4 Years

Milestones

Around 4 years old, many children:

• Social

  • Enjoy doing new things
  • Play games where they pretend to be "Mom" or "Dad"
  • Get more creative with make-believe play
  • Prefer to play with other children than alone
  • Cooperate with other children
  • Often can't tell what's real and what's make-believe
  • Talk about what they're interested in

• Communication

  • Know some basic rules or grammar, such as how to use "he" and "she"
  • Sing a song or say a poem from memory, like "Itsy Bitsy Spider"
  • Tell stories
  • Say their first and last name
  • Answer questions, show understanding, and follow directions better
  • Describe experiences and express thoughts and feelings better

• Learning

  • Learn through playing
  • Are able to tell reality from fantasy better
  • Quickly develop thinking skills like predicting, comparing, and reasoning
  • Name some colors and some numbers
  • Understand the idea of counting
  • Start to understand time
  • Remember parts of a story
  • Understand the idea of "same" and "different"
  • Draw a person with 2–4 body parts

• Physical Development

  • Hop and stand on one foot up to 2 seconds
  • Catch a bounced ball most of the time
  • Pour liquid, mash own food, and use scissors with supervision

• Health

  • Have 5 ounces of grains daily, including whole grains daily (1 ounce equals ½ cup oatmeal, ½ cup of rice, 5 whole wheat crackers, 1 slice of whole wheat bread, or ½ cup cooked pasta).
  • Have 1 ½ cups of vegetables daily (such as ½ cup baby carrots, ½ cup broccoli, and ½ avocado).
  • Have 1 ½ cups of fruits daily (such as 1 small apple, ½ large banana, and ½ cup chopped berries). Fresh, frozen, canned or dried all count.
  • Have 4 ounces of protein foods daily (1 ounce equals 1 egg, ¼ cup of beans or lentils, 1 tablespoon peanut butter, or ¼ cup tofu). Protein foods include beans, lentils, tofu, nuts and nut butters, poultry, fish, eggs and meat.
  • Have 2 ½ cups of dairy or suitable substitute daily. This includes whole cow’s milk, whole plain yogurt, or unsweetened fortified soy beverage.
  • Drink water between meals for thirst.

Act early by talking to a doctor, teacher, or social worker if your child:

• Act Early

  • Can't jump in place
  • Has trouble scribbling
  • Shows no interest in interactive games or make believe
  • Ignores other children or doesn't respond to people outside the family
  • Resists dressing, sleeping, and using the toilet
  • Can't retell a favorite story
  • Doesn't understand "same" and "different"
  • Doesn't use "me" and "you" the right way