Development three year old

Development Milestones for Your 3-Year-Old Child

To help understand your 3-year-old‘s development, doctors use certain milestones to tell if your child is developing as expected. There is a wide range of what is considered normal, so some children gain skills earlier or later than others. Toddlers who were born prematurely may reach milestones later. Always talk with your doctor about your child’s progress.

Children at this age love to play games of make-believe. However, their imaginations can sometimes run away with them and even spook them. Listen to your child’s fears and be there to comfort and reassure him or her when needed. There are many other 3-year-old developmental areas and milestones that will be reviewed in this article.

How Much Will My 3-Year-Old Child Grow?

In 3-year-olds, growth is still slow compared to the first year. Most children have become slimmer and lost the rounded tummy of a toddler. While all children may grow at a different rate, the following indicate the average for 3-year-old boys and girls:

• Weight: average gain of about 4 to 6 pounds per year
• Height: average growth of about 2 to 3 inches per year

After age 2, children of the same age can noticeably vary in height and weight. Although kids come in all shapes and sizes, a healthy toddler should continue to grow at a regular pace. The doctor will measure and weigh your child at routine checkups and plot the results on a growth chart. This lets the doctor track your child’s growth over time and spot any trends that need attention. As long as your child is maintaining his or her own rate of growth, there should be no reason to worry. A consultation with your child’s pediatrician is recommended if there is cause for concern.

Helping Kids Grow

Normal growth — supported by good nutrition, plenty of sleep and regular exercise — is one of the best overall indicators of a child’s good health.

Your toddler’s appetite may vary greatly now, which is common. It is also common for some toddlers to get stuck on one food. Food “jags” usually don’t last long if you don’t give in to them. Keep serving a variety of nutritious foods and let your child decide which and how much of them to eat, in order to build healthy eating habits.

Your child’s growth pattern is largely determined by genetics. Pushing children to eat extra food or more than the recommended amounts of vitamins, minerals or other nutrients will not increase their weight. Malnutrition, severe enough to affect growth rate, is uncommon today in the United States and other developed countries unless a child also has a related chronic illness or disorder.

What Can My 3-Year-Old Child Do at This Age?

As your child continues to grow, you will notice new and exciting abilities that develop. While children may progress at different rates, the following are some of the common milestones your child may reach in this age group:

• Runs and jumps easily
• Walks upstairs unassisted
• Rides a tricycle
• Washes and dries hands
• Stacks 10 blocks
• Easily draws straight lines and copies a circle
• Can stand on tip-toes
• Uses spoon well and feeds self
• Dresses and undresses self except for buttons and laces
• Can concentrate on tasks for eight or nine minutes
• Has all 20 primary (“baby”) teeth
• Vision is nearing 20/20
• Bladder and bowel control are usually established; uses potty chair or toilet
• May sleep 11 to 13 hours total, may still take a short afternoon nap

What Can My 3-Year-Old Child Say?

Speech development is very exciting as you watch your child begin to speak clearly and interact with others. While every child develops speech at his or her own rate, the following are some of the common milestones in this age group:

• Should be able to say about 500 to 900 words between ages 3 to 4 years old
• Speech can be understood by others
• Speaks in two or three word sentences and progresses to four- to five-word sentences
• Can remember simple rhymes or lyrics
• Uses “please” and “thank you”
• Refers to self by using own name
• Names colors

What Does My 3-Year-Old Child Understand?

While children may progress at different rates, the following are some of the common milestones your child may reach in this age group:

• Understands size differences (such as, big and little)
• Understands past tense (yesterday)
• Understands long sentences
• Understands prepositions (on, under, behind)
• Uses pronouns correctly (such as, I, you, he and me)
• Asks “why” constantly
• Counts up to four objects by 4 years old
• Says full name and age
• May have fears of certain things (for example, dark, monster under bed and going down the drain)
• Attempts to solve problems
• Remembers certain events
• Can point to the correct picture when asked a simple question about it

How Does My 3-Year-Old Child Interact With Others?

