Speech and Language Milestones: 4 year olds
How do I know if my child’s speech and language development is on track? What do most kids this age usually say?
As always, therapists at Juniper Therapies are happy to chat on the phone for a free consultation if you have any questions about your child’s development. Schedule a call today!
Here are some basics to consider as you’re watching your child develop.
Intelligibility: Understanding Your Child's Speech
Intelligibility refers to how well others can understand your child's speech. By the age of four, a child should be 100% intelligible to an unfamiliar listener. This means any adult who speaks to your child should be able to easily understand what they’re saying.
Your child should consistently use all of the speech sounds we expect 3 year olds to make such as: /m/, /p/, /b/, /t/, /d/, /n/, /h/, /w/, /k/, /g/, /y/, and /f/. At 4 years of age we’re watching for /-ing/, /r/, /l/, and /s/ to begin to emerge. Your child may still naturally resolve errors on /r/, /l/, or /s/ over the next year or so, but it may be a good time to get started correcting these sounds before kindergarten begins - depending on your child’s temperament. If your child is making a lot of speech sound errors or is difficult to understand, we recommend getting started sooner than later.
Language Skills: the words your child says
By the age of four, children develop the ability to answer more complex questions. They can now respond to "who, where, why," and "how" questions. They should be able to tell you about at least one thing that happened in their day and can repeat the words to stories and songs.
By the age of four, children typically use around 1,000 words (in other words, too many to count!) and demonstrate significant improvement in their grammatical skills. On average, a 4 year old should make 4 word sentences. We hope to see some 5-6 word sentences to balance out the one word sentences too! Here are a few more features of 4 year old language we like to see:
Compares things with words like bigger or shorter
Tells you a story from a book or video
Understands and uses location words like inside, on and under
Uses words like a or the when talking like “a book” or “the dog”
Pretends to read alone or with others
Recognizes signs and logos like STOP
Pretends to write or spell and can write some letters
Says all of the syllables in a words
Speaks smoothly without repeating words, sounds, or phrases most of the time
Produces all of the sounds in a consonant cluster containing two or more consonants in a row - like the tw in tweet or the -nd in sand.
Promoting social language skills is essential for your child's overall communication development. Consider scheduling playdates, visiting parks and community play spaces, or preschool to provide opportunities for interaction with peers and to prepare for the long days of kindergarten!
Speech therapists are trained to assess and provide appropriate interventions for children with speech and language delays or disorders. We can provide personalized strategies, exercises, and activities to support your child's communication skills. Early intervention is crucial for the best possible outcomes, so don't hesitate to reach out for support from Juniper Therapies. We’re here to support you and your child.
Sources and Additional Resources:
https://www.asha.org/public/developmental-milestones/communication-milestones-3-to-4-years/
https://therapyworks.com/blog/developmental-milestones/three-year-old-milestones/
