Developmental Milestones Record – 5 Years
This article describes the expected skills and growth markers of most 5-year-old children.
- Gains about 4 to 5 pounds per year (1.8 to 2.25 kilograms)
- Grows about 2 to 3 inches per year (5 to 7.5 centimeters)
- Vision reaches 20/20
- First adult teeth start breaking through the gum (most children do not get their first adult teeth until age 6)
- Has better coordination (getting the arms, legs, and body to work together)
- Skips, jumps, and hops with good balance
- Stays balanced while standing on one foot with eyes closed
- Shows more skill with simple tools and writing utensils
- Can copy a triangle
- Can use a knife to spread soft foods
- Has a vocabulary of more than 2,000 words
- Speaks in sentences of 5 or more words, and with all parts of speech
- Can identify different coins
- Can count to 10
- Knows telephone number
- Can properly name the primary colors, and possibly many more colors
- Asks deeper questions that address meaning and purpose
- Can answer “why” questions
- Is more responsible and says “I’m sorry” when they make mistakes
- Shows less aggressive behavior
- Outgrows earlier childhood fears
- Accepts other points of view (but may not understand them)
- Has improved math skills
- Questions others, including parents
- Strongly identifies with the parent of the same sex
- Has a group of friends
- Likes to imagine and pretend while playing (for example, pretends to take a trip to the moon)
Ways to encourage a 5-year-old’s development include:
- Reading together
- Providing enough space for the child to be physically active
- Teaching the child how to take part in — and learn the rules of — sports and games
- Encouraging the child to play with other children, which helps develop social skills
- Playing creatively with the child
- Limiting both the time and content of television and computer viewing
- Visiting local areas of interest
- Encouraging the child to perform small household chores, such as helping set the table or picking up toys after playing
Normal childhood growth milestones – 5 years; Childhood growth milestones – 5 years; Growth milestones for children – 5 years; Well child – 5 years.
References
American Psychiatric Association website. Obsessive-compulsive and related disorders. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th ed. Text Revision (DSM-5-TR), Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association Publishing; 2022.
Bains A, Sanders KM. Disruptive, impulse-control, and conduct disorders. In: Stern TA, Wilens TE, Fava M, eds. Massachusetts General Hospital Comprehensive Clinical Psychiatry. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2025:chap 23.
Martin KL. Disorders of hair. In: Kliegman RM, St. Geme JW, Blum NJ, et al, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 22nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2025:chap 703.
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