4 Year Old Developmental Milestones: What Parents Should Expect

Your child’s personality is shining, their imagination is growing, and they probably have plenty of opinions to share.

While every child develops at their own pace, many 4-year-olds can:

• Speak in sentences of four or more words and tell you about something that happened during their day

• Engage in imaginative and pretend play

• Ask to play with other children and begin developing friendships

• Comfort others who are hurt or sad

• Name some colors and tell what comes next in a familiar story

• Catch a large ball most of the time

• Unbutton some buttons and hold a crayon or pencil between their fingers and thumb

• Serve themselves food or pour water with adult supervision

Milestones are guides, not a competition. Your child’s 4-year well visit is a great opportunity to discuss language, behavior, motor development, learning, and preschool readiness.