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What does a child understand at 4-6 months of age and what is their level of mental development?
Last reviewed: 08.07.2025
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From the age of three months, the child usually begins to coo. He makes individual sounds like "au", "y-y" "gy-y". The child no longer likes to be alone, he wants you or someone from the family to be nearby. If mom or dad comes to him, he smiles or even laughs and squeals with pleasure, begins to make various sounds, as if trying to speak. He looks at the hands of adults with interest.
The child begins to understand that he is he, looks at his reflection in the mirror with pleasure. He already understands that he is wearing something, pulls at his clothes, realizing that they can be manipulated. When you communicate with the child, he follows the movement of your lips, and in response tries to answer you something.
To develop speech skills, communicate with your child more, tell him about what he sees; about what you do. Showing him his reflection in the mirror, tell him about his face: "Here are the eyes, here is the nose, ears, mouth."
If you are changing a child's clothes, indicate your actions with your voice: "We are taking off the shirt. First from the right hand, now from the left hand. Now we take off the pants," and so on. Gradually, the child will begin to understand the words you are saying and may even offer the hand or leg you are talking about.
By four months, the child already recognizes not only the mother, but also other family members. He can already distinguish adults from children.
His facial expression acquires some meaning. He reacts to the changes happening around him with facial expressions. If everything is fine, he smiles; if there is a quarrel in the house, his facial expression is frightened or puzzled. Moreover, he develops a sense of humor! If you show him funny faces, he smiles or even laughs in response.
The child really wants to be in company - he is bored alone. If you leave him and go to the kitchen, he will play with toys and his hands for a while, but then, bored, he will crawl to you. It is very unexpected when you are, for example, in the kitchen (and are sure that the child is playing on the carpet in the room) and suddenly turn around and he is under your feet: "And I came to you!"
Babies at this age often pull a blanket, sheet or something else over their head or face when examining their things. You can use this baby's movement to teach him to play hide-and-seek: "No son (daughter)!" And after removing the blanket from his face, say: "There is a son (daughter)!"
By the fourth month, the baby's cooing turns into combinations of sounds that are very similar to words. Most often, the syllable "ma-a-a" slips through, and many people think that the child has already said his first word - "mama". In fact, he cannot yet distinguish his parents with his voice. It is simply easier for a child to pronounce the sound "m" than "p". "Dads, don't worry! The time will come, and the child will call you too."
At four to five months, a child who is talked to a lot learns increasingly complex sound combinations. When you talk to him, he looks at your face attentively, watches your lips. Left alone, he will independently make different sounds. But the child does not imitate you, he studies your voice, learns to distinguish voices by ear. Therefore, when you are with your child, do not be silent!