While every child is unique and will develop different personalities, the following are some of the common behavioral traits that may be present in your child:

• Begins to share and likes to play with other children
• Can take turns
• Temper tantrums are less frequent
• Begins to show feelings in socially acceptable ways

Physical Activities for 3-Year-Olds

At this age, your child is extremely active, mobile and learning in very physical ways. Children at this age are walking, running, kicking and throwing. They are exploring their world and picking up new skills, like kicking a ball or riding a tricycle.

3-year-olds are naturally active, so be sure to provide ample chances for your child to practice and build on these skills. How much is enough? Physical activity guidelines for toddlers recommend that each day they:

• Get at least 30 minutes of structured (adult-led) physical activity.
• Get at least 60 minutes of unstructured (active free play) physical activity.
• Not be inactive for more than 1 hour at a time except when sleeping.

Family Fitness Tips

Walking, playing, exploring your backyard or using playground equipment at a local park can be fun for the entire family. Also, these games provide fun and fitness for parents and toddlers:

• Walk like a penguin, hop like a frog or imitate other animals’ movements.
• Sit facing each other and hold hands. Rock back and forth and sing the song “Row, row, row your boat.”
• Bend at the waist and touch the ground. Walk your hands forward and inch along like a caterpillar.
• Sit on the ground and let your child step over your legs, or make a bridge with your body and let your child crawl under.
• Play follow the leader, “Ring around the rosy,” and other similar games.
• Listen to music and dance together.

The possibilities are endless — come up with your own active ideas or follow your child’s lead. Focusing on these activities can also help limit the amount of time your child spends watching TV or playing on a computer, tablet or smartphone.

How Long Should My 3-Year-Old Sleep?

A 3-year-old needs about 11-13 hours of sleep total. They may still take a short nap throughout the day, but a child can outgrow naptimes at this age. They do not need exact sleep times, but it is important to help children develop good, consistent habits for going to sleep. A bedtime routine is a great way to help your 3-year-old get enough sleep. Here are some tips when creating a routine:

• Avoid caffeine or sugar before bed
• Limit food and drink before bedtime
• Include a winding-down period during the half hour before bedtime

Check out our Healthy Sleep for Children for more info.

How Can I Help Increase My 3-Year-Old Child’s Learning And Emotional Security?

Consider the following as ways to foster the emotional security of your 3-year-old:

• Spend time allowing your child to talk with you
• Teach your child how things work
• Encourage play with other children
• Encourage your child to tell you stories
• Listen to your child and show that you are pleased by your child’s talking
• Let your child do as much as possible for himself or herself when getting dressed, brushing teeth, and combing hair
• Have your child help with simple chores such as picking up toys
• Give your child old clothes for “dress up” and allow him or her to pretend being a mom, dad, doctor, cowboy and the like (old sheets or towels can become skirts, capes or turbans. You can also pretend you are an elephant, butterfly, robot or other characters and play with your child)
• Sing songs or nursery rhymes and teach your child the words
• Read stories with your child and ask your child to name pictures in the stories or retell part of the story
• Help your child play with crayon and paper or chalk and chalkboard by showing how to draw circles and lines and then put them together to make a stick figure (make figure faces that are happy, sad or surprised, and talk about the different feeling shown in each picture)
• Let your child build things out of blocks or boxes
• Give your child a safe space to ride a tricycle
• Listen to children’s music with your child and dance
• Practice counting with your child
• Give your child the chance to play games with other children (church groups, YWCA or YMCA recreation centers, or libraries often have preschool programs)
• Put puzzles together with your child
• Let your child have pretend playtime with dolls, cars or toy cooking utensils
• Play hide and seek and follow the leader
• Let your child use his or her imagination by playing with play dough or clay
• Trace your child’s hand or whole body and make a picture
• Show your child you are proud of any artwork and hang it up for display
• Teach your child colors
• Play ball with your child (such as tossing a ball into a box or rolling the ball up and down an incline)

