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Expert Q&A
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| By Elizabeth Pantley Child Behavior Expert Better Beginnings, Inc. | ||
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Educationally, what should a 5-year-old be able to do?
First of all, we need to keep in mind that for the most part, children only learn what they are taught. If no one has been working with your 5-year-old on the task of writing his name, then there is nothing unusual about him not being able to do it! As a general rule of thumb, these are the academic skills a 5-year-old should have to prepare him for kindergarten:
- Recite full name, address and age
- Follow simple directions
- Name basic colors
- Use five- to eight-word sentences
- Recite several nursery rhymes
- Draw a stick person with head, body, arms and legs
- Cut with scissors
- Listen to a story or book
- Draw with crayon or marker
- Know ABCs
- Count to 10
- Sort similar objects by size, shape or color
- Know basic body parts
- Understand opposites like in/out, up/down
- Know basic shapes
- Can put together a simple puzzle
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