Developmental milestones reco... Health Article

Definition

This article describes the skills and growth markers relevant to 5-year-old children.

Alternative Names

Normal childhood growth milestones - 5 years; Childhood growth milestones - 5 years; Growth milestones for children - 5 years

Information

Physical and motor skills milestones for a 5-year-old child may include:

• Erupting the first permanent teeth (the majority of children do not get their first permanent teeth until age 6)
• Developing increased coordination
• Skipping, jumping, and hopping with good balance
• Maintaining balance while standing on one foot with eyes closed
• Tying own shoelaces
• Showing increased skill with simple tools and writing utensils
• Can copy a triangle
• Spreads with a knife

Sensory and cognitive milestones:

• Increasing vocabulary to over 2100 words
• Composing sentences of six to eight words, and with all parts of speech
• Identifying coins
• Counting to 10
• Properly naming the primary colors and possibly many more
• Questioning more deeply, addressing meaning and purpose
• Responding to "why" questions
• Behaving more responsibly and apologizing for mistakes
• Decreasing aggressive behavior
• Outgrowing earlier childhood fears
• Accepting the validity of other points of view (while possibly not understanding them)
• Demonstrating increased mathematical skill
• Questioning others, including parents
• Strongly identifying with the parent of the same sex
• Has a group of friends
• Engagin in imaginative play (for example, a trip to the moon)

Ways to encourage a 5 year old's development may include:

• Reading together
• Providing the necessary space for physical activity
• Instructing the child to participate in -- and learn the rules of -- sporting activities
• Encouraging the child to play with other children, which helps develop social skills
• Playing creatively with the child
• Monitoring both the time and content of television viewing
• Visiting local areas of interest
• Encourage the child to take responsibility for small household chores such as helping set the table
• Have the child pick up his or her toys after playing

References

Feigelman S. The Preschool Years. In: Kliegman RM, Behrman RE, Jenson HB, Stanton BF, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007: Chap. 10.