5 Years
Developmental Milestone
Physical: Your child is growing and will gain about 4 to 5 lbs. and grow 2 to 3 inches.
Movement: They may have even better control of their body, arms, legs. They can skip, jump, and hop around. Some will even do cartwheels. It’s easy for them to balance on one foot even with their eyes closed. They can use simple tools such as pencils for writing or forks and spoons for eating. When playing, they can use the swing by themselves and bounce or catch a ball. When drawing, they can copy triangles and other shapes. When they try to draw a person, it will now be a stick person with body parts. At this age, they can begin writing some letters. They may be able to dress themselves with assistance.
Language: Your child is now able to speak sentences with 5 or more words and with all parts of a speech. They will know the names of objects they see every day. They even can understand opposites.
Brain Development: Children at this age can identify different coins and can count to 10. It’s good to know that they can know telephone numbers just in case of emergencies. They can recognize some colors. Their math skills will get better, and they can understand time. They will enjoy reading aloud from a book since they know most of the letters and the sounds they make. They can match written and spoken words. They will also try to write letters and numbers. They will know the meaning of saying sorry and can take responsibility for mistakes.
Social-Emotional Milestone
When dealing with others, they can accept the viewpoints of others but may not understand them. They may prefer hanging out with people of the same gender and may show favoritism to the parent of the same gender. They will be able to form groups of friends and will likely want to please friends and be like her friends. They may want to play in small groups and may end up not letting some kids join the group. Kids at this age enjoy singing or dancing and pretend to play. They will also have an idea of what’s right and wrong. At this age, they will better control their emotions and be more behaved. They will start outgrowing fears that they had as a child.
Did you Know?
Did you know? At this age, some will begin to have their first adult teeth (Note: Some won’t get it until they are 6 years old)
Life Skills: Chores
Allow your child to help around the house to do family chores Even though they may not have enough skills to be that helpful, toddlers will love to help you out with chores around the house. Being involved with chores at an early age will help them develop important morals and skills that they will keep for life. Find creative ways for them to help out throughout the house, even if it's through simple actions. Simple chores they can do is putting their toys away and putting their clothes in the laundry basket. Check out these resources on age-appropriate chores that your kids can help with at home. [article]
Action Items
Continue to read together.
Make sure there is enough space for the child to be active.
Have children participate and learn the rules of sports and games.
Encourage interaction with other children to build their social skills.
Help build up their imagination by playing creatively with the child.
Limit the time and content they have access to TV and computers.
Encourage the involvement of the child in small household toys, for example, picking up after their toys.