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Developmental milestones record - 5 years
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 skill milestones for a 5-year-old child may include:
- Gains about 4 - 5 pounds per year
- Grows about 2 - 3 inches per year
- Vision has reached 20/20
- Erupting the first permanent teeth (most 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
- Showing increased skill with simple tools and writing utensils
- Can copy a triangle
- Spreads with a knife
Sensory and cognitive milestones:
- Vocabulary increasing to over 2,000 words
- Composing sentences of 5 or more words, and with all parts of speech
- Identifying coins
- Counting to 10
- Knows telephone number
- 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 other points of view (but may not understand them)
- Demonstrating increased mathematical skill
- Questioning others, including parents
- Strongly identifying with the parent of the same sex
- Having a group of friends
- Engaging 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
- Encouraging the child to take responsibility for small household chores, such as helping set the table or picking up toys after playing
References
Feigelman S. The preschool years. In: Kliegman RM, Behrman RE, Jenson HB, Stanton BF, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 19th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2011:chap 10.
Review Date:
5/12/2012
Reviewed By: Jennifer K. Mannheim, ARNP, Medical Staff, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Seattle Children's Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M. Health Solutions, Ebix, Inc.
Reviewed By: Jennifer K. Mannheim, ARNP, Medical Staff, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Seattle Children's Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M. Health Solutions, Ebix, Inc.
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