From ages 3-4, children develop rapidly. They hone their motor skills, can draw in a more sophisticated manner, their vocabulary is growing and they are getting just a little more independent. Here are some key child development milestones for three-year-olds. Subscribe to Type-A Mom articles

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Movement and mobility

• can walk on tiptoe without falling
• runs with a smoother and more fluid motion, has better control over direction and starting and stopping
• can now jump using both feet and hop for a few strides
• can now climb the stairs using alternate feet, but still tends to come down by putting both feet on the same step
• can skip a little

Co-ordination

• can now draw simple shapes
• enjoys helping around the house with simple chores ( make the most of it, it doesn´t last!)
• can eat and drink without too much mess
• likes to draw simple stick men and figures representing family and other people they know
• can cut with plastic scissors

Vocabulary

• will now know approximately 1500 words, and adds to this at the rate of about 50 new words every month
• will use slightly longer sentences, around 3-4 words “ Want to play out”
• likes “pretend” games and starts to have a more active imagination
• may start to talk to himself a lot, likes to talk to toys and “read” to them
• this is the start of the questioning marathon! Continually asks questions, particularly “why?” until you feel it might drive you mad!
• understand more complex sentence structures that others say, but cannot form complex sentences for him/herself

Social Skills

• a little more independent of Mom, but still needs to know that you are around
• may be mean to other children
• starts to choose friends and likes some children more than others
• get on well with peer group, but still finds it difficult to share
• likes pretend games with a clear role, “Mommies and Daddies” , playing school etc.

Continues to learn by:

• tackling jigsaws of increasing complexity
• talking about their own and family experiences
• building things, towers, blocks, lego etc.
• still enjoys “remembering” – even if something only happened the day before!

In terms of their learning and development, most children pass through roughly the same milestones at approximately the same age.

This series of articles has been written as a rough guide to how you should expect your child to develop between the ages given. Remember, all kids are individuals, and they will vary in their strengths and weaknesses and preferences for each skill set ( and this list is by no means definitive!).

Also see:

• Child Development from Age 5-6
• Child Development from Age 4-5
• Child Development from Age 2-3