Developmental Milestones of Five-Year-Old Children

 

Five-year-old children are growing and developing rapidly. They are active and dexterous; children of this age are also more capable of putting together logical plans and ideas. This is a great age were skills are improved and friendships are strengthened. Five-year-olds are similar to four-year-olds but they are becoming more complex. This article will help you understand the physical, emotional, and cognitive development of children of the age of five, and this will help you become a better parent.

Physically children are growing a lot during this age, and they are slowly learning to use more muscles as these muscles become stronger. Five-year-olds are becoming more adept at movement and balance. They can stand on one foot, hop, skip, and jump rope (Segal, 2006). They can walk backwards and maintain balance. Children of this age are also developing important fine motor skills such as tying shoe laces, writing letters, and figuring out puzzles. During this time I a child's life it is important to provide them with activities that will help them develop these skills.

Emotionally and socially children of five years of age are very different from four-year-olds. They are very interested in singing and dancing. Children at this age want to be more "independence," and they like to spend a lot of time with friends (Segal, 2006). The opinions of friends are important to children of this age, and five-year-olds want to make their friends happy. At this age children can be demanding, but they are more agreeable than at younger ages. They aim to please, and look for praise and reciprocation.

Cognitive learning is very active during this age, and interaction takes a huge role. Children of five years of age love to learn, and they are very interested in reading and writing. They "choose from a menu in the restaurant, read the signs on the road, make lists of things they need to buy, and write their names on their books or their drawings," and children of this age can easily work out simple problems in their head (Segal, 2006). Five-year-olds are into learning, but they are also into the "mastery" of learning, and they spend a lot of time to get the details of projects right (Segal, 2006).

During this age children are become more complex and interesting. It is important for parents to understand the developmental stages of their children in order to nurture their growth.
Reference:

Segal, M. (2006). Developmental overviews of three-year-olds, four-year-olds, and five-year-olds. Retrieved from http://www.education.com/reference/article/developmental-overviews-three-year-olds/