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Child Development: Age 4+
Here are some of the developmental goals you can expect your child to reach during the 4 – 5 years stage. Remember that all kids learn at a different pace, so don’t worry if yours hasn’t hit all of the developmental milestones yet.
By the time your child turns 5 years old:
Social
- Wants to please friends
- Wants to be like his friends
- More likely to agree to rules
- Likes to sing, dance, and act
- Shows more independence and may even visit a next-door neighbor by himself/herself
Emotional Milestones
- Aware of gender
- Able to distinguish fantasy from reality
- Sometimes demanding, sometimes eagerly cooperative
Cognitive Milestones
- Can count 10 or more objects
- Correctly names at least four colours
- Better understands the concept of time
- Knows about things used every day in the home (money, food, appliances)
Language
- Recalls part of a story
- Speaks sentences of more than five words
- Uses future tense
- Tells longer stories
- Says name and address
Movement
- Stands on one foot for 10 seconds or longer
- Hops, somersaults
- Swings, climbs
- May be able to skip
Hand and Finger Skills
- Copies triangle and other shapes
- Draws person with body
- Prints some letters
- Dresses and undresses without help
- Uses fork, spoon, and (sometimes) a table knife
- Usually cares for own toilet needs
Thomas Wooden Railway Developmental Benefits/ Age 4+
Social Interaction
Increases as your child learns to share and take turns with friends, siblings and parents.
Emotional Awareness
Grows as your child identifies with each character’s personality and emotions.
Planning and Math Skills
Develop as your child learns to construct increasingly complex layouts with multiple types and sizes of track.
Creativity & Imagination
Continue to grow as your child creates and acts out stories through pretend play.
