Your child’s speaking and social skills will continue to grow during this year in Pre-K! Keep spending time with and talking to them. Your time together will help your four-year-old learn as they begin to repeat their first and last name, tell stories, and describe their experiences.
Scroll down to learn more about your child’s development, explore early education, and find free events for families in NYC.
The Early Childhood Family Toolkit
The Early Childhood Family Toolkit is a growing collection of our favorite resources for families with young kids. Discover learn-at-home tips and activities, health support, and more—all chosen by the NYC Department of Education.
Explore our favorite family resources
Brain Building
Learn through life's everyday moments
See what your child is learning
Brain building can be just this simple. This game helps your child learn to pay attention and remember the rules. Chatting while you do it adds new words to their vocabulary too.Milestones
Skills children develop as they play, learn, speak, act, and move are called milestones. Learn about milestones to help you understand your child's development and act early if you have concerns.
Around 4 years old, many children:
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Health
- Have 5 ounces of grains daily (such as 1 cup of breakfast cereal plus 1 large tortilla)
- Have 1 ½ cups of vegetables daily (such as 3 medium carrots)
- Have 1 to 1 ½ cups of fruits daily (such as 1 medium or large apple OR 1 to 1 ½ cups 100% fruit juice)
- Have 2 ½ cups of milk daily
- Have 4 ounces of meat and beans daily (such as 1 small chicken breast plus 1 egg)
- Have 1 hour of adult-led physical activity
- Sleep about 10–13 hours per day
- Stay on schedule with shots
Act early by talking to a doctor, teacher, or social worker if your child:
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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
Programs
Find the support your family needs to thrive
Head Start
NYC Department of Education (DOE)
Care and education for 3-4 year-olds from low-income families
Head Start programs are free and run year-round for at least eight hours a day.
Pre-K for All (Pre-K)
NYC Department of Education (DOE)
Free Pre-K for four-year-olds
Enroll your child in a free, full-day, high-quality Pre-K program.