What developmental skill is expected by age 4?

By age 4, children are typically expected to engage in cooperative play, demonstrating significant social development. At this age, they begin to interact more with peers in structured play scenarios, sharing toys, taking turns, and collaborating in play activities. This move towards cooperative play highlights their growing ability to navigate social dynamics and relationships with other children, which is an essential part of emotional and social development.

While understanding "no," using a cup, and managing temper tantrums are important developmental milestones, they are generally recognized at earlier stages. For instance, understanding "no" starts much earlier in childhood, often around 1-2 years of age, as children begin to grasp limits and expectations. Similarly, the ability to use a cup typically emerges by the age of 2, when children are refining their motor skills and self-feeding abilities. While children do exhibit temper tantrums around the ages of 2-3, by the age of 4, they are generally learning to manage their emotions better and show decreased frequency and intensity of these outbursts. Therefore, the developmental skill expected by age 4 is primarily centered around the initiation of cooperative play.