Developmental Milestones

The 3 to 4 year olds

These kids have survived the “terrible twos”. Hopefully, they have energy left to enjoy what
lies ahead for them. The next few years are called the "magic years" - partly because it seems
like magic that the child is finally listening more, partly because it is a time for his or her
imagination to run wild.

3 to 4-Year-Old Development: Movement Milestones

Your busy preschooler continues to be on the move. Between or at ages 3 and 4, your child
should be able to:
 Walk up and down stairs, alternating feet - one foot per step
 Kick, throw, and catch a ball
 Climb well
 Run more confidently and ride a tricycle
 Hop and stand on one foot for up to five seconds
 Walk forward and backward easily
 Bend over without falling
 Can brush teeth; Wash hands; Dressing and undressing alone; Use spoon and fork.

3 to 4-Year-Old Development: Cognitive Milestones

Your child will start asking lots of questions. "Why is the sky blue? Why do birds have
feathers?" Questions, questions, and more questions! While it may be annoying at times,
asking questions is a normal developmental milestone. In addition to asking "why?" all the
time, your 3 to 4-year-old should be able to:
 Correctly name familiar colors
 Understand the idea of same and different
 Pretend and fantasize more creatively
 Follow three-part commands
 Remember parts of a story
 Understand time better (for example, morning, afternoon, night)
 Count, and understand the concept of counting
 Sort objects by shape and color
 Complete age-appropriate puzzles
  Feel insecure if you give a lot of choice. Ex: The question should not be what
clothes you want to wear, but rather do you want this or that?
 Can pronounce the words more clearly and already form simple sentences. The
child can already form some complete sentences (and grammatically correct),
using words already learned.
 The vocabulary is expanding; already uses words to express emotions, often
cannot concretize in the speech what is feeling.
 Can follow directions and simple orders.
 May have a bit more of attention, which, still small, is around 8 to 10 minutes.

3 to 4-Year-Old Development: Emotional and Social Milestones

The 3 to 4-year-old is not only becoming more independent physically, but also emotionally.
You may start to notice fewer tantrums when the child is left with a sitter or at preschool.
In addition, your 3 to 4-year-old is becoming more social. The child may now be able to
cooperate with his or her friends, take turns, and may begin to show some problem-solving
skills. At this age they are able to:
 Imitate parents and friends
 Show affection for familiar family and friends
 Understand the idea of "mine" and "his/hers"
 Show a wide range of emotions, such as being sad, angry, happy, or bored

Behavior and other needs:

 Need to feel loved and needed.
 Like to laugh.
 It’s time for them to develop self-confidence.
 May go through a difficult emotional stage at age 3 and a half. Often aggressive
behavior such as crying loudly and screaming when cannot get what they want.
 Can be cooperative, like to please, help with small tasks.
 Appreciate new experiences.
 Like to be independent, but need to have someone to inspire confidence.
 Slowly learn to understand the world around them, and learn that in this world
there are rules that must be obeyed, although they are still quite egocentric.
 Appreciate the company of friends; want to help and please.
 Like the company of other children, but when they are together, they play in
isolation because they are still quite individualistic. That's why at the same time
they're playing with another child, they get tired and do not want to play anymore.
At certain times begin to share the toys.
 Like jokes that play with the imaginary.
 Like to ask and repeat questions, for the pleasure of hearing the same things and to
confirm their learning.
  Show curiosity about the world.

3 to 4-Year-Old Development: When to Be Concerned

All kids grow and develop at their own pace. Don't worry if the child has not reached all of
these milestones at this time. But you should notice a gradual progression in growth and
development as the child gets older. If you don't, or if the child has signs of possible
developmental delay, as listed below, talk to your Academic Coordinator.
Signs of developmental delay in 3 to 4-year-old children include:
 Inability to throw a ball overhand, jump in place, or ride a tricycle
 Frequent falling and difficulty walking stairs
 Inability to hold a crayon between his or her thumb and fingers; has trouble scribbling
and cannot copy a circle
 Unable to use a sentence with more than three words and uses "me" and "you"
inappropriately
 Persistent drooling and trouble speaking
 Cannot stack four blocks and has trouble handling small objects
 Continues to experience extreme separation anxiety
 Lacks interest in interactive games and doesn't engage in fantasy play
 Does not play with other children and doesn't respond to non-family members
 Self-control isn't improving when angry or upset
 Does not understand simple commands
 Avoids making eye contact
 Resists getting dressed, sleeping, and going to the bathroom
Developmental Milestones
The 4 to 5 year olds
Most children this age begin to develop greater independence, self-control, and creativity.
They are content to play with their toys for longer periods of time, are eager to try new things,
and when they get frustrated, are better able to express their emotions.

