Parents often come to me with questions about developmental milestones for their pre-school aged children. The chart below lists all the physical, social, cognitive, and language skills for children ages 2 through 5:
| Age 2 | Age 3 | Age 4 | Age 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Language skills | |||
| Speaks about 50 words | Speaks 250 to 500 or more words | Answers simple questions | Understands rhyming |
| Links two words together | Speaks in three-and four-word sentences | Speaks in complete sentences | Uses compound and complex sentences |
| Uses some adjectives (big, happy) | Uses pronouns (I, you, we, they) and some plurals | Uses prepositions (under, beside, in front) | Uses future tense |
| Speaks clearly enough for parents to understand some of the words | States first name | Speaks clearly enough for strangers to understand | States full name and address |
| Social skills | |||
| Becomes aware of his or her identity as a separate individual | Imitates parents and playmates | Cooperates with playmates | Wants to be like friends |
| May become defiant | Takes turns | Tries to solve problems | Follows rules |
| Becomes interested in playing with other children | Expresses affection openly | May have a best friend | Understands gender |
| Separation anxiety begins to fade | Easily separates from parents | Becomes more independent | Wants to do things alone |
| Cognitive skills | |||
| Begins to play make-believe | Asks “why” questions | Becomes involved in more complex imaginary play | Uses imagination to create stories |
| Begins to sort objects by shape and color | Correctly names some colors | Prints some capital letters | Correctly counts 10 or more objects |
| Scribbles | Copies a circle | Draws a person with two to four body parts | Copies a triangle and other geometric patterns |
| Finds hidden objects | Understands the concepts of same and different | Understands the concepts of morning, afternoon and night | Understands the concepts of time and sequential order |
| Physical skills | |||
| Walks alone and stands on tiptoe | Walks up and down stairs, alternating feet | Stands on one foot for at least five seconds | Stands on one foot for at least 10 seconds |
| Climbs on furniture and begins to run | Kicks, climbs, runs and pedals a tricycle | Throws ball overhand, kicks ball forward and catches bounced ball most of the time | Hops, swings and somersaults |
| Builds a tower of six or more blocks | Builds a tower of nine or more blocks | Dresses and undresses | May learn to ride a bike and swim |
| Empties objects from a container | Manipulates small objects and turns book pages one at a time | Uses scissors | Brushes own teeth and cares for other personal needs |
Brian K. Gaw, MD: Pediatrics + Adolescent Medicine 