Reviewed by Dr. Toya Tillis, Pomona Pediatrics, CHOC Primary Care – June 2021

Cognitive, Language, and Motor Skills

Written by Hedy Marks

Reviewed by Renee A. Alli, MD on December 19, 2020

In this Article

• 3- to 4-Year-Old Development: Language Milestones
• 3- to 4-Year-Old Development: Cognitive Milestones
• 3- to 4-Year-Old Development: Movement Milestones
• 3- to 4-Year-Old Development: Hand and Finger Skills
• 3- to 4-Year-Old Development: Emotional and Social Milestones
• 3- to 4-Year-Old Development: How to Help Your Child
• 3- to 4-Year-Old Development: How to Keep Your Child Safe
• 3- to 4-Year-Old Development: When to Be Concerned

Congratulations, you have survived the "terrible twos!" Hopefully, you have energy left to enjoy what lies ahead for you and your preschooler. They call the next few years the "magic years" -- partly because it seems like magic that your child is finally listening to you and partly because for your child, it is a time for their imagination to run wild.

Your 3- to 4-year-old child will continue to grow and develop in many ways in the coming year. Although children reach developmental milestones at different times, your child will likely achieve the following developmental milestones before they turn 5.

3- to 4-Year-Old Development: Language Milestones

If your child is not very talkative, that will likely change soon. Between or at ages 3 and 4, your child should be able to:

• Say their name and age
• Speak 250 to 500 words
• Answer simple questions
• Speak in sentences of five to six words, and speak in complete sentences by age 4
• Speak clearly, although they may not be fully comprehensible until age 4 
• Tell stories

3- to 4-Year-Old Development: Cognitive Milestones

Your child will start asking lots of questions. "Why is the sky blue? Why do birds have feathers?" Questions, questions, and more questions! While it may be annoying at times, asking questions is a normal developmental milestone. In addition to asking "why?" all the time, your 3- to 4-year-old should be able to:

• Correctly name familiar colors
• Understand the idea of same and different, start comparing sizes
• Pretend and fantasize more creatively
• Follow three-part commands
• Remember parts of a story
• Understand time better (for example, morning, afternoon, night)
• Count, and understand the concept of counting
• Sort objects by shape and color
• Complete age-appropriate puzzles
• Recognize and identify common objects and pictures

3- to 4-Year-Old Development: Movement Milestones

Your busy preschooler continues to be on the move. Between or at ages 3 and 4, your child should be able to:

• Walk up and down stairs, alternating feet -- one foot per step
• Kick, throw, and catch a ball
• Climb well
• Run more confidently and ride a tricycle
• Hop and stand on one foot for up to five seconds
• Walk forward and backward easily
• Bend over without falling
• Help put on and remove clothing

3- to 4-Year-Old Development: Hand and Finger Skills

Your child is becoming much more nimble. At this point in their development, your child should be able to:

• More easily handle small objects and turn a page in a book
• Use age-appropriate scissors
• Copy circles (3) and squares (4)
• Draw a person with two to four body parts
• Write some capital letters
• Build a tower with four or more blocks
• Dress and undress without your help
• Screw and unscrew jar lids
• Turn rotating handles

3- to 4-Year-Old Development: Emotional and Social Milestones

Your 3- to 4-year-old is not only becoming more independent physically, but also emotionally. You may start to notice fewer tantrums when you leave your child with a sitter or at preschool.

In addition, your 3- to 4-year-old is becoming more social. Your child may now be able to cooperate with their friends, take turns, and may begin to show some problem-solving skills.

At this point in development, your child should be able to:

• Imitate parents and friends
• Show affection for familiar family and friends
• Understands the idea of "mine" and "his/hers"
• Show a wide range of emotions, such as being sad, angry, happy, or bored

In addition, you may notice your child's imagination is in overdrive. This can be good and bad. Fantasy and pretend play becomes more interesting and involved, but your child may also start developing unrealistic fears, such as believing a monster is lurking in the closet.