4 to 5-Year-Old Development: Movement Milestones and Hand and Finger Skills

Children learn through play, and that is what the 4 to 5-year-old should be doing. At this age,
your child should be running, hopping, throwing and kicking balls, climbing, and swinging
with ease.
Other movement milestones and hand and finger skills your child may achieve in the coming
year include being able to:
 Stand on one foot for more than 9 seconds
 Do a somersault and hop
 Walk up and down stairs without help
 Walk forward and backwards easily
 Peddle a tricycle
 Copy a triangle, circle, square, and other shapes
 Draw a person with a body
 Stack 10 or more blocks
 Use a fork and spoon
 Dress and undress, brush teeth, and take care of other personal needs without much
help

4 to 5-Year-Old Development: Language and Cognitive Milestones

The curious and inquisitive child is better able to carry on a conversation. In addition, the
child's vocabulary is growing as is his or her thought process. Not only is the child able to
answer simple questions easily and logically, but he or she should be able to express feelings
better.
Most children at this age enjoy singing, rhyming, and making up words. They are energetic,
silly, and, at times, rowdy.
Other language and cognitive milestones the child may achieve in the coming year include
being able to:
 Speak clearly using more complex sentences
 Count ten or more objects
  Correctly name at least four colors and three shapes
 Recognize some letters and possibly write his or her name
 Better understand the concept of time and the order of daily activities, like breakfast in
the morning, lunch in the afternoon, and dinner at night
 Have a greater attention span
 Follow two to three-part commands. For example, "Put your book away, brush
your teeth, and then get in bed."
 Recognize familiar word signs, such as "STOP"
 Know his or her address and phone number, if taught

4 to 5-Year-Old Development: Emotional and Social Development

The self-centered child is now figuring out that it is not always about him or her. At this age,
children are starting to understand about other people's feelings. The 4 to 5-year-old should
be better able to work through conflicts and control his or her emotions.
 Enjoys playing with other children and pleasing his or her friends
 Shares and takes turns, at least most of the time
 Understands and obeys rules; however, your 4 to 5-year-old will still be demanding
and uncooperative at times
 Is becoming more independent
 Expresses anger verbally, rather than physically (most of the time)

Behavior and other needs:

 It is difficult for a child at this age to do nothing.
 She is emotionally extremist: she loves and hates in a few minutes the same thing;
shows fear and insecurity.
 Forms small groups (2 to 3 children) and likes to help and be helped in the games.
 Begin to learn that physical combat is not the best to solve problems.
 Needs a lot of affective security.
 Likes to create words that have no meaning. Shows interest in learning.
 Thinks loud, talks nonstop.
 Shows great curiosity about the world and people.

4 to 5-Year-Old Development: When to Be Concerned

All kids grow and develop at their own pace. Don't worry if the child has not reached all of
these milestones at this time. But you should notice a gradual progression in growth and
development as the child gets older. If you don't, or if the child has signs of possible
developmental delay, as listed below, talk to your Academic Coordinator.
Possible signs of developmental delay in 4 to 5-year-old children include:
 Being extremely afraid, shy, or aggressive
 Being extremely anxious when separated from a parent
 Being easily distracted and unable to focus on one task for more than five minutes
 Not wanting to play with other children
 Having a limited amount of interests
 Not making eye contact or responding to other people
 Being unable to say his or her full name
 Rarely pretending or fantasizing
 Often seeming sad and unhappy and not expressing a wide range of emotions
 Being unable to build a tower using more than eight blocks
 Having trouble holding a crayon
 Having problems eating, sleeping, or using the bathroom
 Having trouble undressing, cannot brush his or her teeth, or wash and dry hands,
without help
Developmental Milestones
The 5 year olds
Children usually progress in a natural, predictable sequence from one developmental
milestone to the next. But each child grows and gains skills at his or her own pace. Some
children may be advanced in one area, such as language, but behind in another, such as
sensory and motor development.

