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.
