4 year old speech checklist

4-Year-Old Speech Checklist: Milestones for Speech and Language

This page is all about 4 year old speech and language skills.  Keep in mind that these milestones are based on research about typically-developing children but this information is not meant to diagnose a speech-language delay or disorder.  There is a wide range of “normal” and even if your child is slightly delayed in a few of these areas, it doesn’t necessarily mean he or she has a speech or language delay.  Please contact a speech-language pathologist for a screening if you are concerned about your child’s speech and language skills.

Speech Therapy Activities for 4-year-olds

Speech Therapy Activities for 4-year-olds

No-Prep Therapy Kits and Worksheets

4-Year-Old Speech Checklist (Sound Production)

4-year-old speech milestones refer specifically to the sounds that a child is able to speak.  We use the term “speech” to refer to how a child pronounces words, whereas “language” is used to describe how children use those words to create sentences and communicate with those around them.

  • Intelligibility: A 4-year-old’s speech should be understood about 75% of the time (source: Hustad et. al, 2021)
  • Speech Sounds Correct: A 4-year-old should be able to say the following sounds correctly: /b/, /n/, /m/, /p/, /h/, /w/, /d/, /ɡ/, /k/, /f/, /t/, “ng”, and “y” (source: Crowe & McLeod, 2020)
  • Phonological Processes: A 4-year-old should no longer be using the following speech error patterns (phonological processes):
    • Velar Assimilation: Changing non-velar sounds to velar sounds in order to mirror another sound in the word (kack for tack, or guck for duck)
    • Nasal Assimilation: Changing non-nasal sounds to nasal sounds in order to mirror another nasal sound in the word (money for funny, or nunny for bunny)
    • Stopping of /f/, /s/, /z/, and /v/ Fricatives: Replacing /f/, /s/, /z/, /v/  sounds with a stop (short) sound like /t/, /d/, /b/, /p/ (pun for fun, or tee for see)
    • Final Consonant Deletion: Deleting the ending consonant off of a word (bu for bus, or no for nose)
    • Fronting: Velar sounds (back sounds like /k/ and /g/) are replaced with alveolar sounds (front sounds like /t/ and /d/)
    • Deaffrication: Affricate sounds (“ch”, “j”) replaced with fricatives (“sh” and “zh”)
    • Cluster Reduction without /s/: Consonant clusters reduced to a single consonant (“keen” for “clean” or “tin” for “twin”)
    • Weak Syllable Deletion: Reducing multi-syllabic words by omitting a syllable (“brella” for “umbrella”)
    • Source: ASHA Resource Page

4-Year-Old Language Checklist

4-year-old language milestones refer to how the child is able to put words together to communicate with those around them.  A lot goes into language skills.  Here is a list of 4-year-old language milestones:

  • Sentence Length: A 4-year-old should be speaking in sentences that are, on average, about 4 words long.  Some should be sentences and some should be a bit longer than 4 words as well. (Source: Rice et. al., 2010)
  • Grammatical Markers: Grammatical markers are the little words and word endings that help make our sentences complete and convey nuances of meaning. A 4-year-old should be using most grammatical markers correctly, although they may still have trouble with some of the later-developing grammatical markers such as the “to be” verb (like “I’m”, “we’re”, and “she is”) and irregular 3rd person singular forms.  (Source: Paul & Alforde, 1993)
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    • Here are a list of the grammatical markers that a child should be able to use correctly most of the time when they are 4 years old: present progressive “-ing”, plural nouns, “in” and “on”, possessives, past tense verbs, and 3rd person singular verbs (like “he sings”), and pronouns.
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    • Click here to view all of our resources for teaching grammar skills
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  • Questions: Children at 4 years old should be able to ask and answer some questions, if not all question types.  Here are some specific recommendations for question skills for 4 year olds:
  • Vocabulary: A 4-year-old should know a lot of words by now and they should be learning new words all of the time.  This is a time of great vocabulary growth for children.  Repeated exposures to new words can help grow a child’s vocabulary skills at this age.  Here are a few milestones for vocabulary at this age:
  • Following Directions: A 4-year-old should be able to follow basic 2-step directions and should be beginning to follow some 3-step directions, especially if they are familiar or part of their normal routine.  A 4-year-old may still require repetitions or reminders to stay on task, especially if the direction is unfamiliar to them.  They should also be able to respond when you call them from another room. (Source: ASHA)
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    Click Here to View our Resources on Helping Children Learn to Follow Directions
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  • Literacy: Children at 4 years old should begin to show an interest in books.  Reading with a 4-year-old is one of the best ways to boost language skills!  At this age, children should have the following literacy skills:

4-Year-Old Social Skill/Interaction Checklist

Another aspect of 4-year-old language milestones is how well they can interact with others.  Here are some milestones related to social skills and interaction.

A 4-year-old should be able to:

  • Pretend to be something else during play (teacher, superhero, dog, etc.) (Source: CDC)
  • Ask to go play with children if none are around, like “Can I go play with Alex?” (Source: CDC)
  • Comfort others who are hurt or sad, like hugging a crying friend (Source: CDC)
  • Avoids danger, like not jumping from tall heights at the playground (Source: CDC)
  • Changes behavior based on where she is (library vs. playground) (Source: CDC)
  • Talks about at least one thing that happened during her day (Source: CDC)
  • Engages in longer dialogues and anticipates next turn at talking (Source: ASHA)
  • Makes conversational repairs when not understood and corrects others (Source: ASHA)

For more resources on teaching social skills to children, click here.

Activities and Ideas for Boosting Language Skills in Children:

If you are looking for therapy ideas or home activities to boost a child’s language skills, check out our eBook with lesson plans and activities for teaching 39 different speech and language skills.  Or, check out our course on helping children with syntax and grammar.

Speech Therapy Activities for 4-year-olds

Speech Therapy Activities for 4-year-olds

No-Prep Therapy Kits and Worksheets

Syntax and Grammar Course and Materials Kit

Syntax and Grammar Course

Webinar Recordings and Therapy Materials for Teaching Syntax and Grammar Skills

Carrie Clark, Speech-Language Pathologist

About the Author: Carrie Clark, MA CCC-SLP

Hi, I’m Carrie! I’m a speech-language pathologist from Columbia, Missouri, USA. I’ve worked with children and teenagers of all ages in schools, preschools, and even my own private practice. I love digging through the research on speech and language topics and breaking it down into step-by-step plans for my followers.

Fun Fact: I used to love playing cello in the pit orchestra for our high school musicals.  One year, they did School House Rock and they needed a cellist up on stage for the “Figure 8” song and I was it!  I dressed in groovy bell bottoms and played cello while someone figure skated in figure 8s around me.  It was an odd experience!

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