5 Year-Old Development: Movement Milestones

Children at this age grow a lot, although in a slower and more regular way. Most children
by age 5:
 Demonstrates greater motor, auditory and visual development.
 Generally are very active and always ready to acquire new experiences.
 Spend a lot of energy, get tired and do not notice. Rest is necessary, but should be
suggested. They need to sleep about 11 hours a night.
 Can jump, gallop, launch, kick.
 Draw more precise shapes and cut.
 Tie shoes; Hair combs

5 Year-Old Development: Language and Cognitive Milestones

Most children by age 5:
 Know their address and phone number.
 Recognize most letters of the alphabet.
 Can count 10 or more objects.
 Know the names of at least 4 colors.
 Understand the basic concepts of time.
 Know what household objects are used for, such as money, food, or appliances.
 Know prepositions and opposites.
 The time of concentration is increasing
 The memory dimension expands and they begin to make comparisons.
 Give explanations and solve problems.
 Can sort some objects and sort items into simple categories.
 Carry on a meaningful conversation with another person.
 Understand relationships between objects, such as "the boy who is jumping rope."
  Use the future tense, such as "Let's go to the zoo tomorrow!"
 Often call people (or objects) by their relationship to others, such as "Bobby's
mom" instead of "Mrs. Smith."
 Talk about or tell stories. They have little or no trouble being understood by
others.

5 Year-Old Development: Emotional and Social Milestones

Most children by age 5:
 Want to please and be liked by their friends, though they may sometimes be mean
to others.
 Agree to rules most of the time.
 Show independence.
 Are more able to distinguish fantasy from reality but enjoy playing make-believe
and dress-up.
 Have distinct ways of playing according to gender. Most 5-year-old boys play in
rough or physically active ways. Girls of the same age are more likely to engage in
social play.

Sensory and motor development

Most children by age 5:
 Somersault and possibly skip.
 Swing and climb.
 Hop on one foot.
 Use the toilet by themselves. They may still wet the bed, though.
By age 5, most children can use their hands and fingers (fine motor skills) to:
 Copy triangles and other geometric shapes.
 Draw a person with a head, a body, arms, and legs.
 Dress and undress on their own, although they may still need help tying shoelaces.
 Write some small and capital letters from the alphabet.
 Eat with a fork, spoon, and possibly a flatware knife.

Behavior and other needs

By age 5, most children;
• Demonstrate good sense of self (self-image).
• Worry about appearance.
• Get very active and always ready to acquire new experiences.
• Want to give and receive affection.
• Get angry when they cannot do something.
• Need to know the world around them.
• Need to know about the differences between the sexes.
• Interact with the group and follow the rules, especially when involved in producing these
rules.
• Need more elaborate make-believe games.
• Feel like pleasing adults.

Developmental Milestones
The 6 year olds
Children usually progress in a natural, predictable sequence from one developmental
milestone to the next. But each child grows and gains skills at his or her own pace. Some
children may be advanced in one area, such as language, but behind in another, such as
sensory and motor development.

Thinking and reasoning (cognitive development)

Most children by age 6:
 Can tell you their age.
 Can count to and understand the concept of "10." For example, they can count 10
pieces of candy.
 Are learning to express themselves well through words.
 Begin to understand cause-and-effect relationships. "Magical thinking" typical of
preschoolers quickly fades around this age.
 Are learning to write.
 Start to grasp the concept of time.

Emotional and social development

Most children by age 6:
 Continue to have fears typical of the preschool years, such as fear of monsters,
kidnappers, and large animals.
 Want their parents to play with them. Parents are their main source of
companionship and affection. A gradual shift begins, though.
 Play in ways that include a lot of fantasy and imagination.
 Often like to be the "big kid" and feel as if they are taking care of a younger child.
 Usually like to play with friends of the same gender. Boys most often play with
other boys, girls most often play with other girls.
 Start to understand the feelings of others, with the encouragement of parents and
other caregivers. But they are still most focused on themselves.
 Are developing a sense of humor. They may like simple jokes and funny books and
rhymes.

