Being five is a big deal for your child. They are likely starting kindergarten, forming stronger friendships, and showing more independence in day-to-day activities. At this time in their life, they are also experiencing a burst of growth in how they think, communicate, handle emotions, and move around.
To track this exciting progress, you can follow developmental milestones — guideposts that show what children typically know and do around certain ages.
But remember this: milestones are not strict rules. Every child develops at their own pace. Milestones simply help you know when your child may need extra support. By referring to milestones while you watch your child grow, you can make sure they have the skills, strategies, and tools to thrive each day as they explore and experience the world around them.
Key Areas of Childhood Development and Their Milestones at Age 5
At age five, your child’s brain, emotions, and body are developing quickly. Here are four key areas of growth to know, along with their common milestones.
Social and Emotional Development and What to Expect
This involves learning to understand feelings and build stronger relationships with loved ones and friends. You may notice your five-year-old:
- Prefers playing with friends instead of being on their own
- Follows simple rules for games like “I Spy” and “Simon Says”
- Expresses concern when someone is sad or hurt
- Improves at calming down after being upset
Language and Communication Development and What to Expect
This appears in numerous ways, such as using words and sentences to express thoughts, sharing stories, asking questions, and understanding directions.
You may hear or see your child:
- Retell a story or event from their day
- Use words like “tomorrow” or “yesterday” as they get better at chronological thinking
- Follow multi-step directions given to them — “Put away your toys, wash your hands, and come eat your supper”
- Recite their favorite songs, nursery rhymes, or stories
Cognitive Development and What to Expect
This is when memory, attention, and reasoning skills are improving. Children are learning to think, solve problems, and understand concepts like time, numbers, letters, shapes, and patterns. You may notice your child can:
- Count to 10
- Recognize shapes and some letters
- Sort things by color or size
- Understand basic comparisons, such as “same” and “different”
Movement and Physical Development and What to Expect
This involves growing stronger and more coordinated. Large muscles are developing for actions like running, climbing, and balancing (gross motor skills), as well as small muscles for precise movements like drawing, eating with utensils, and buttoning clothes (fine motor skills). You may see your child is able to:
- Balance on one foot for 10 or more seconds
- Hop, skip, or climb with more confidence and ease
- Use crayons and scissors with better control
- Dress and undress on their own
Why Developmental Milestones Exist
Milestones were not created to pressure children into learning certain skills or developing various abilities — they just exist for knowing when extra support may be helpful.
Why milestones matter:
- Parenting / Caregiving: You know how to spot strengths and struggles early on
- Doctor Visits: You and your child’s pediatrician can discuss milestones during visits, making sure your child is on track with their growth or seeing if your child could use additional support
- School: Your child’s teachers check for milestone achievements to understand the best ways to help your child succeed academically
Possible Developmental Delays at Age 5
Although children grow at their own pace (this is normal), some may need guidance as they learn certain skills or abilities. Here are some common signs to watch for and discuss with your five-year-old’s pediatrician:
- Struggles to separate from you or another loved one
- Shows little interest in playing with other children
- Does not follow multi-step directions
- Experiences challenges when trying to speak in clear sentences
- Trips or loses balance often
- Avoids pretend play or group play
- Struggles to retell simple stories
- Does not recognize common colors
- Encounters challenges when trying to hold and use crayons
- Shows little curiosity about learning new things
How Pediatric Therapy Supports Growth in 5-Year-Olds
If your five-year-old needs support in reaching some milestones, pediatric therapy can help. By working with a pediatric therapist, your child can build the skills they need to meet developmental goals for their age — while keeping the learning experience fun and engaging.
Pediatric Occupational Therapy: What It Is and How It Helps
Pediatric occupational therapy focuses on improving everyday skills like socializing, thinking, regulating, and coordinating small and large muscle movements (fine and gross motor skills) for certain tasks — anything that helps children confidently play, learn, handle self-care, and navigate other daily activities.
Examples of how pediatric occupational therapy can help:
- Improves pencil grasp for writing
- Builds dressing and feeding independence
- Supports sensory needs so children can stay calm and focused
Pediatric Physical Therapy: What It Is and How It Helps
Pediatric physical therapy targets strength, coordination, and balance so children can play and engage in other activities with more ease.
Examples of how pediatric physical therapy can help:
- Strengthens muscles for sitting upright
- Improves running, hopping, and skipping
- Helps with participating in playground activities safely and confidently
Pediatric Speech Therapy: What It Is and How It Helps
Pediatric speech therapy builds language and communication skills, such as forming sounds correctly, talking with clarity, understanding others more easily, learning words to use in communication, and more.
Examples of how pediatric speech therapy can help:
- Improves clarity of speech
- Strengthens listening and understanding skills
- Supports early reading and writing
When to Connect With a Pediatric Therapist
If your child seems frustrated by certain tasks, or you just have a gut feeling your child needs a little extra support to reach milestones — trust your instincts. Early support can make a huge difference in how your child thrives in life.
At Little Hands at Play Therapy, we believe every child deserves to feel confident and capable. Our team provides caring, evidence-based therapy that meets children where they are and helps them grow at their own pace.
If you are concerned about your five-year-old achieving milestones, give our team a call at (479) 329-1471 to talk with an expert and receive guidance or reach out online. Together, we will help your child succeed in daily living.