3- to 4-Year-Old Development: How to Help Your Child

There’s a ton you can do every day to help your child learn and grow, such as:

• Allow your child to make simple choices, like what to wear or what to play.
• Give plenty of time for your kid to be active, and play games together like tag.
• Let your child do some self-care on their own, like getting dressed, using the bathroom, and brushing teeth.
• Practice counting and singing simple songs, like the ABCs.
• Read to your child every day.
• Set time to play with other kids -- let them work out conflicts on their own, but step in when needed.
• Suggest activities like drawing and making art with paper, scissors, and glue.
• Talk to your child -- patiently answer questions and help them express their feelings.
• Teach your child how to make up after hurting someone’s feelings.

And when it comes to TVs, smartphones, computers, and tablets, doctors suggest that you:

• Keep technology out of bedrooms.
• Limit screen time to 1 hour a day of high-quality programs.
• Talk about what you watch together and how it applies to the world.

3- to 4-Year-Old Development: How to Keep Your Child Safe

All these new skills are exciting. You need to let your child explore, but you also need a watchful eye, especially when it comes to common dangers likes falls, burns, poisons, and strangers.

Here are some tips to keep in mind:

• Always wear helmets on bikes, tricycles, and other riding toys.
• Check the height and weight limits of your child’s car seat -- when your child outgrows it, use a booster seat.
• Don’t keep guns in your home. If you have a gun, keep it unloaded, locked away, and separate from bullets. And make sure children can’t get the key.
• Let your child explore, but guard against falls, especially around playgrounds, doors, windows, and stairs.
• Keep an eye out when playing near streets and driveways.
• Use caution in the kitchen -- spills, splatters, and hot surfaces can all cause serious burns.
• Watch your child at all times when in or around water -- and think about signing your kid up for swimming lessons.
• Discuss caution around strangers.

You’ll also find that your child can reach drawers, cabinets, and countertops that used to be considered safe. Make sure medicines, cleaning products, and even small household objects that can be swallowed -- like magnets and batteries -- can’t be seen or reached.

This is also the age to make sure your child knows what to do around strangers. Teach your child their full name, address, and phone number. Also, let your child know to ask only certain adults for help, like people with uniforms or name badges. And tell your child:

• No one can ask you to keep a secret from your parents.
• No one can ask you to see or touch your private parts -- the parts that a bathing suit covers.
• No one can ask you to look at, touch, or help with their private parts.

3- to 4-Year-Old Development: When to Be Concerned

All kids grow and develop at their own pace. Don't worry if your child has not reached all of these milestones at this time. But you should notice a gradual progression in growth and development as your child gets older. If you don't, or if your child has signs of possible developmental delay, as listed below, talk to your child's doctor.

Signs of developmental delay in 3- to 4-year-old children include:

• Inability to throw a ball overhand, jump in place, or ride a tricycle
• Frequent falling and difficulty walking stairs
• Inability to hold a crayon between their thumb and fingers; has trouble scribbling and cannot copy a circle
• Unable to use a sentence with more than three words and uses "me" and "you" inappropriately
• Persistent drooling and trouble speaking
• Cannot stack four blocks and has trouble handling small objects
• Continues to experience extreme separation anxiety
• Lacks interest in interactive games and doesn't engage in fantasy play
• Does not play with other children and doesn't respond to non-family members
• Self control isn't improving when angry or upset
• Does not understand simple commands, or repeats the commands
• Avoids making eye contact
• Resists getting dressed, sleeping, and going to the bathroom

Also, if you notice your child resisting or struggling with doing things that they were once able to do, tell your child's doctor. This can be a sign of a developmental disorder. If your child does have developmental delay, there are many treatments available to help your child.

Development of children 3-4 years old

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