CDC - Learn the Signs. Act Early. Milestones 4years

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Important Milestones: By the End of Four Years (48 Months)

Fact Sheet on Milestones

Children develop at their own pace, so it's impossible to tell exactly when yours will learn a given skill. The developmental milestones below will give you a general idea of the changes you can expect as your child gets older, but don't be alarmed if your child takes a slightly different course.

Social

Interested in new experiences
Cooperates with other children
Plays "Mom" or "Dad"
Increasingly inventive in fantasy play
Dresses and undresses
Negotiates solutions to conflicts
More independent

Emotional

Imagines that many unfamiliar images may be "monsters"
Views self as a whole person involving body, mind, and feelings
Often cannot tell the difference between fantasy and reality

Cognitive

Correctly names some colors
Understands the concept of counting and may know a few numbers
Tries to solve problems from a single point of view
Begins to have a clearer sense of time
Follows three-part commands
Recalls parts of a story
Understands the concepts of "same" and "different"
Engages in fantasy play

Language

Has mastered some basic rules of grammar
Speaks in sentences of five to six words
Speaks clearly enough for strangers to understand
Tells stories

Movement

Hops and stands on one foot up to five seconds
Goes upstairs and downstairs without support
Kicks ball forward
Throws ball overhand
Catches bounced ball most of the time
Moves forward and backward with agility

Hand and Finger Skills

Copies square shapes
Draws a person with two to four body parts
Uses scissors
Draws circles and squares
Begins to copy some capital letters

Developmental Health Watch

Cannot throw a ball overhand
Cannot jump in place
Cannot ride a tricycle
Cannot grasp a crayon between thumb and fingers
Has difficulty scribbling
Cannot stack four blocks
Still clings or cries whenever parents leave
Shows no interest in interactive games
Ignores other children
Doesn't respond to people outside the family
Doesn't engage in fantasy play
Resists dressing, sleeping, using the toilet
Lashes out without any self-control when angry or upset
Cannot copy a circle
Doesn't use sentences of more than three words
Doesn't use "me" and "you" correctly
Experiences a dramatic loss of skills he or she once had

If You’re Concerned – Act Early

If you are concerned that your child is not reaching developmental milestones at the same time as other children the same age, visit our web page to find out what you can do to help.

From CARING FOR YOUR BABY AND YOUNG CHILD: BIRTH TO AGE 5 by Steven Shelov, Robert E. Hannermann, © 1991, 1993, 1998, 2004 by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Used by permission of Bantam Books, a division of Random House, Inc.