Abby Barnes, M.S., CCC-SLP
If one word could describe all the amazing things your 5-year-old is starting to do, it would be independence. From getting dressed and brushing their teeth, to playing with friends and making up games, 5-year-olds can do a lot! However, some kindergarteners may need help meeting milestones related to fine motor skills, emotional regulation, self-care, and more. Occupational therapists (OTs) help children meet these developmental milestones so they can thrive both at home and at school. Here are the milestones to watch for once your child turns 5.
Key takeaways
Occupational therapists can support children’s fine motor and visual skills, social and play skills, regulation and sensory skills, cognitive skills, and self-care skills.
Fine motor skills help 5-year-olds do things with their hands more precisely, such as writing their name and buttoning clothes.
Social and play milestones are important as kids are around other children more often. These skills include cooperating with friends, being aware of others’ feelings, and playing simple games with other kids.
Regulation and sensory milestones relate to how well a child tolerates different things like paying attention, handling different textures, or calming when upset.
Cognitive milestones such as problem solving and understanding simple time and number concepts are typically reached at age 5.
Self-care skills are important for growing independence. These are skills like dressing, daily hygiene tasks, and keeping track of school items.
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Get startedWhat do occupational therapists assess and treat in children?
Occupational therapy can help with several areas of childhood development:
Fine motor and visual motor skills
Social and play skills
Cognitive development
Regulation and sensory organization
Self-care
Fine motor and visual development is how kids use their hands and eyes together to interact with items and their environment. This might include holding a pencil or utensils correctly.
Social and play skills are how kids learn to engage with others, such as through play routines and social interactions at school.
Cognitive growth includes problem-solving skills, sorting abilities, and number and letter concepts. Cognitive skills show just how much your child is learning every year.
Regulation and sensory organization is how kids respond to sensory input like touch, sound, movement, or visual stimuli. It also includes how well they deal with different emotions or transitions. Good regulation skills help kids handle transitions, new experiences, and day-to-day routines more easily.
Self-care relates to skills children start doing to care for themselves as they become more independent. They may start brushing their teeth on their own, or learn to pour themselves a drink when they‘re thirsty.
For more about what to expect in your child’s development, see our speech and language milestone checklists for 5-year-olds.
There are several communication milestones to look for in your kindergartener. Here’s what to expect from your 5-year-old’s speech and language.
5-year-old fine motor and visual milestones
Throughout childhood, children’s fine motor and visual motor skills are constantly growing and improving. At age 5, many children are in kindergarten or preparing to start. Some typical fine motor and visual milestones include:
Can draw a person with at least 6 body parts
Can draw or copy shapes more easily than before (square, triangle, etc.)
Writes their name
Uses the correct grasp with a pencil or crayon (using three fingers, called the tripod grasp)
Colors in the lines more easily and accurately
Cuts along lines and shapes with scissors
Can handle small beads and buttons accurately
Builds more complex block structures/designs
Completes simple puzzles with 10-20 pieces
Uses a dominant hand for tasks (left or right hand)
Fine motor skills are the small hand and finger movements we use for everyday tasks. Learn examples, activities, and how to support your child’s development at home.
5-year-old regulation and sensory milestones
Regulation and sensory milestones are the skills that help your child stay balanced throughout their day, regardless of what changes or situations they encounter.
Kindergarteners should be able to hold their attention to a task for 10 to 15 minutes. Examples might be reading a book with you or learning how to do a new activity, such as practicing writing.
When it’s time to move from one routine to another, they should transition fairly easily without getting upset. It’s normal to get a little pushback, especially if they were enjoying their activity! But as a whole, 5-year-olds should move from one activity to another without much trouble.
Something to watch in your kindergartner is better impulse control. At younger ages, your child may have been more impulsive. Maybe they couldn’t keep their hands off the shelves at the grocery store, or they were more apt to hurry through a task without listening to you. Now, you should see them pausing and listening better, as well as following directions.
Five-year-olds should be able to follow 2- or 3-step directions. An example might be their teacher saying, “Go get your pencil, get your backpack, and stand by the door.” Following directions may take some practice, but over time your child will master this skill.
Problems with sensory processing and emotional regulation are often related in children. Here’s how occupational therapy can help.
