Child Development — Appropriate Four-Year-Old Behaviors
While every child is different and there are no hard-and-fast rules about when certain developmental milestones occur, there are general timelines for when we expect to see certain accomplishments. Relatedly, some children may be advanced in one area and slightly behind in another. The behaviors listed below are those that are typically achieved during the four-year-old year and are shared merely as a guideline. As parents, we may wish to help our children play to their strengths and consider interventions to support and strengthen their weaker areas; consulting with professionals can help determine appropriate paths for intervention.
Motor Skills
- Runs, starts, stops, and moves around obstacles with ease; can ride a tricycle
- Forms shapes and objects out of clay, often holds a crayon or marker correctly, reproduces some shapes and letters; paints and draws with purpose, but often has difficulty implementing it; threads small wooden beads on a string
Cognitive
- Identifies and names many uppercase letters; writes several letters and sometimes their name
- Rote counts to 20 or more
- Likes stories about how things grow and how things operate
- Delights in wordplay, creating silly language; are good storytellers
- Understands the concepts of “tallest,” “biggest,” “same,” and “more”; selects the picture that has the “most houses” or the “biggest dogs.”
- Understands the sequence of daily events (e.g., “When we get up in the morning, we get dressed, have breakfast, brush our teeth, and go to school.”)
- Follows two- to three- step directions
Speech-Language
- Speech is almost entirely intelligible
- Answers “wh” questions easily
- Can recognize that certain words sound similar
- Uses prepositions (e.g., “on”, “in”, “under”, etc.) and possessives consistently
- Produces elaborate sentence structures; recites and sings simple songs
- Often uses the past tense of verbs correctly, but is also likely to simply put “ed” on the end of words (e.g., “I goed outside.”)
- Changes tone of voice and sentence structure to adapt to listener’s level of understanding (e.g., “Milk gone?” to baby “Did the baby drink all of his milk?” to adult)
Social-Emotional
- Moods may change rapidly and unpredictably
- Participates in group activities and cooperates with others generally well; can be selfish
- Shows pride in accomplishments and seeks adult approval
- Insists on trying to do things independently, but may become easily frustrated with failure
- Enjoys role-playing and make-believe activities
- Generally, relies on verbal expression as opposed to physical aggression
- Establishes close relationships with playmates; beginning to have “best” friends
- Boasts, exaggerates, and “bends” the truth with made-up stories
Want to read more on appropriate behaviors for children? Check out “What Are Appropriate Behaviors for a Five-Year-Old?”
Click here to read more content from Barrie Morganstein, Ph.D!
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