Your child's developmental milestones from 3 to 5 years
Your child’s first 5 years will see huge changes in their development. As they grow, their skills develop.
These include:
- gross motor skills – using large muscles that coordinate body movements such as standing, sitting upright and walking
- fine motor skills – using small muscles for accurate coordinated movements such as holding a toy and drawing with a crayon
- communication and hearing
- social and emotional
- problem-solving, learning and understanding
The ages given for milestones in this guide are an average. Every child is different. Most children should be meeting these milestones.
Information:
Talk to your GP or public health nurse (PHN) if you are concerned about your child’s development. They may carry out more tests or refer your child to a specialist.
By 3 years
By this age most babies will achieve these milestones:
Gross motor
Your child will be able to:
- walk upstairs
- pedal a tricycle
Fine motor
They’ll be able to:
- copy a circle
- draw a person’s head
Communication and hearing
Your child will be able to:
- use 4 to 5 word sentences
- tell stories
Social and emotional
Your child will play with other children in small groups.
Problem-solving, learning and understanding
Your child can:
- copy or imitate another person
- line up 4 objects like blocks or cars in a row
By 4 years
By this age most babies will achieve these milestones:
Gross motor
Your child will be able to:
- hop
- balance on each foot for 3 seconds
Fine motor
They’ll be able to:
- copy a square using a crayon
- draw a cross (+ sign)
- draw a person in 3 parts
Communication and hearing
Your child will be able to name 4 colours. Their speech will be easy for others to understand.
Social and emotional
Your child will share and take turns when playing with other children. They can sing a song.
Problem-solving, learning and understanding
Your child can:
- dress up
- play act
- name different colours
By 5 years
By this age most babies will achieve these milestones:
Gross motor
Your child will be able to:
- walk ‘heel to toe’ – in a straight line with one foot immediately ahead of the other
- skip
Fine motor
They’ll be able to:
- copy a triangle
- draw a person with 6 body parts
Communication and hearing
Your child will know numbers from 1 to 10.
Social and emotional
Between 4 and 5 years your child’s social and emotional skills develop rapidly.
Your child:
- has a group of friends
- uses make-believe and dress-up when playing
Problem-solving, learning and understanding
Your child can write some letters or numbers.
You may notice your child:
- still needs your support when trying to talk to adults
- understands what you’re saying
- repeats things they hear
- is not aware that things they say can be hurtful to other people
- is interested in time
- is interested in learning more complicated games
- gets better at taking turns and sharing, but still needs encouragement from time to time
- becomes more aware of danger - for example, staying safe on busy roads
- still seems to think that the world revolves around them
- enjoys showing off their achievements
Page last reviewed: 12 November 2021
Next review due: 12 November 2024
This project has received funding from the Government of Ireland’s Sláintecare Integration Fund 2019 under Grant Agreement Number 123.