5-year-old cognitive milestones
Cognitive growth is happening all the time for your 5-year-old. The concepts they begin to learn are truly amazing! Check out some of the cognitive skills you may start seeing in your 5-year-old:
Can count to at least 10
Understands the concept of time (such as morning, yesterday, tomorrow)
Can name some letters and numbers
Knows their colors
Understands simple cause-and-effect relationships (example: “If I talk too loudly in class, I may get in trouble,” or “I can get a snack if I ask.”
Begins to understand rules in games (like simple board games, or outside games with other kids like freeze tag)
Can sort objects by color, size, and shape
Can plan and problem-solve during play (for example, knows what to do if they can’t find a toy or puzzle piece, or plans all the items they need for a play task)
Understands basic number concepts (more and less, and simple addition like 1+1)
How do you know if your child is ready for kindergarten? Learn the signs that your child might not be ready, and find out how to prepare them to start school.
5-year-old social and play milestones
By 5, your child has more social awareness and emotional development. They likely want to play pretend with their friends and may make up storylines, such as playing doctor or school. These storylines will become more detailed over time.
Group activities like these are lots of fun for kids this age. They typically love being with their friends and may even try to imitate other children, simply because they want to be like them.
Kindergarteners play more cooperatively with each other and follow the rules for games more easily. Their sharing skills are also improving, which makes playdates run a little more smoothly!
Kids this age can understand the difference between real and make believe. They may still ask questions about whether something is real, but their understanding of the difference is growing.
Five-year-olds should be expressing and understanding different emotions they feel. Similarly, they will likely be empathetic to their friends when they see them feeling sad or upset.
Social communication disorders affect how people interact with others. Learn the signs of a social pragmatic disorder and how to support your child.
5-year-old self-care milestones
At this age, kids are learning to perform most self-care tasks either by themselves or with just a little guidance. These tasks can include:
Dressing and undressing independently
Using the toilet independently
Brushing their teeth with occasional support
Holding and using eating utensils appropriately
Pouring liquids without much spilling
Doing simple fasteners (like zippers or buttons)
Beginning to keep up with their personal belongings (such as their backpack, school items, coat, etc.)
Activities of daily living (ADLs) are key self-care skills. Learn when kids develop them, common delays, and how occupational therapy helps.
What if your child isn’t meeting developmental milestones?
If you notice that your child is missing some of these milestones, talk with your pediatrician or an occupational therapist. Starting any needed therapy sooner will lead to faster growth for your kiddo—and help them feel more prepared and confident in school.
Here at Expressable, we provide personalized, virtual occupational therapy designed to fit your child’s needs. Reach out to us to schedule an OT evaluation and get your questions answered.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
When it comes to occupational therapy milestones, there are several skills that 5-year-olds typically have. They should be writing their name, writing and recognizing letters and numbers, and coloring in the lines more easily. They should be able to pay attention for longer spans of time and have better impulse control and problem-solving skills. Five-year-olds can typically dress and undress themselves, and they’re getting better at hygiene tasks such as brushing teeth and washing hands on their own.
Kindergarten milestones include skills such as independence using the toilet, social skills like playing cooperatively and following directions, writing many letters and numbers, reading some sight words, and writing their name. Your child will go on to reach many more milestones throughout their kindergarten year!
Simple practice is one of the best things you can do to improve fine motor skills for kindergarten. Writing, coloring in the lines, and cutting along a line are key areas to target. For many kids, occupational therapy is necessary to help them achieve important kindergarten fine motor skills.
Kindergarteners need lots of sensory activities in order to stay calm and regulated and maintain attention throughout their day. Some good sensory activities can include sensory bins, water play, obstacle courses, Play-Doh, or dance and movement-based games. Kids often benefit from different types of sensory activities. You can try several and see which types your child enjoys most.
How Expressable Can Help
Concerned your child isn't reaching age-expected milestones? Looking for communication support from a professional? Expressable is a national online speech and occupational therapy practice serving children and adults. We treat all major areas of communication, feeding, and developmental skills, offer flexible hours including evenings and weekends, and accept most major health insurance plans. We’re proud to have earned more than 4,500 5-star reviews from our clients (4.83/5 average).
Our therapy model is centered on parent and caregiver involvement. Research proves that empowering caregivers to participate in their loved one’s therapy leads to better outcomes. That’s why we combine live, 1-on-1 speech and occupational therapy with personalized education and home practice activities for faster progress.
