In this post, I will summarize and share my thoughts about the article “Developmental milestones for kindergartners” by Amanda Morin posted on the website of a non-profit organization “Understood”. The author provides her descriptions of sets of skills and competencies that are expected from a 5-year-old child. These milestones reflect different categories of achievements and are separated by the author into four groups.
Starting with physical skills, Morin reveals how a child gets progressively more adapted to the environment. Physical proficiencies include both gross and fine motor skills, ranging from catching a ball to holding a pencil or a fork. Kids are also expected to possess a foundation for future knowledge in a form of basic logic and attention. Not only does Morin highlights the physical and mental capabilities of a child, but also linguistic, social, and emotional skills. The author points out that children at this age are expected to talk almost non-stop since they simultaneously communicate and learn through speech. Many 5-year-olds are starting to learn the norms of society through communication. They will freely express their thoughts to others and start to understand the importance of being a part of a community. It does not necessarily mean that there is a need to concern if a small amount of milestones is not yet reached, as slight deviations are tolerable.
Personally, I find this article very enlightening and extensive in its descriptions. The milestones in each category are shown in sufficient detail to recognize them in practice, making the analysis of a child’s development easy and on-point. There are new milestones that I did not take into serious consideration before, but I will now. In conclusion, Morin has provided a short, yet informative article on children’s development from which many readers can benefit.