By 5 years of age most children will:
- Follow group directions – “All the boys go and get your coats.”
- Understand directions involving “if…..then” – “If you’re wearing runners, then line up for gym.”
- Describe past, present and future events in detail
- Seek to please his/her friends
- Show increasing independence in friendships – may visit neighbour by him/herself
- Use almost all of the sounds of their language with a few or no errors. For more information click here to learn about speech and sound development
- Knows all the letters of the alphabet
- Identifies the sounds at the beginning of some words – e.g. “Pop starts with the “puh” sound”
What you can do to help:
- Use new and more complex words – “before/after; rough/smooth; easy/difficult; between/beside, same/different”
- Talk about numbers and the quantity of objects – “a lot/a little”, “more/less”, “one/many”
- Ask them to predict what will happen next – “What do you think will happen when Sam opens his birthday present?” and explain the reasons behind his choices – “Why do we need to wear our coats today?”
- Take turns telling each other stories using the pictures in books – children like to hear you talk and then want a turn to create their own version of the story
- Let them help plan events. Talk about what you need to do before a birthday party, or how to get ready to go to the zoo. Ask your child “how” and “why” questions as you plan
- Ask them to help. Your child will enjoy helping you bake cookies, set the table, sort laundry, etc. Give them instructions and see if they can tell you the steps
If you think your child is not meeting the developmental milestones as expected don’t ‘wait and see’. Contact Us to make a referral for a speech and language assessment.
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