Hannah is five and has just invented a game: whoever is first to find three yellow leaves in the garden wins. She makes sure her younger brother waits for his turn, counts the leaves out loud up to ten and signs her drawing with a big, wobbly “H”. She zips up her jacket by herself, though she asks for help with the last button. At the playground her parents hear that the neighbours’ son can already read, and they wonder whether Hannah is falling behind.
The fifth year of life is when a preschooler begins to play by the rules, tell whole stories and take an interest in letters and numbers. It is also the last year before the compulsory reception year, so parents more often ask what a child “should” already be able to do. This article brings together a five-year-old’s skills according to the developmental milestones list from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), sets them against what the Polish core curriculum for preschool education expects by the end of preschool, and explains how to read both lists without stress.
What should a 5-year-old be able to do?
Most children aged five tell a story with at least two events, keep a conversation going over more than three back-and-forth exchanges, recognise simple rhymes and answer questions about a story that has been read to them. They count to ten, name some numerals from 1 to 5 and some letters, write a few letters of their name, use the words “yesterday”, “tomorrow”, “morning” and “night”, and pay attention to an activity for 5–10 minutes. They do up some buttons, hop on one foot, follow the rules in games with other children and do simple chores at home. That is how the 2022 CDC list describes a five-year-old.
The list describes what about 75% of children do at a given age, not a minimum below which a problem begins. Some healthy children reach certain skills later. The CDC lists end at five years, so the further direction of development is best shown by the Polish core curriculum for preschool education — it describes what a child should be able to do by the end of preschool, which is usually at the age of six. The previous stage is described in the article on what a 4-year-old should be able to do, and the next one in the article on what a 6-year-old should be able to do.
A five-year-old’s skills in one table
| Area | By 5 years (CDC) | By the end of preschool (core curriculum) |
|---|---|---|
| Speech | Tells a story with at least two events, conversation over more than three exchanges, recognises simple rhymes, answers questions about a story | Speaks fluently and clearly, distinguishes sounds at the beginning and end of simple words, talks about events, puts picture stories in order |
| Movement and hands | Does up some buttons, hops on one foot | Dresses independently, including doing up buttons and tying shoelaces, uses a writing grip when drawing |
| Numbers and letters | Counts to 10, names some numerals from 1 to 5 and some letters, writes a few letters of their name | Counts objects, recognises numerals from 0 to 10, adds and subtracts in everyday situations, recognises the letters that interest them |
| Emotions and relationships | Follows rules and waits for their turn in games, sings and dances for others, does simple chores | Names emotions and tries to cope with them, separates from parents without fear, creates and follows rules of play in a group |
It is worth reading the table as a path rather than an exam. The left-hand column shows what most five-year-olds do, the right-hand one where the child is heading over the next year or two. A five-year-old who already has some of the skills in the right-hand column is developing faster in that area; a five-year-old who does not have them yet is not behind in any way.
Movement and hands — buttons, hopping and first letters
By their fifth birthday, according to the CDC, most children do up some buttons and hop on one foot. Both skills require more than strength: coordination of the two sides of the body, balance and good sensation in the fingers. A five-year-old who does up the buttons on their own jacket is practising exactly the precision they will need for writing a year later.
Fine motor skill, the dexterity of the hands and fingers, keeps improving in a five-year-old: the child cuts along a line with scissors, threads small beads, models with plasticine and draws figures with many details. The core curriculum expects that by the end of preschool the child will use a writing grip when drawing and in first attempts at writing. The best preparation for this is not tracing patterns but everyday activities that make the fingers work: fastening, cutting, pouring, squeezing a sponge, modelling.
A five-year-old’s gross motor skills are already confident and nimble: the child jumps, climbs, rides a bike, catches and throws a ball. They need plenty of movement every day — the core curriculum lists movement, rhythm and music games, running, jumping and throwing as part of preparation for school. A child who moves little later finds it harder, not easier, to concentrate at a table.
Speech — stories, rhymes and conversation
A five-year-old’s speech is full storytelling. According to the CDC, most children at this age tell a story they have heard or made up, with at least two events — for example, “the cat climbed a tree and couldn’t get down, and a firefighter rescued it”. They answer simple questions about a story that has been read to them, keep a conversation going over more than three back-and-forth exchanges and use or recognise simple rhymes, such as “cat — hat”.
Rhymes are more than a game. A child who hears that “cat” and “hat” sound alike begins to break words into sounds — and that is the foundation of learning to read later on. The core curriculum goes a step further: by the end of preschool the child distinguishes the sounds at the beginning and at the end of simple words. A parent can practise this through play: “what sound does ‘mum’ start with?”, “what do you hear at the end of the word ‘dog’?”.
The simplest way to support a five-year-old’s speech remains reading together and talking about what you have read. Instead of asking “did you like the story?”, which can be answered with a simple “yes”, it is better to ask “what would you have done if you were the wolf?” or “what do you think happened next?”. Questions like these call for storytelling, and a five-year-old who tells a lot of stories develops vocabulary, sentence structure and memory at the same time.
At this age some children still have difficulty pronouncing individual sounds — in Polish most often “r” or the group of sounds “sz, ż, cz, dż” (close to the English “sh”, “zh”, “ch” and “j”). A five-year-old who speaks fluently and is well understood by strangers but mixes up one sound usually needs at most a consultation with a speech therapist. It is worth seeing a doctor and a speech therapist sooner when a child says little, is hard for strangers to understand or stutters in a way that troubles them. More about speech and warning signs can be found in the article on toddler speech development.
Counting and letters — should a 5-year-old be able to read?
