Developmental Skills for 3-4 Year Old Children
Parents, check out this quick list
of milestones for children ages 3-4 years old.
Social and Emotional
qInterested
in
new experiences
qCooperates
with
other children
qPlays
“Mom”
and/or “Dad”
qBecomes
more
inventive in fantasy play (e.g. having an
imaginary friend)
qDresses
and
undresses
qTries
to
solve conflicts with negotiation (e.g. offers to
‘trade’ toys during play)
qFollows
adult
requests (e.g. clean up your
blocks)
qCan identify
emotions in self (happy, sad, mad, silly)
Speech and Language
qAnswers
simple “who”, “what”, “where”, and “why” questions
qTalks
about
events at school, childcare, or a friend’s house
qUnfamiliar
people
understand speech
qMost utterances
have 4 or more words
with basic
rules of grammar
qTells
stories
qSpeech
is
usually smooth and flows
without repeating
any syllables or words
Sensory
qHears
someone
call him or her from another
room
qTelevision
and/or
radio is able to be heard at the same volume as other family members
qFork and
spoon skills continue to improve, may still need reminders to use utensils to eat
qDrinks
from
an open cup with almost no spilling
Cognitive
qNames
some
colors
qUnderstands
counting
and may know a few
numbers
qFollows
a
3-part direction
qRecalls
parts
of stories
qUnderstands
the
concepts of “same and different”
qBegins
to
have a clearer sense of time (e.g. today, tomorrow, now, later)
Gross Motor
qHops on one foot
qStands on one foot
qGoes up and down stairs without help
qKicks ball forward
qThrows ball overhand
qCatches ball most of the time
qEasily moves forward and backward
Fine Motor
qDraws a person with a few body parts
qUses scissors to cut paper
qDraws circles
qBegins to copy some capital letters
qZips zipper
qFastens large button
Each child develops at his/her own pace. Do not be alarmed if your child does not follow this exact sequence. If you have concerns about your child’s development, contact your doctor or call your school district's special education office.
- You may request that Little Lukes coordinate the evaluation or provide services including speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy or teacher services. Little Lukes is a leading provider of Early Intervention and Preschool Services in Oswego, Syracuse and Watertown in Upstate New York.
