| | Approximate chronologic age |
| 4 to 5 years | 5 to 6 years | 6 to 7 years | 7 to 8 years |
| Gross motor | - Balances on 1 foot: 4 to 8 seconds
- Hops on 1 foot: 2 to 3 times
- Standing broad jump: 1 to 2 feet
- Gallops
- Throws ball overhand: 10 feet
- Catches bounced ball
| - Walks down stairs, alternating feet, without using rail
- Balances on 1 foot: More than 8 seconds
- Hops on 1 foot: 15 feet
- Skips
- Running broad jump: 2 to 3 feet
- Walks backward heel-toe
- Jumps backward
| | - Rides bicycle independently
- Bats ball placed on cone
- Does somersaults
|
| Fine motor/writing | - Copies square
- Imitates making a complex gate with cubes
- Ties single knot
- Cuts 5-inch circle
- Uses tongs to transfer
- Writes part of first name
- Works from left to right, top to bottom
| - Copies triangle
- Builds stairs with cubes from model
- Puts paper clip on paper
- Can use clothespins to transfer small objects
- Cuts with scissors
- Writes first name
| - Builds stairs with cubes from memory
- Draws diamond
- Copies flag
- Writes first and last name
- Creates and writes short stories
- Forms letters with down-going and counter-clockwise strokes
| - Writing rate increases
- Stays on line when writing
- Spaces between words
- Size of letters becomes uniform
- Letter reversals disappear
|
| Self-help | - Goes to toilet alone
- Wipes after BM
- Washes face/hands
- Brushes teeth alone
- Buttons
- Uses fork well
| - Spreads with knife
- Independent dressing
| - Ties shoes
- Combs hair
- Remembers to bring belongings
| - Sticks with tasks (with television off) for up to 20 minutes
- Pays attention to teacher when in a group
- Completes homework on own
- Answers and delivers phone messages
- Completes household chores (with reminders)
|
| Cognitive/academic | - Draws a 4- to 6-part person
- Can give amounts (usually less than 5) correctly
- Completes simple analogies (eg, dad/boy:mother/___, ice/cold:fire/___, ceiling/up:floor/___)
- Points to 5 to 6 colors
- Points to letters/numerals when named
- Rote counts to 4
- "Reads" several common signs/store names
| - Draws an 8- to 10-part person
- Gives amounts (less than 10)
- Identifies coins
- Names letters/numerals out of order
- Rote counts to 10
- Names 10 colors
- Uses letter names as sounds to invent spelling (eg, "N-D-N" for "Indian")
- By end of kindergarten: Knows sounds of consonants and short vowels
- Reads 25 words
| - Draws a 12- to 14-part person
- Number concepts to 20
- Simple addition/subtraction
- Understands seasons
- Sounds out regularly spelled words
- By end of first grade: Reads 250 words
| - Knows sounds of consonant digraphs (eg, "ch," "sh")
- Knows sounds of vowel diphthongs (eg, "oo," "ou")
- Reads words with r-controlled vowels (eg, bird, burn)
- Starts "reading to learn" not just "learning to read"
- Two-place addition/subtraction
- Enjoys reading independently
- Remembers spelling words
|
| Social/emotional | - Deception: Interested in tricking others and concerned about being tricked by others
- Has a preferred friend
- Labels happiness, sadness, fear, and anger in self
- Group play
| - Has a group of friends
- Apologizes for mistakes
- Responds verbally to good fortune of others
| - Has best friend of same sex
- Plays board games
- Distinguishes fantasy from reality
- Wants to be like friends and please them
| - Avoids hurting others in play
- Learns from mistakes
- Helps younger children
- Strong notions about what is fair
- Takes turns in conversations
- Delays gratification and waits to take turn
- Interested in the opinions of peers
|
| Receptive language | - Follows 3-step commands
- Points to things that are the same versus different
- Names things when actions are described (eg, it swims in water, you cut with it, it is something you read, it tells time)
| - Knows right and left on self
- Points to different one in a series
- Understands "er" endings (eg, batter, skater)
- Understands adjectives (eg, bushy, long, thin, pointed)
- Enjoys rhyming words and alliterations
- Produces words that rhyme
- Points correctly to "side," "middle," and "corner"
| - Asks what unfamiliar words mean
- Can tell which words do not belong in a group
| - Understands opposites and word analogies
- Knows right and left on others
- Understands days and months
|
| Expressive language | - Repeats 4- to 6-syllable sentences
- Uses 300 to 1000 words
- Tells stories
- 100% intelligibility with few articulation errors
- Uses "feeling" words
- Uses words that tell about time
| - Repeats 6- to 8-syllable sentences
- Defines simple words
- 2000 word vocabulary
- Knows telephone number
- Responds to "why" questions
- Retells stories with clear beginning, middle, and end
| - Repeats 8- to 10-word sentences
- Describes events in an orderly way
- Knows days of the week
- 10,000 word vocabulary
| - Masters "r" sound in speech
- Tells time
- Uses complex and compound sentences
- Talks about a range of topics
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