4 years

Just because your child is not performing everything at the selected times does not mean there is something wrong. Some children take a little bit longer to be able to do things on their own. Your child requires stimulation and opportunity to learn and develop. For guidance on age appropriate activities please look at play and ideas.

Child developmental stages

4 years

• I can build a tower with blocks.
• I can thread large beads on a shoe lace.
• I can cut paper with scissors.
• I can hold a pencil and copy a circle.
• I can draw a person’s head and sometimes add arms and legs.
• I enjoy painting.
• I help with getting dressed.
• I love it when you ask about my day, I like to tell stories.
• I understand, front/ behind/ middle.
• I can share and take turns, most of the time!
• I can put the same colours together.
• I can understand instruction
• I can tell long stories.
• I still find some sounds hard to say.
• I enjoy make believe play.
• I help with jobs around the house.

If you are concerned about how your child is doing any of the above activities please ask your health visitor for advice and guidance.

Areas for concern at 4 years of age

The guide below indicates when you should seek further advice if your child is not making progress towards their age specific targets. Please seek further advice from your health visitor or GP.

If your child –

• Does not concentrate on anything for more than a few minutes
• Speech is very unclear
• Cannot tell stories about what they have done.
• Does not show interest in playing with other children
• Has difficulty scribbling.
• Cannot grasp a crayon between thumb and finger
• He stumbles, repeats words or the beginning of words, or gets stuck on words (stammer)
• He has a hoarse voice
• Still clings or cries when parents leave them.
• Cannot pedal a trike
• If they are very verbal but conversation is unusual and centres around topics of interest to himself
• They are using very short or jumbled sentences and not linking sentences together.
• Can walk up and down stairs, placing one foot on a step in adult fashion. .
• Climbs and plays on all apparatus in the play park.