Important Milestones: By The End Of 4 Years
Babies develop at their own pace, so it's impossible to tell exactly when your child will learn a given skill. The developmental milestones listed below will give you a general idea of the changes you can expect, but don't be alarmed if your own baby's development takes a slightly different course.
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
Developmental Health Watch
Alert your child's doctor or nurse if your child displays any of the following signs of possible developmental delay for this age range.
Cannot throw a ball overhand
Cannot jump in place
Cannot ride a tricycle
Cannot grasp a crayon between thumb and fingers
Has difficulty scribbling
Cannot stack four blocks
Still clings or cries whenever parents leave
Shows no interest in interactive games
Ignores other children
Doesn't respond to people outside the family
Doesn't engage in fantasy play
Resists dressing, sleeping, using the toilet
Lashes out without any self-control when angry or upset
Cannot copy a circle
Doesn't use sentences of more than three words
Doesn't use "me" and "you" correctly
Experiences a dramatic loss of skills he or she once
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Content source: National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities,CDC Act Early Informational Material,From CARING FOR YOUR BABY AND YOUNG CHILD: BIRTH TO AGE 5 by Steven Shelov, Robert E. Hannermann, © 1991, 1993, 1998, 2004 by the American Academy of Pediatrics
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