There are certain developmental milestones and language milestones expected of your child at certain ages. These milestones are marked by how a child speaks, plays, learns and acts in order to give us an idea of their stage of development. You can refer to the below as a rough guide to ensure that your child’s development is on track.
What most children do at: 4 years
Looking and Listening/Hearing and Understanding
- Attention is still on one thing only but can shift between doing and listening
- Can listen to instructions mid task without stopping to look at the speaker
- Hears you calling them from another room
- Starting to understand time better
- Understands the idea of counting
Talking/communication
- Answers and asks a lot of simple questions e.g. who, what, why, where etc.
- Sentences are between 5 and 8 words, may be longer
- Talks a lot about activities at school or friends house
- Talks about what he/she likes
- Repeats songs and rhymes and tells stories
- Says first and last name
- Fully understood by new listeners
Speech sounds a 4 year old should use
- Children should definitely produce
- P,m,h,n,w,b,k,g,d,t,n,g,f,y.
- Other sounds may be emerging at this age
Size of Vocab: 1000 – 1500
Social/Emotional/Play
- Cooperating with other children in games
- Likes doing new things
- Make believe games are more creative
- Can’t always tell what’s real or what’s make believe
- Prefers playing with other children than alone
As parents we want to do the best we can for our children. If a child receives correct support that they need, at the right time they can make significant gains. Early intervention is critically important for children with developmental difficulties (language, physical etc.) to develop the communication skills necessary for future success in their academic and personal lives.
If you are concerned about your child’s development take action now and book them in for an assessment with one of our multidisciplinary team.
