Development at 4-5 Years of a Child

Your child’s gross motor skills (using their arms and legs to move about and play) and fine motor skills (working on crafts and puzzles) are still growing between the ages of 4 and 5. Playtime helps kids develop their imaginations and is crucial to their development.

To determine whether a kid is developing as predicted, doctors look at particular milestones. Some children acquire abilities sooner or later than others since there is a wide range of what is regarded as standard. Premature infants experience delayed developmental milestones. Always discuss your child’s progress with your doctor, especially if there are any concerns.

What can my 4-5-year-old child do at this age?

As your child continues to grow, you will notice new and exciting skills as your child develops. While children may progress at different rates, the following are some of the common milestones that children in this age group can achieve:

4-Year-Old Kids:

• To sing songs
• Jump and hop on one leg
• Catch and throw a ball with your hands
• Go down alone
• Draw a person with three separate body parts
• Build a block tower with 10 blocks
• Understand the difference between fantasy and reality
• Draw a circle and a square
• To get dressed
• Can close large buttons without assistance
• Pull up a zipper after it’s closed

5-year-old Kids:

• Skipping rope
• Walk backwards
• Balance on one leg for at least 5 seconds
• Use scissors
• Learn how to tie shoes
• Draw a triangle and a rhombus
• Draw a person with six body parts
• Know your address and phone number
• Recognize and recite the alphabet
• Write first names
• Start helping with household chores
• Start losing their baby teeth

What can my 4-5-year-old child say?

Language development in children is very exciting for parents as they watch their children grow into social beings who can interact with others. At this age, a child can usually understand that letters and numbers are symbols of real things and ideas and that they can be used to tell stories and offer information. Most know the names and genders of family members and other personal information. They often play with words and make up silly words and stories.

The vocabulary of 4 and 5-year-olds is between 1,000 and 2,000 words. Speech at this age should be fully intelligible, although there may be some developmental phonetic defects and stuttering, particularly in boys.

While each child develops language at their own pace, the following are some of the common milestones that children in this age group can achieve:

4-year-olds kids:

• Can put four to five words together in a sentence
• Will keep asking questions
• May know one colour or more
• Likes to tell stories
• Can use some “bad” words (if he or she has heard them repeatedly)

5-year-old kids:

• Can combine six to eight words into a sentence
• Can know four or more colours
• Knows the days of the week and months
• Can name coins and money
• Can understand multi-statement commands
• Speaks frequently

What does my 4-5 year old child understand?

As a child’s vocabulary increases, so do their understanding and awareness of the world around them. Children at this age begin to understand concepts and can compare abstract ideas.

While children may progress at different rates, the following are some of the common milestones that children in this age group can achieve:

4 year old kids:

• Begins to understand the time
• Begins to become less aware of just yourself and more aware of those around you
• Able to obey parents’ rules, but cannot tell right from wrong
• Believes that his own thoughts can make things happen

5 year old kids:

• Improved understanding of time
• Curious about real facts about the world
• Can compare parents’ rules to friends’ rules

How active should my child be at this age?

Children at this age are learning to hop, hop and leap forward. They are eager to show how they can balance on one leg, catch a ball or do a somersault. Preschool and kindergarten children can also enjoy swimming, playing in a playground, dancing and riding tricycles or bicycles with training wheels.

Physical activity guidelines recommend that preschoolers and kindergarten teachers do the following:

• Be physically active throughout the day
• Move and engage in both active play and structured (adult-led) physical activity
• Engage in activities like jumping, hopping, and tumbling to strengthen bones and muscles

Should my 4-5 year old child play sports?

Many parents are looking for organized sports to keep 4 and 5-year-olds active. The average preschooler fails to master the basics of throwing, catching, and taking turns. Even simple rules can be difficult for them to grasp, as any parent who has watched their child run the wrong way during a game knows.

Starting too young can also be frustrating for children and discourage future participation in sports. If you decide to register your child for soccer or any other team sport, be sure to choose a league that is appropriate for their age and developmental level. A peewee league that focuses on fun and learning the basics could be great for a preschooler.