5 year old

By the time of 5 years, your child should be able to:

UNDERSTANDING

• Understand sequence concepts (first/second/third/last, beginning/middle/end)

• Recognise items that don’t belong in categories

• Understand ‘when’ questions

• Start to understand time concepts (day/night, morning, afternoon, night)

• Understand opposites and comparatives (big/biggest, wet/dry)

• Follow three part instructions, including time words (get your shoes before you get your hat)

• Understand numbers, letters and shapes

TALKING

• Use complex sentences with correct grammar

• Use all pronouns correctly (he/she, her/him, he’s/her’s, I/me, them, us)

• Talks about events that happened, might have happened or that are going to happen

• Talks in details, using a variety of descriptive words and vocabulary

• Talks about feelings and emotions

• Answer ‘when’ questions

• Explain why items don’t belong together

• Start to use some irregular verbs (fell)

• Can count to 1-15 or onwards

• Identify some letters

• Identify most shapes

• Can write their name and draw a person (doesn’t have to be perfect!)

SPEECH SOUNDS

Children should be understood all the time. Sounds that are produced correctly:

• p, b, m, w, h, t, d, n,

• k

• g

• f

• l

• sh

• ch

• s

• j

• z

• v

• r

WARNING SIGNS

• Unable to follow instructions

• Using short sentences, unable to tell back events or recounts

• Unable to answer questions

• Many grammatical errors in sentences

• People find it hard to understand your child (the only errors that are appropriate at this age or that are still developing are ‘r’, ‘v’ and ‘th’)

• Shows little/ no interest in letters, reading or writing