Check out these developmental milestones to get a better idea of typical 4-year-old skills. At this age, kids grow fast. They might gain close to 5 pounds and grow 4 inches. Their eyesight continues to get better, too, which means their coordination improves.
By the end of this year, most kids can do these things:. Gross motor skills. Control big muscle movements more easily — they may be able to start, stop, turn, and go around obstacles while running. Fine motor skills. Most 4-year-olds are developing skills to:. By the end of this year, kids may have a vocabulary of more than 1, words they understand, use, or both.
They may start using complicated sentences that combine more than one thought. And they start asking who, what, why, when, and where questions — and may even answer some. Change speech patterns depending on who is involved in a conversation, like speaking in short sentences to a younger sibling.
Parenting Tip. By age 4, kids show a big desire for independence and want to do as much as possible by themselves. But overall, they are gaining better control over their emotions. Temper tantrums are hopefully becoming less and less frequent as your child has learned coping mechanisms, but a major life event, such as a move, a divorce, or the birth of a sibling can definitely affect your child's moods and behaviors.
While trusted adults, like parents and grandparents, are still the primary source of your child's interactions, the opinions of friends and peers are starting to become more important. Don't worry, they'll likely change the rules to favor themselves as they go, but allowing them to do so can be good for the imagination.
Your 4-year-old is likely getting better at problem-solving and has a good handle on how to incorporate a solution that will appease everyone or at least tries to. Learning for children this age also envelops learning about learning—how to ask questions and how to process information into understanding.
This age is definitely a chatty one, as more language skills develop what they say and what they understand at an astounding rate. By the fifth birthday, however, it will balloon to over 5, words. Most 4-year-olds love using their imaginations.
They may even develop imaginary friends. Your child may go between reality and pretend play constantly. They might enjoy playing house or dress up, and getting their friends involved, too. To help your 4-year-old continue learning, just keep talking. Answer any questions even if you don't know the answers , read, and get them thinking about words by asking questions about what you are seeing and doing. By age 4, most kids start to recognize their sexuality. Your child may have questions about where babies come from or why boys and girls are different.
Avoid scolding or punishing your child for touching her genitals. Your 4-year-old may exhibit baby talk sometimes or may start waking you up in the night even though they've slept through the night for a long time.
Temporary setbacks can be part of growing up and they usually fade away quickly. Get expert tips to help your kids stay healthy and happy. American Academy of Pediatrics. Developmental Milestones: 4 to 5 Year Olds.
Child Psychiatry Hum Dev. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Word Recognition in Beginning Literacy. Routledge; Your Privacy Rights. How do I parent my 4 year old? Why is my 4-year-old defiant? Is TV bad for 4 year olds? Is it normal for 4 year olds to have tantrums? What are the signs of autism in a 4 year old? What are symptoms of ADHD in a 4 year old? Is my 4 year old ADHD? What is mild autism? Next Article Why did Columbus write a letter to the king and queen?
Back To Top.
0コメント