Your Toddler’s Year Four Milestones
(3 Years – 4 Years)
Your child is getting bigger and exploring more and more as they turn four years old. By this age, kids are full of imagination, bursting with questions, and eager to show off their new skills. This stage of development is a period of remarkable growth, creativity, and social awareness as your child continues to reach new and exciting milestones.
On this page, you’ll find all of the developmental milestones your child should achieve by their fourth birthday. If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s development, reach out to us to schedule a free consultation today.
Your 4-Year-Old’s Developmental Milestones
By the time your child turns four, they’re well on their way to becoming more independent, social, brave, and empathetic. This time of their lives is full of activity and curiosity, as well as lots of showing off their new skills!
Language & Communication Milestones
- Repeats some words from familiar stories and songs
- Makes longer sentences using four or more words
- Tells you stories about what they did during the day, such as, “I went down the slide”
Cognitive Milestones
- Recognizes and names several different colors
- Answers simple questions like “What is a marker for?”
- Says what happens next in a story they’ve heard often
- Draws people with three or more body parts (i.e. head, face, and legs; head, body, and arms; etc.)
Social & Emotional Milestones
- Offers comfort (like a hug) to friends or family who are sad or hurt
- Asks to go play with friends who aren’t nearby
- Enjoys helping other people
- Pretends to be someone or something else while playing (i.e. a cat, a superhero, or a police officer)
- Avoids things that are dangerous, such as choosing not to jump off of something that is very tall
- Changes their behavior appropriately based on where they are, such as a playground or a library
Movement Milestones
- Catches a large ball most of the time
- Holds writing utensils (like a crayon or a pencil) between their fingers and thumb instead of in a fist
- Unbuttons some of the buttons on clothes
Activities Parents Can Do at Home to Support Your Toddler’s Development
By making these activities part of your child’s everyday routine, you’ll be helping them grow while having fun together! It’s all about encouraging their curiosity, creativity, and confidence as they continue to learn and grow.
Here are some simple activities you can do at home to help your child build their developmental skills:
- Language and Communication Skills: Encourage conversations by asking your child about their day, their thoughts, and their feelings. Ask them to tell you stories, retell books, or describe their artwork. Play word games like “I Spy” or rhyming games to help build their vocabulary and listening skills.
- Cognitive Skills: Play games with your child that require problem-solving, like puzzles or matching games. You can also play games that involve counting, identifying shapes, or recognizing patterns, which help build logic and early math skills.
- Social and Emotional Skills: Role-playing games are great for this age! Play pretend with your child, whether it’s cooking in a pretend kitchen or acting in imagination games. These activities help your child practice empathy, expressing themselves, and interacting with others in positive ways.
- Movement and Physical Skills: Encourage physical activity like jumping, hopping, or balancing on one foot. Set up fun challenges like hopscotch, obstacle courses, or races that involve running and climbing. You can even teach them how to ride a bicycle or take swimming classes to help them build strong movement skills.
- Creativity and Expression: Let your child explore their creativity through arts and crafts, music, or dancing. Drawing, painting, or playing with playdough can improve fine motor skills, while singing or dancing helps with movement coordination.
- Daily Life Skills: Encourage your child to be more independent by asking them to do simple chores, like setting the table, picking up toys, or getting dressed. These tasks build responsibility, motor skills, and confidence in their abilities.
- Feeding Skills: Encourage self-feeding by offering a variety of textures and foods that your child can easily scoop with a spoon or cut with a plastic knife. Let them practice using utensils during meals, and make mealtime fun by letting them try new foods. This helps improve their fine motor skills and coordination, while also building more independence and healthy eating habits.
Schedule an Appointment Today
Empower your child to overcome the challenges of retained reflexes with Sensational Development. Give us a call at (516) 799-2900 to schedule an evaluation today and find out how we can help your child achieve a sensational future.
