Would rather play with other children than by themselves
Cooperates with other children
Often can’t tell what’s real and what’s make-believe
Talks about what they like and what they are interested in
4 Year Old Milestones: Language and Communication
Most children at this age enjoy singing, rhyming, and making up words. They are energetic, silly, and, at times, rowdy and obnoxious. Their vocabulary will increase, meaning they will be more capable of meaningful discourse, and they will become more curious. Below are the following language and communication 4 year old milestones to expect:
Knows some basic rules of grammar, such as correctly using “he” and “she”
Sings a song or says a poem from memory such as the “Itsy Bitsy Spider” or the “Wheels on the Bus”
Tells stories
Can say first and last name
4 Year Old Milestones: Cognitive and Problem-Solving
By this age, your child’s thought process and problem-solving skills will start to change. They will start to remember parts of a story and even suggest what they think might happen next in a story. It is a great age cognitively for them as well as you, as they may start to show a keen interest and understanding in board or card games! Below are the following cognitive and problem-solving 4 year old milestones to expect:
Names some colors and some numbers
Understands the idea of counting
Starts to understand time
Remembers parts of a story
Understands the idea of “same” and “different”
Draws a person with 2 to 4 body parts
Uses scissors
Starts to copy some capital letters
Plays board or card games
Tells you what he thinks is going to happen next in a book
4 Year Old Milestones: Movement and Physical Development
Their newly discovered curiosity and inquisitiveness for the world will prove to be great fun for them and for you! Their motor skills will have vastly improved from their toddler stage meaning they will be able to do fun activities such as catching a bounced ball and hopping around. Below are the following movement and physical development 4 year old milestones to expect:
Hops and stands on one foot for up to 2 seconds
Catches a bounced ball most of the time
Pours and cuts with supervision and mashes own food
