At four years of age their imagination will be running wild. Fantasy play will become ever more inventive, and dress up will be a must for their fantastic adventures.
Child development milestones are some of the most exciting moments of raising a child. From the first time they smile, to the first steps they take, to the first words they speak; every moment creates an exhilarating rush of happiness to any mother or father.
During these child developmental stages parents are there to nurture every step of their child’s development. Following is a list of a child’s 4 Year Developmental Milestones. This list is based off of child development research found by CDC.gov, your online source for credible health information, and the official Web site of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Please note, every child develops at their own rate, so there is no reason to be alarmed if your child has not reached these stages yet.
Social
- Interested in new experiences
- Cooperates with other children
- Plays “Mom” or “Dad”
- Increasingly inventive in fantasy play
- Dresses and undresses
- Negotiates solutions to conflicts
- More independent
Emotional
- Imagines that many unfamiliar images may be “monsters”
- Views self as a whole person involving body, mind, and feelings
- Often cannot tell the difference between fantasy and reality
Cognitive
- Correctly names some colors
- Understands the concept of counting and may know a few numbers
- Tries to solve problems from a single point of view
- Begins to have a clearer sense of time
- Follows three-part commands
- Recalls parts of a story
- Understands the concepts of “same” and “different”
- Engages in fantasy play
Language
- Has mastered some basic rules of grammar
- Speaks in sentences of five to six words
- Speaks clearly enough for strangers to understand
- Tells stories
Movement
- Hops and stands on one foot up to five seconds
- Goes upstairs and downstairs without support
- Kicks ball forward
- Throws ball overhand
- Catches bounced ball most of the time
- Moves forward and backward with agility
Hand and Finger Skills
- Copies square shapes
- Draws a person with two to four body parts
- Uses scissors
- Draws circles and squares
- Begins to copy some capital letters