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How your child plays, learns, speaks, acts, and moves offers important clues about your child’s development. Developmental milestones are things most children can do by a certain age.
The age that children attain certain skills is variable. While many children achieve skills at a similar age, the range of what is considered “normal development” is in fact far broader than what is considered “common”. 1
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Developmental Milestones at 3 years 2 |
Developmental Milestones at 4 years 3 |
Developmental Milestones at 5 years 4 |
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Social
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Copies adults and friends |
Plays “Mom” and “Dad” and differentiates between ‘I’ and ‘you’ |
Likes to sing, dance, and act |
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Understands the idea of “mine” and “his” or “hers” |
Plays more with other children than aline |
Is aware of gender |
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Dresses and undresses oneself |
Often can’t tell what’s real but knows the difference between ‘similar’ and ‘different’ |
More likely to agree with rules |
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Language
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Can name most familiar things and friends and differentiates between ‘in’, ‘on’, ‘under’ |
Sings a song and tells stories |
Speaks very clearly |
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Says first name, gender and age |
Can say first and last name |
Says name and address |
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Carries on a conversation using 2 to 3 sentences |
Knows basic grammar such as ‘he’ and ‘she’ |
Tells a simple story using full sentences and can use future tense |
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Cognitive
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Names some colours and some numbers |
Counts 10 or more things and can write some numbers and letters |
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Copies a circle with pencil or crayon |
Understands the idea of counting |
Copies a triangle and other geometric shapes |
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Builds towers of more than 6 blocks |
Draws a person with 2 to 4 body parts and starts to copy letters |
Can draw a person with at least 6 body parts |
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Movement
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Screws and unscrews jar lids and turns door handles |
Catches a bouncing ball most of the time |
Uses a fork and spoon |
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Walks up and down stairs, one foot on each step |
Hops and stands on one foot up to 2 seconds |
Stands on one foot for 10 seconds or longer, swings, climbs and hops |
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Pedals a tricycle (3-wheel bike) |
Pours, cuts with supervision, and mashes own food |
Can use the toilet on his/her own |
Act early by talking to your doctor if you have concerns about your child’s developmental milestones.
Dr Ziad Abi Akar
Pediatrician
