Speech and Language Milestones for Children (4 Years)

While much of language development happens between birth and age 3, children should be developing new skills at age 4 that help them continue to refine their communication abilities. 

You may notice that your preschooler has become more efficient at conversation or can explain how they’re feeling. Today your child may love to pretend–today they’re a teacher , tomorrow a doctor. They may enjoy “helping” around the house. And they’re likely even showing a bit of independence and less impulsivity. 

What should 4-year-olds be able to understand?

Receptive language refers to a person’s ability to understand what’s said to them. This helps children make sense of the world and the communication directed toward them. Once a child is 4 years old, they should be able to understand the majority of what’s said to them in any environment. Whether they’re following directions in preschool or listening to a family member at home, they should be able to make sense of the words and sentences spoken to them most of the time.

• Following directions - Attention span increases at age 4. Your child should be able to follow three to four step verbal directions. If you tell your 4-year-old, “Take your shoes off, hang up your backpack and bring me your thermos” they should be able to complete these directions on their own, without forgetting a step or having to ask you to repeat it. Children around this age should also begin to understand sequencing.
• Understanding time - Time-based concepts are also important for children to learn at this age (i.e., today, yesterday, and tomorrow). As children begin to use these words themselves, they become better able to describe and communicate about things going on in their world.

What should 4-year-olds be able to talk about?

Expressive language refers to the ability to communicate your wants, needs, and thoughts, whether verbally or nonverbally. 

• Describing emotions and feelings - Four year olds should begin demonstrating the ability to express and name feelings. Whether it’s describing how the feelings of a character in their book, or using words to express their own emotions.
• Answering questions - Answering questions is related to a child’s ability to understand questions, as well as having the necessary vocabulary and grammar skills to structure their response. 
• Participating in conversation - A four year old should be able to communicate with a variety of people, both children and adults, and maintain a conversation. This includes staying mostly on topic, as well as answering and asking questions to keep the conversation progressing. Four-year-olds should also use correct grammar most of the time. 
• Story Telling - As children talk with others, you may notice their desire to tell stories. Around 4 years old, your child should start verbally sharing their imagination 

What should a 4-year-old’s speech sound like?

As language skills grow, articulation abilities grow as well. Articulation refers to a person’s ability to say specific speech sounds. You should see consistent improvement in your child’s ability to say all speech sounds during their fourth year. You may still hear some errors with the sounds /l/, /s/, /r/, /v/, /z/, “ch,” “sh,” and “th.” For example, /s/ might sound like “th”, or your child may replace an /r/ sound with a /w/. These articulation errors are considered developmental and emergent in nature. However, by the time a child turns 5 years old, errors with these sounds (and any others) should be mostly gone and your child's speech should be mostly intelligible to familiar and unfamiliar listeners. Be sure to watch for constant improvement and expansion in articulation skills. 

When might speech therapy be needed?

Early intervention is important when it comes to speech and language development, whether the issue is with receptive or expressive language, speech sounds, or fluency. If your child isn’t meeting some of their 4-year-old milestones, don’t hesitate to reach out to a Speech Language Pathologist (SLP), also commonly known as a speech therapist. The sooner a delay or problem is identified, the sooner therapy can start and progress can begin!

This is especially important as your child prepares to start school. When children begin preschool or kindergarten, they’re suddenly put into a much more social environment. There are new experiences and rules to follow, and children begin to develop relationships with teachers and peers. 

If you suspect your child could benefit from some extra support, contact a speech therapist for an evaluation. In order to help children be confident communicators, it’s best to give them the tools for success as soon as possible!

If you’re concerned that your child isn’t meeting their speech and language milestones, schedule an assessment now