Four- and five-year-olds are growing rapidly and changing so quickly that as parents it is hard to keep up with what is normal and what we should be encouraging vs being concerned about at this new stage. When you look at you child’s cognitive abilities, social skills, language, and motor coordination and wonder if they are ‘on track’ that is a benifit for you and them. At this stage, children are preparing for school and becoming more independent and socially aware. Below are four key developmental milestones for four- and five-year-olds, along with activities to help them progress and resources for further information.
- Advanced Language and Communication Skills: By age four, children’s language skills flourish. They can typically speak in full sentences, describe events, tell stories, and express ideas clearly. They also start to understand and use complex grammar and more nuanced language.
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- Activities to Help: Encourage your child to tell stories from their day. This practice helps them organize thoughts and build vocabulary! It is completely on to help them with prompts like, “Did you and Jane play in the kitchen today?” as this helps your child think about a specific event.
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- Developing Fine Motor Skills: Your child is gaining improved hand-eye coordination and muscle control. Many chilren can begin to write letters, draw more detailed pictures, and cut with scissors. Fine motor skills are essential for school readiness.
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- Activities to Help:Offer crayons, pencils, and markers for drawing and writing letters or shapes. Encourage them to practice their name and experiment with shapes and letters. If your child does not want to pick up a writing tool- try playdough or stinging beads! Both do a great job building those hand muscles.
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- Learning Social Skills and Cooperation: Four- and five-year-olds are learning social rules, such as sharing, empathy, and cooperation. They start to form friendships, engage in group play, and understand the importance of taking turns and following rules.
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- Activities to Help: Playdates, Childcare, Preschool are all places that encourage your child to engage with other children their age so they can practice sharing, cooperation, and empathy. As a parent, try playing pretend games such as “school” or “store” allows children to practice social roles and understand others’ perspectives.
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- Cognitive Skills: This includes problem-solving and memory in your child. Children become curious about how things work, ask many “why” questions, and start to grasp basic concepts like time, counting, and sorting. Allow your child to explore
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- Activities to Help:Puzzles and building toys like blocks or LEGO improve spatial awareness and problem-solving skills. As well as, Engage in activities that involve counting objects, sorting by color or shape, and recognizing patterns to strengthen early math skills.
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Supporting your child’s milestones at four and five years old helps prepare them for the next steps in social, cognitive, and physical development. As each child develops at their own pace, providing a supportive environment is key. Remember you are not alone. Your child’s teachers at The Gingerbread House are here to help you and answer any questions you might have. Embrace the learning journey with your child, encouraging them as they grow in confidence, independence, and curiosity about the world around them!