With so much going on with your home and your child it may be hard to track where their education abilities are and where they “should” be for their age. Sometimes we may worry if our children are achieving what their peers are achieving or if they need extra help in a certain area. We wanted to ease that worry and provide you with a few cognitive milestones, divided by age, so that you can see what is appropriate for your child’s particular age and what you have to look forward to! Of course, any concerns about your child’s development should be brought to the attention of your child’s pediatrician or other professional.
4- to 5-year-olds:
- Comprehends special concepts (“around,” “in front,” “high,” “next to”)
- Can typically count up to 20 by rote learning (memorization of the numbers)
- Tends to be able to complete a 6-8 piece puzzle
- Understands simple math concepts such as adding 2 apples makes for more apples
- Children may continue to have trouble with the concepts of sequence and time (They may seem inconsistent when telling a story simply because they hardly ever follow a beginning-middle-end approach)
- Pre-school children continue to be egocentric and concrete in their thinking. They are still unable to see things from another’s perspective
6- to 7-year-olds:
- Knows the difference between a right hand and a left hand
- Understands what numbers stand for (knows that 50 apples is a lot of apples)
- Fine motor development allows them to have the ability to copy complex shapes, such as a diamond
- Is learning to or can accurately tell time and time of day (nighttime and daytime)
- Can understand (and usually follow) 3-step commands. “Go to your room, get the stuffed bunny and bring it to me please”
- Knows what objects are and what they do and can explain this
- 3 numbers can be repeated backwards (6,5,4)
- Most age-appropriate material can be read by the child
8- to 9-year-olds:
- Child usually knows the date and what it means
- Counting backwards comes easy (easier)
- Reading is done more frequently (reading the street signs, etc)
- The concept of fractions is being learned and mastered
- The concept of space is now being understood
- Months and days of week can be named in order
10- to 12-year-olds:
- Can make up stories to write with their imagination
- Letters are easily written and legible
- Children are able to answer who, what, where, and when questions, but still may have problems with why questions
- Reading is being mastered and child can typically read very well
- Child are developing abstract thinking but revert to concrete thought under stress
Thanks for reading! For related articles check out: