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A Checklist for Preschool Developmental Challenges

Between the ages of two and five, many children attend preschool. There are many different skills that develop during this time. These milestones are used to measure emotional, social, physical, language and cognitive development. Children develop skills at different speeds, so these milestones should be used only as guidelines to track your child's overall development.

  1. Gross Motor Skills

    • Gross motor skills are tasks like walking, sitting, standing and balancing that are accomplished with large muscle groups. At the beginning of their preschool years, children are already walking independently and are learning to run, stand on tiptoes, walk up and down stairs with support, and carry or pull objects while walking. Around age three, children begin to open doors, kick and throw a ball, and pedal a tricycle. At age four, children can walk up and down stairs independently and learn to catch a ball. By the end of the preschool years, children can hop, swing, jump and stand on one foot.

    Fine Motor Skills

    • Fine motor skills are tasks that are accomplished by smaller muscles. At age two, children are learning to stack blocks and scribble with crayons. Around age three, they are able to feed themselves using utensils and drink from a glass, and their coloring skills are improving. Four-year-olds can use a pencil to write and have begun drawing faces, shapes and letters. They are also learning to brush their teeth, put together puzzles and cut with safety scissors. At the end of the preschool years, children are able to write some letters, copy drawn shapes, draw people with more detail and build taller block towers.

    Language & Cognitive Skills

    • Preschool children demonstrate significant growth in language and cognitive skills. Around age two, they begin to point to and name objects in pictures and typically have a vocabulary of 50 words. Around age three, they can say their first and last names and are beginning to recognize colors. Their vocabulary has increased to 500 words or more. From four to five, children are learning to speak in complete sentences and answer questions. They also begin to count objects and remember parts of stories.

    Social Skills

    • Many social skills develop during the preschool years. At the beginning of this time frame, children start to be more independent, imitate the behavior of other people and take an interest in playing with other children. At age three, they are learning to take turns and role-play with peers. During their fourth year, children are able to follow rules, solve problems, sing, dance and clean up toys. By the end of the preschool years, children can recognize differences between boys and girls and are eager to please their peers.

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