Key milestones act as checkpoints in a child’s development to determine
what the average child is able to do at a particular age
Key Milestones
5-6 Years
Love Socializing with Kids
Express Different Feelings Clearly
Loves Jokes and Riddles
Encourage Show and Tell
Afraid of Supernatural Things
Right Time to Learn a Bicycle
More Milestones
- Your child’s pretending play is more complex now, filled with lots of fantasy and drama.
- You might also notice that your child can play with others to achieve a common goal – for example, working together to build one big sandcastle.
- Might also be able to work things out if another child doesn’t want to play a particular game.
- Becoming more social and prefers to play with friends rather than on her own.
- She might find it hard to share her favourite toys but she can share – most of the time.
- Games with rules sometimes challenge your six-year-old, and he might even accuse others of cheating when he doesn’t win.
- Your five-year-old is becoming more independent and loves making small decisions, like what clothes to wear or what to eat for lunch.
- School can be tiring so don’t be surprised if your child is a little moody or easily upset, especially after a long day. On these days you might want to try and keep your child quiet at home after school and aim for an early bedtime.
- Draw more realistic pictures – for example, a person with a head with eyes, mouth and nose, and a body with arms and legs.
- Read simple picture books.
- Understand the importance of rules and the simple reasons behind rules
talk in full and complex sentences and have adult-like conversations, although he might still find it hard to
describe complex ideas or events. - Understand that people often expect girls and boys to behave in certain ways because of their gender.
- Can learn how to ride a bike, jump rope, balance on one foot for a short period of time, walk downstairs without needing to hold your hand, skip and catch a large ball.
- Vocabulary growth is so rapid at this age that your child’s brain often thinks faster than she can say what’s on her mind.
- Your child’s growing understanding of the world around might lead to some fears – for example, some children might be afraid of supernatural things (like ghosts), criticism, tests, failure, or physical harm or threat.
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Red Flag
Know when to meet your doctor
 |  Watch out for these Redflags  |
Children usually follow the same pattern of development and it is good to have reassurance that your child is developing normally in their own unique way. Talk to a doctor or a child health nurse if you have concerns regarding child development.
Watch out for these red flags and talk to your doctor to be reassured that your child is developing in their own unique way
- Is difficult to understand when he talks or isn’t speaking in full sentences
- Not able to answer simple questions like-what is your name? who is your family?
- Has trouble following simple directions like ‘Please put your clothes on bed after you remove it’.
- Doesn’t interact well with others – for example, is aggressive or shows no interest in interacting with other children or adults.
- Uses lots of inappropriate or challenging behavior – for example, has a tantrum whenever she doesn’t get her own way.
- Shows no interest in letters or trying to write her own name.
- Is very withdrawn, worried or depressed or gets very upset when separating from you
- Has difficulty falling asleep at night or staying asleep.
- Experiences a noticeable and consistent loss of skills she once had.
- Behavioral concerns from school regarding aggression and school readiness.
- Not able to walk, jump or use stairs confidently
- Not able to draw simple pictures.
