March 2008, motherhood embraced me.Like any other new mother there was excitement but the excitement was sprinkled with a sense of anxiety and nervousness. Being an army wife, I had to leave my comfort zone(parents home) very soon with my hardly 1 month old son. That meant zero guidance from the old folks.The mobile phone I had at that time was NOKIA 1100.Smart phone was a rarity during those times which meant there was neitherGoogle nor Wattsapp to rescue.One major thing which made me jittery was my constant doubt whether my child is showing age appropriate developmental milestones or not.How I wished I had some ready reckoner to look into. Life moved on, my son is 13 years old now;motherhood embraced me yet again. I trained myself to be a teacher.Based on my experiences as a mother and a kindergarten teacher, I have tried to make avery practical listof age wise milestones.
Before I list down the milestone I would like to stress that MILESTONES ARE NOT ETCHED IN STONE .Every child is unique.Some children may reach these milestones early while some may take longer time.Don’t panic.Have patience. If you have any concerns talk to yourpediatrician or pre-school teacher.There are many ways in which you can support developmental milestones in children. Being active as a family is one way. We, at Busy Bee have tried to design many affordable yet quality products which will help the parent to support their child in attaining age appropriate milestones.
You can buy our age appropriate Scholar Bee Early Learning workbook and kit here.
Developmental milestones for 3 year olds
Literacy development(Language)
- Says alphabets and identifies their phonic sounds
- Has about 300 words in vocabulary
Enjoys listening to books and may even attempt to read them on their own
Physical Development(Gross motor and Fine motor)
- Pedals a tricycle
- Walks up and down the stairs with alternating feet
- Jumps with 2 feet together
- Walks on tip toes
- Can work with toys having buttons,velcro,buckles,zipper etc
- Screws& unscrews jar lids
- Turns door handle
Social Development(Interaction with others)
- Imitates parents and playmates
- Learns to share and take turns(though not always)
- Easily separates from parents
- Enjoys helping with household chores
Cognitive Development& General Awareness(logical and mathematical)
- Identifies basic shapes and colours
- Identifies the concept of “same and different”
- Does puzzles with 3 or 4 pieces
Personal Development
- The child becomes ready to be potty trained
- Child can wash and dry their hands
- Can dress themselves with little assistance
- Turn pages in a book
- Can hold writing instrument with fingers, not their fist
Emotional Development
- Starts to understand emotions- both their own and others (building your Childs emotional vocabulary will make it easier for the child)
- May get upset with major changes in routine
- Shows concern for a crying friend
Creative and Aesthetic Development
- Starts making forms and objects that are almost recognizable to adults Can make circle , lines and crosses
- Starts naming his/her art forms like “Look at My Bus”“This is My Pet”
- Finds colors very exciting
- Likes to play with clay
You can buy our Scholar Bee early Learning Workbook and kit-1 here
Developmental milestones for 4 year olds
Literacy development(Language)
- Knows how to say first and last name.
- If read to,they can recall large parts of story and at the same time they can make up stories too.
- Child can speak simple sentences of about 5 words.Has a vocabulary of 1000-2000 words
Physical Development(Gross motor and Fine motor)
- Can skip,climb and jump
- May be able to somersault and stand on one foot for en or more econds
- Throws a ball and can catch a bounced ball
- Can use scissors
- Can do lacing activities
Social Development(Interaction with others)
- Cooperates with playmates
- Tries to solve problems
- May have a best friend
- Likes to discuss what they like and what they did.
- May have imaginary friends
Cognitive Development & General Awareness(logical and mathematical)
- Knows opposites
- Understands simple board games
- Understand the concept of morning,afternoon and night
- Can count till 100
Personal Development
- Understands 3 step commands like wash your hands and take out your tiffin
- Has vivid imagination
- Enjoys humor
- Dress and Undress(except tie shoe laces)
- Brushes teeth
- Likes to explore his/her body
Emotional Development
- Expresses anger verbally than physical
- Can feel jealousy
Creative and Aesthetic Development
- Likes to draw-By this age some of the drawings can be identified by the adults as people,houses, cars etc. The drawings may not have any relative size. A butterfly may be twice the size of an elephant.
- Finds colors very exciting but the child may not be concerned with realistic colour representation.
- Draws people with 2 to 4 body parts.
You can buy our Scholar Bee Early Learning Workbook and Kit-2 here
Developmental milestones for 5 year olds
Literacy development(Language)
- Very interested in words and language, seeks knowledge
- Can tell simple stories in full sentence
- Can understand positional vocabularylike “on top of”,”below” or “next to”
- Can read simple sentences
Physical Development(Gross motor and Fine motor)
- Better ability to jump,hop,skip and run.Better balance and coordination
- Can dress themselves fully
- Can handle button,zippers,velcro
- Can tie a shoe lace
- Can handle a scissors well
- Can use a spoon for having food.
- Can grasp pencil like an adult. hand preference is also established.
Social Development(Interaction with others)
- Wants to please friends
- More likely to agree to rules
- Wants to be like other kids
- likes to play dress up
Cognitive Development & General Awareness(logical and mathematical)
- Can understand and execute more complex instructions
- Can count 10 or more objectsup to 200,can compare numbers
- Understands the concept of “adding” and “taking way”
- Knows about secondary colors like brown, pink,orange,purple
- Understand the concept of time and sequential order
Personal Development
- Likes to sing act and dance
- Can read and write more adeptly
- Has developed independent toilet habits
- Can remember name and address
Emotional Development
- Starts to show concern and sympathy
- May become more demanding
Creative and Aesthetic Development
- Can colour within lines
- Can copy a triangle and other geometric patterns
- Cuts and pastes simple shapes
You can buy our Scholar Bee Early Learning Workbook and kit -3 here.
I would like to restate again that milestones are not etched in stone. Each child is different. Flowers in a garden are different and bloom at their own pace .Just like that each child is different and blooms at his/her own pace. As parents and teachers its our duty to observe the child and provide the extra support wherever it is needed.
Relax & Enjoy this stage of parenthood as it is THE BEST STAGE !!!
Comments (02)