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Major milestones of your 5-years-old

Team AckoFeb 8, 2024

Has your little bud started blossoming into a pretty flower? That’s no surprise. Your child is now grown up and is becoming more independent and self-confident. There was a time when he hid behind you at the park, and now he’s making new friends everywhere he goes.

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At this age, most children begin to develop greater independence, self-control, and creativity. Now your child is content to play with his toys for a longer time, experimenting with new things, and when bored, is able to express his emotions better. Although children grow at their own pace, your child is likely to achieve few milestones before his next birthday.

Physical Development:

He will get better at mastering more physical skills. Your five-year-old can climb stairs without holding on, skip, jump rope, run, play on playgrounds, use scissors and start to learn how to ride a bike with training wheels. He can stand on one foot for more than 9 seconds. You will notice that at this age, your child would want to gain mastery over many physical skills and may attempt to do things that he is unaware of or out of his own ability.

It is best to set limits for him during those times to prevent injury. However, it is also important to encourage him to do the things that he wants to try to do. Balance is always a key in this formula.

Behavioral patterns:

Your 5-year old is now more independent and enjoys the company of people other than you in the family. He might even demand to do things on his own, which are out of his boundaries. Some you should encourage and some you need to stand firm on.

Grandma’s Tip: Allow him to do some tasks by himself, such as keeping the plates in the sink after dinner. What you shouldn’t allow him to do is something like crossing the road on his own during heavy or medium traffic.

Social and Emotional Development:

By this age, your child is more social and interactive than ever. Now he is starting to understand other people’s feelings better. Your child who was self-centered to date is now figuring out that it is not always about him. He will start pleasing his friends during play. Taking turns and sharing things will happen most of the time. He has the ability to repeat safety rules or game rules during play. Now you will be able to simply point to the rule as a gentle reminder and your child will know what is expected.

He will be able to express his emotions through words during play instead of resorting to more physical ways of expressing himself. He may continue to act on impulses at times and he may still resort to temper tantrums or escalate to physical violence. Remember to keep calm, redirect the negative energy, and tell him what to do instead, during these times

Language Development:

Your child has a pretty vast vocabulary now and it is growing alongside his thought process. Your child is able to carry a conversation better, even with the complex words and sentences. He is able to express himself clearly. He can retell you a story, explain you a situation, and even can make a story of his own. He can sing, rhyme, or make up different words. Now he will be starting the reading process on his own, so keep a check on his reading capabilities. Make him read different books in order to increase his vocabulary and reading skills.

Cognitive Development:

Your child can now count 10 or more things very easily. Copying geometrical shapes is also a great achievement. He can now draw a person with at least 6 body parts. He has the idea of money related concepts and can start asking for a pocket money or piggy bank now. He now has a better understanding of the concept of time and the order of daily activities like breakfast in the morning, lunch in the afternoon and dinner at night. He will be having a greater attention span and can follow your complex two-to-three-part commands. For example, “Get up from the bed, mend the bed, and then brush your teeth.”

He can remember your phone number, his address, and can spell his name too. He can relate few signs with words like “STOP.” He has a better understanding of “cause and effect” at this age. He will be experimenting with things more to enhance his skills. His decision-making skills are also developing at this stage and you will notice your child will feel more empowered while solving problems through reasoning and creativity.

Things you should do to improve your child’s social, cognitive, language and other skills

1. Arrange playdates to improve his social skills.

2. Engage him in reading books of his interest to improve language skills.

3. Engage your child in role plays for developing his imagination skills and creative thinking.

4. Play board games with him to get him into the habit of following rules and taking turns.

5. Give him mazes or puzzles to solve in order to improve his decision-making skills.

All children grow at their own pace. Don’t worry if your child has not reached all of these milestones at this time. You will see a gradual progress in the coming year. However, if you notice extreme developmental delays in your child, consult your pediatrician. There are many ways available to overcome those developmental delays.

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Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only, based on industry experience and secondary sources. It is not a substitute for professional advice. Please consult a qualified expert for health or insurance-related decisions. Content is subject to change, refer to current policy wordings for specific ACKO details.

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