Developmental Milestones Of 5-6 Years Old Child And Activities •
BY JYPPZER
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AUGUST 12, 2020
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GRADESCHOOLER: 5-12 YEARS
Baby develops the fastest from birth to 5 year old. These changes take place across various domains of development i.e. 1. Cognitive 2. Physical (Fine and Gross Motor) 3. Socio-emotional and 4. Language. Most children follow a certain pattern of growth and development or achieve certain skills/abilities at a particular stage in developmental. These are called developmental milestones. However, it is important to note that every child grows and develops at their own pace, and might achieve a few milestones faster or slower than usual. If you feel concerned about your child not achieving a milestone, contact your paediatrician.
Cognitive Development •
Becomes more curious to gather information about real facts of the world.
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Counts up to 20. Might even count up to 50 or more, later on.
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Reads and recognizes the numbers 0-9 and go up to reading ‘20’ as the year progresses.
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Begins to recognize letters.
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Recognizes shapes and, maybe, some of their variations (e.g. an isosceles vs an equilateral triangle)
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Begins to understand concepts like more and less, greater than/lesser than/equal to, etc.
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Might solve puzzles with pieces that are smaller and more in number.
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Develops a better understanding of time (e.g. might begin to name a few days of the week). They are still learning about months and seasons.
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Knows some of the things that are used on a daily basis (e.g. clothes, money and food)
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Knows or remembers their own address and phone number (if taught to them)
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Copies a few shapes, letters and numbers (might not be accurate)
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Engages in simple scientific investigations i.e. begins to observe, compare, identify patterns, etc.
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Begins to understand that there is a difference between real and imaginary (fantasy and reality)
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Ability to sustain attention improves. Can sit for 10-15 minutes or even more depending on the activity.
Physical Development •
Walks backwards easily.
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Might begin to bounce or catch a ball with one hand (when at a small distance).
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Begins to learn to jump rope (skip with a skipping rope).
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Picks up speed while walking, running, jumping, etc.
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Balances on one foot for 8-10 seconds or more.
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Develops improved fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination (e.g. Uses child-friendly scissors well, buttons and unbuttons, clothes, etc.)
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Learns to tie shoelaces (might be able to do this by the end of the year).
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Develops better tripod grip; begins to hold pencils/crayons as adults do.
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Might begin to develop permanent teeth.
Socio-Emotional Development •
Understands that people react differently to the same situation.
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Becomes more aware of self, especially their own skills and abilities.
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Likes to show others what they can do, especially new skills they have mastered (self-esteem rises as they pick up new skills)
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Can tell what’s real and what’s imaginary.
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Begins to learn to manage negative emotions by themself (e.g. drawing, playing, talking, etc.) (might still need a little bit of assistance).
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Shows sympathetic or empathetic behaviour when they see others in distress.
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Shows more responsible behaviour as compared to 4-year-olds.
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Becomes more cooperative and enjoys playing with others in a group.
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Continues to form more friendships.
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Tries to please friends and may want to be like them.
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Understands and displays good manners.
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As they enter school, they might show an increased attachment to their parents.
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Language Development •
Has a vast vocabulary which keeps expanding with exposure to newer words.
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Has a better understanding of language and begins to follow multiple commands given together.
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Begins communicating in complex and compound sentences and talks frequently.
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Has very few pronunciation errors.
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Names various colours, shapes, days of the week, months, clothes, food, etc.
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Begins to initiate conversations and maintain the subject of conversation.
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Shares personal experiences (without adult prompting)
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Recognizes and identifies almost all letters.
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Has a better developed phonetic awareness. (e.g. Letter ‘A’ can sound ‘a’ for apple as well as ‘ah’ for ‘arm’).
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Might show more of an interest in reading due to improved text comprehension skills.
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Might identify or read two-three letter words that they have been exposed to frequently (e.g. mom/dad).
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Knows that writing follows left-to-right and top to bottom orientation.
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Begins to write words based on the sounds of the letters (might not always be accurate).
Activities and Games for 5 years old: 1. Bend and Jump Reverse association of the action word. Ask you child to jump when you say bend and bend when you say jump. This develop flexible/agile thinking and adaptability. 2. Have I re-arranged? Ask your child to observe one section of area eg. dining table / bedroom for 1 min. Then ask them to turn around or close their eyes. Re-arrange few items on the table and ask them to spot the difference. Begin with re-arranging 2 objects the gradually increase. This develops focus and concentration and strengthens memory. 3. Sorting coins/ pennies Give your child few coins/pennies and ask them to sort it as per denomination and pretend play of shopkeeper and customer. Let your child buy things from you in-exchange of coins. eg. Rs. 1 coin/penny = 1 tomato, Rs. 2 coin = 2 tomato and so on. You can also introduce basic additional subtraction – Develops value of money and basic maths skills.
For more activities like above, download Jyppzer app. Here you can find 300+ age appropriate parent-child activities and games that you can do with simple household materials. Its, fun and educational. Its created by child development experts and fosters skills like cognitive, language, socio-emotional, physical and multiple intelligence. App Link via Mob: Https://Onelink.To/J55dmm Download App here@ https://apps.apple.com/in/app/jyppzer/id1479996663 https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.jyppzer_android