From the Guidelines
By age 4, children should be able to climb stairs without support and skip on one foot as gross motor milestones, and draw a person with 6 parts, a simple cross, and button medium-sized buttons as fine motor milestones. According to the most recent and highest quality study available, 1, the expected gross and fine motor milestones for a 4-year-old child are:
- Gross motor milestones:
- Climbs stairs without support
- Skips on one foot
- Fine motor milestones:
- Draws a person with 6 parts
- Draws a simple cross
- Buttons medium-sized buttons These milestones are essential indicators of a child's developmental progress and should be monitored by healthcare providers during routine check-ups. It is crucial to note that while these milestones serve as a general guideline, children may develop at slightly different rates, and some variation is considered normal. However, significant delays or concerns about a child's motor development should be discussed with a healthcare provider to determine if further evaluation is necessary, as suggested by the study 1. Healthcare providers should use standardized developmental tests and conduct thorough physical examinations to assess a child's motor skills and identify any potential issues early on, as outlined in the study 1.
From the Research
Gross Motor Milestones for a 4-year-old Child
- At 4 years old, children typically achieve certain gross motor milestones, such as running, jumping, and kicking a ball 2
- Gross motor development in children follows a predictable sequence as the central nervous system matures, allowing for the assessment of development and identification of motor delays through physical examination and screening with standardized tools 3
- The Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, Second Edition (BOT-2), is a standardized, norm-referenced measure used to assess fine and gross motor skills in children, including those aged 4-21 years 2
Fine Motor Milestones for a 4-year-old Child
- Fine motor skills, such as manual coordination and fine manual control, are also assessed in children using tools like the BOT-2 2
- At 4 years old, children typically demonstrate improved fine motor skills, such as drawing simple shapes and using scissors 4
- The development of fine motor skills is an important aspect of overall child development, and delays or difficulties in this area can be identified through standardized assessments and evaluations 5
Assessment and Evaluation of Motor Milestones
- Various assessment tools, such as the Bayley Scale of Infant and Toddler Development-III (Bayley-III), the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 (MABC-2), and the Test of Gross Motor Development-2 (TGMD-2), are used to evaluate gross motor skills in children 5
- These assessment tools have varying levels of validity, reliability, and clinical utility, and are used to identify motor delays and difficulties in children 5
- Early intervention and evaluation are crucial in addressing motor delays and difficulties in children, and can help improve overall developmental outcomes 3, 6