Information, advice, helpful websites and videos to support your 4 year olds communication skills.
Remember, not all children develop at the same rate but during this time I will:
ask lots of questions using words like ‘what’, ‘where’ and ‘why’
be able to answer questions about ‘why’ something has happened
use longer sentences and link sentences together, E.g. “I had pizza for tea and then I played in the garden”
describe events that have already happened, E.g. “We got dressed up and we went to the hall and singed songs. All the mummies and daddies did watch”
have mostly clear speech, though will continue to have difficulties with a small number of sounds – for example ‘r’ – as in ‘rabbit’, ‘l’ – as in ‘letter’, ‘th’ as in ‘thumb’, ‘sh’ as in ‘show’, and ‘j’ as in ‘jam’
listen to longer stories and answer questions about a story they have just heard, for example, simple questions such as “Who did Cinderella dance with at the ball?”, “Were Cinderella’s sisters kind?”
understand and often use colour, number and time related words, for example, ‘red’ car, ‘three’ fingers
enjoy make-believe play
start to like simple jokes – though often their own jokes make little sense
start to be able to plan games with others
My parents might want to speak to a Health Visitor or GP if:
I’m not doing some of the things a younger child would (see previous age boxes)
I don’t use sentences with 3 words or more
I don’t understand simple commands
Close relatives can’t understand me most of the time
I struggle to turn ideas into sentences
My words are often jumbled, and my ideas are difficult to follow
