Developmental milestones by age 4
Developmental milestones or developmental indicators are a set of behavioural or functional skills thresholds that map the course of your child’s development. These behaviours are categorised into five domains – communication and language, physical and motor, social and emotional, adaptive and cognitive. Parents must keep in mind that India has great linguistic diversity, and children may have to be taught the same words in different languages. By age four, a child normally attains the following skills in each domain.
Developmental milestones by age 4 – Language Milestones
- Is able to tell a small story
- Has a sentence length of four to five words
- Has a vocabulary of nearly 1000 words
- Names at least one colour
- Understands concepts like, “lunchtime”, “little-big” “summer”, “tonight”,
- Begins to obey requests like “put the glass for washing “
- Knows their last name, name of the street on which they live
- Know several nursery rhymes
- Talk about how objects are either the same or different
- Encourage them to tell stories using books and pictures
- Encourage them to play with other children, set playdates at home or park
- Start reading longer stories to them
- Pay attention to your child when they are talking
- Talk about places you have been or would like to go Motor Skills Milestones
Developmental milestones by age 4 – Motor Skills
Gross Motor
- Is able to run around obstacles and walk on a line
- Can balance on one foot for a couple of seconds
- Hops on one foot
- Pushes and pulls, steers wheeled toys
- Rides tricycle
- Uses slide independently
- Jumps over a six-inch-high object and lands on both feet together
- Throws ball overhead
- Catches a bounced ball
Fine Motor
- Builds a tower of nine small blocks
- Drives nails and pegs
- Copies circle
- Imitates cross
- Manipulates clay material (rolls balls, snakes, cookies)
Developmental milestones by age 4 – Social Skills Milestones
- Interacts and joins in play with other children
- Shares toys; takes turns with assistance
- Begins dramatic play, acting out whole scenes
Developmental milestones by age 4 – Adaptive Skills Milestones
- Pours well from a small pitcher
- Spreads soft butter with a knife
- Buttons and unbuttons large buttons
- Washes hands independently
- Blows nose when reminded
- Uses toilet independently
Developmental milestones by age 4 – Cognitive Skills Milestones
- Recognises and matches six colours
- Stacks blocks or rings in order of size
- Draws a somewhat recognisable picture that is meaningful to a child if not to adult; names and briefly explains the picture
- Starts asking questions: why and how questions requiring simple answers
- Knows own age and name
- Has short attention span; learns through observing and imitating adults and by adult instruction and explanation; is very easily distracted
- Has increased understanding of concepts of the functions and grouping of objects and part/whole
- Begins to be aware of past and present