Language development
Most children by age 6:
 Are able to describe a favorite television show, movie, story, or other activity.
  Speak with correct grammar most of the time.
 Can spell their first name and can write some letters and numbers.
 Read some simple words.

Sensory and motor development

Most children by age 6:
 Can control their major muscles. They usually have good balance and enjoy
running, jumping, skipping, and other forms of physical play.
 Can catch a ball.
 Skip with ease.
 Draw a person with at least 8 parts. They can also copy different shapes and like to
make designs.
 Can write their names.
 Dress themselves, although they may still need some help with difficult buttons or
laces.

Developmental Milestones
The 7 year olds
Children usually progress in a natural, predictable sequence from one developmental
milestone to the next. But each child grows and gains skills at his or her own pace. Some
children may be advanced in one area, such as language, but behind in another, such as
sensory and motor development.

Thinking and reasoning (cognitive development)

Most children by age 7:
 Have a solid sense of time. They understand seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks,
months, seasons, and sometimes years.
 Begin to show a preference for learning style. For example, some children like
hands-on activities, such as a science experiment with color. Others like to work
independently and quietly, such as practicing printing.
 Can solve simple math problems using objects (such as counting beans).
 Consider issues and problems using only one factor at a time.

Emotional and social development

Most children by age 7:
 Become more aware of and sensitive to the feelings of others. This trait is called
empathy.
 Overcome some fears they had when they were younger, but still can be terrified
of the unknown. For example, going to a new school can be a tremendous stress for
a 7-year-old. Many children also fear being in trouble with their parents or other
adults. They are generally worried about the opinions of others.
 Develop friendships, usually with other children of the same gender.
 Play in larger groups sometimes but also need time alone.

Language development
Most children by age 7:
 Tend to talk a lot in situations where they are comfortable.
 Pronounce words correctly. For example, most children do not substitute the
sound "fr" for "thr" in words like "through."
 Are becoming better readers, but sounding out vowels often can still be difficult.
 Still have some difficulty with basic spelling.
Sensory and motor development
Most children by age 7:
 Are becoming more coordinated in activities that use the large muscles, such
as swimming or climbing.
 Use safety scissors easily.
 Draw a person with 12 parts.
 Use a pencil to write their name.

Developmental Milestones
The 8 year olds
Children usually progress in a natural, predictable sequence from one developmental
milestone to the next. But each child grows and gains skills at his or her own pace. Some
children may be advanced in one area, such as language, but behind in another, such as
sensory and motor development.

Thinking and reasoning (cognitive development)

Most children by age 8:
 Know how to count by 2s (2, 4, 6, 8, and so on) and 5s (5, 10, 15, 20, and so on).
 Know what day of the week it is. They do not usually know the full date and year.
 Can read simple sentences.
 Complete simple single-digit addition and subtraction problems (such as 1 + 8, 7 +
5, 6 - 2, 4 - 3).
 Can tell the difference between right and left.
 Have a black-and-white perspective much of the time. Things are either great or
awful, ugly or beautiful, right or wrong. They focus on one trait or idea at a time,
which makes it hard for them to understand complex issues.

Emotional and social development

Most children by age 8:
 Enjoy being around their friends. The opinions of their friends become
increasingly important. And peer pressure may become an issue.
 Are more likely to follow rules they help create.
 Have rapidly changing emotions. Angry outbursts are common. Many children are
critical of others, especially of their parents. They may seem dramatic and
sometimes rude.
 Are impatient. They like immediate gratification and find it hard to wait for things
they want.
 Are interested in money. Some children may become obsessed with saving and
plans about earning and spending money.

Language development
Most children by age 8:
 Have well-developed speech and use correct grammar most of the time.
 Become interested in reading books. For some children, it is a favorite activity.
  Are still working on spelling and grammar in their written work. This aspect of
language development is not as advanced as oral speech.

Sensory and motor development

Most children by age 8:
 Tie their shoelaces.
 Draw a diamond shape.
 Draw a person with 16 features.
 Become increasingly skilled in hobbies, sports, and active play.