It is important for mothers to know that every child grows up at different rates, and as such direct comparison of two children of the same age is strongly advised against. Not only is it not fair for the children, but it is also unrealistic because children definitely grow up at their individual paces. Many families could not resist the comparison of twins, especially, or perhaps of two cousins who are live in the same neighborhood and who play together constantly.
However, there are still basic physical milestones that preschoolers normally go through which experts have compiled for mothers to check in order to see if their child is developing properly. After all, early recognition of problems is a very important tool for early intervention, which aids the child in developing more normally as soon as possible.
Before you start reading these milestones, though, grouped according to age from three to six years, you need to know that if your child is delayed in some areas it may still be perfectly fine. Generally, a child is expected to achieve them progressively in the different stages. It is also not a clear-cut by-the-book description set only for the fixed year, as some children achieve them give-or-take a few months. But if you feel worried, be sure to consult your pediatrician as he would know best how to confirm your child’s growth.
1. By 3 years old, a child should normally be able to climb the stairs using alternate feet. He should also be able to kick a ball, jump in place, ride a tricycle, build a tower of six to eight blocks, and know his name, age, and sex. Verbally, he tends to be able to use plurals and obey propositional commands. He normally should be able to draw a circle or copy a cross, button and unbutton clothes, put on his shoes, and show imaginative behavior.
2. For children at about 4 years old, he should be able to run and climb fairly well, descend stairs using alternate feet, hop on one foot, and throw a ball overhead. He should also be able to draw a person with three parts, count up to three objects, draw a square. Verbally and cognitively, children 4 years and older can usually name one or more colors, build a tower of 10 blocks, ride a bicycle or tricycle, and even talk about his daily experiences or activities.
3. By the age of 5 years old, a child should generally be able to skip, draw a person, copy the letter “V,” and get dressed or undressed all by himself. He should also be able to name four or more colors and count to about ten or less, as well as show school-readiness skills such as following simple directions, listening, articulating, having a good pencil grasp, and ability to print letters and numbers. This gives you a good indication that your child is now ready for “real” school.
4. For a child six years of age, he should be able to draw a person with hands and clothes and repeat four digits forward. By then he should already know the difference between morning and afternoon and between right and left sides. Most likely he is also able to copy a triangle.
These basic milestones should give you a rough guide as to how your child is developing. Mainly, the red flags that you will need to watch for is motor, language, psychosocial, or cognitive delay for the milestones, such as not being able to stand on one leg, not making three-word sentences, or not playing with other kids by three years; not knowing his full name at 3, not being able to count sequentially by 4 and a half, not knowing letters or colors by 5, and not knowing his birthday or address by 5 and a half.
Once you understand these basic milestones, you will be able to clearly detect if anything is wrong, while giving you peace of mind as you see your child reaching milestone after milestone as he gets older. Then you can celebrate each milestone as your child progresses from one skill to another, and before you know it, your preschooler is already off to “big” school!
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