At five years of age, your child is either in or getting ready to enter kindergarten and there is a whole new set of skills your child will develop and refine. Here’s what to expect for your fantastic five year old!
Fantastic at 5:
Scissor Skills: At five, your child should be able to cut both angled and curved lines with good accuracy. He should be able to maneuver scissors around pictures (after demonstration) that are at least 6” in length and width and whose outlines are no more than ¼” wide. One great way to practice this skill is to have your child cut out a dot-to-dot number worksheet, as this also helps to develop visual scanning by following not only the line, but the numbers as well!
Pre-Writing/Pencil Skills: By kindergarten, your child will be using a dynamic tripod/quadrupod type grasp. This is the most mature grasp where the fingertips are used for control of the pencil versus a more immature/rudimentary grasp. Pencil movement is powered by the fingers, while the wrist and forearm remain still in order to stabilize the hand. You’ll find that your child can now write his name and form most numbers, however reversals are common.
Eye-Hand Coordination: He should be able to draw a person with at least 6 parts and catch a tennis ball tossed to him. Interlocking puzzles, find-the-number worksheets, catching/throwing, obstacle courses, and mazes are all excellent for eye-hand coordination!
Daily Living Skills: By this age, your child should be able to open all fasteners on any article of clothing and engage/pull up a zipper while wearing clothing. He should be taking an interest in tying his shoes and showering independently. He should be able to wash dishes and use the microwave with supervision.
Written by: Rachel Merrick
Lead Occupational Therapist
Tri-County Therapy