The CDC list for five years includes the skills parents ask about most often. Most five-year-olds count to ten, name some numerals from 1 to 5 when an adult points to them, name some letters and write a few letters of their name. They also use words about time, such as “yesterday”, “tomorrow”, “morning” or “night”, and can pay attention to an activity — listening to a story or doing an art project — for 5 to 10 minutes. Screen time does not count here.
Reading, however, is not on the list. A five-year-old does not have to read, and the fact that the neighbours’ son already reads says something about the neighbours’ son, not about the norm. The Polish core curriculum does not expect reading by the end of preschool either. It speaks of recognising the letters the child is interested in and reading short words made of familiar letters, while at the same time stating that in preschool the child is prepared for learning to read and write rather than being taught them together with the whole group. How to support that preparation at home without pressure is covered in the article on how to teach a child to read.
Counting is similar. Counting to ten is recitation; what matters more is counting objects, that is pointing to one item after another and understanding that the last number says how many there are. By the end of preschool the core curriculum expects counting objects, recognising numerals from 0 to 10, and adding and subtracting in everyday situations — “we had three apples, we ate one, how many are left?”.
In Montessori education letters and numbers are learned through the hands: the child traces sandpaper letters with a finger while saying the sound, builds words with the movable alphabet before they can write them down, and counts beads or blocks before they learn the numerals. More about these materials can be found in the article on Montessori materials, and about how this preparation carries over to school in the article on school readiness.
Emotions and relationships — rules, taking turns and first friendships
By the age of five, according to the CDC, most children follow rules or take turns in games with other children, sing, dance or act for adults, and do simple chores at home, such as matching socks or clearing the table after a meal.
Playing by the rules is a big step. A four-year-old often changes the rules mid-game in order to win; a five-year-old increasingly understands that rules apply to everyone and makes sure others follow them too. Losing can still hurt, but the child bounces back from it more quickly. This is also the age when the first more lasting friendships appear — the child talks about a “best friend” and wants to see them outside preschool as well.
The core curriculum describes where this is heading: by the end of preschool the child recognises and names basic emotions, tries to cope with them, separates from parents without fear and can wait for their turn while managing an unpleasant emotion. A five-year-old is only just building these skills. What helps is an adult who names emotions rather than judging them and gives the child time to work out for themselves how to resolve a dispute with a friend. More about this can be found in the article on emotions in Montessori.
Independence — what a five-year-old can do alone
A five-year-old is able to look after themselves in most everyday situations. At home and at preschool they can:
- dress and undress, including doing up buttons and zips,
- use the toilet and wash their hands on their own,
- lay the table, serve their own food and eat with a knife and fork,
- tidy up after a meal and after play,
- help with simple household tasks: matching socks, watering plants, dusting,
- prepare a simple snack, for example slicing a banana or spreading a sandwich,
- pack their own preschool backpack with the help of a picture list.
The core curriculum names self-care as the first skill needed at school: independent hygiene, dressing including doing up buttons and tying shoelaces, eating with a knife and fork, laying the table and tidying up. In Montessori education this is practical life — everyday activities treated as fully fledged learning, because they build concentration, coordination and a sense of agency. A five-year-old who has made their own sandwich learns more than from many a worksheet. Specific exercises are collected in the article on Montessori exercises at home.
Does a five-year-old have to do everything on the list?
No. The CDC list describes what roughly three quarters of children do at a given age, so by definition one in four healthy children does not yet have one of these skills. The core curriculum, in turn, describes a goal for the end of preschool, not the state of a child in the fifth year of life. A single missing item alongside good development in the other areas usually means a different pace.
It is worth talking to a doctor when a five-year-old has not reached several skills on the list, loses skills they already had, or a parent has any other concerns — that is the CDC’s advice. If the child attends preschool, it is worth asking the teacher about her observations; if the concerns relate to speech, attention or behaviour in a group, a consultation at a psychological and educational counselling centre can also help.
Comparing your child with peers rarely helps. A better point of reference is your own child half a year ago.
A five-year-old before the reception year — how to prepare your child
For many families the fifth year of life is the last year of “ordinary” preschool before the compulsory zerówka, the reception year. Under the Polish Education Law, one year of pre-school preparation is compulsory for a child who turns six in a given calendar year. The details — whether the reception year can take place at a preschool or must be at a school, and from what age it starts — are described in the article zerówka — is the reception year compulsory.
The best preparation for the reception year is not workbooks but everyday life: dressing and eating independently, conversations, reading books aloud, board games that teach waiting for your turn, plenty of movement outdoors. A child who can ask for help, knows their first name and surname and can focus on one thing for a few minutes has a solid start.
In a Montessori preschool a five-year-old is one of the oldest in the mixed-age group. They show younger children what working with a material looks like, help three-year-olds in the cloakroom and reach for harder tasks themselves, such as building words with the movable alphabet or first operations with the beads. This role of an older friend develops responsibility and self-confidence, which come in handy at school. More about this can be found in the article on mixed-age groups in Montessori.
FAQ — questions from parents of five-year-olds
Should a 5-year-old be able to read? No. Reading appears neither on the CDC list for five years nor in the core curriculum as a requirement for the end of preschool. A five-year-old usually names some letters and writes a few letters of their name; if they want to read of their own accord, it is worth accompanying them without pressure.
How high should a 5-year-old count? According to the CDC, most five-year-olds count to ten and name some numerals from 1 to 5. What matters more than the length of the counting rhyme is counting objects, that is understanding that the last number said tells you how many there are.
Should a 5-year-old be able to write their name? Partly. The CDC list says most five-year-olds write some letters of their name. The whole name, even letters and writing between lines come later and are a goal for the end of preschool or for the first year of school.
Should a 5-year-old be able to tie shoelaces? Not necessarily. For five years the CDC lists doing up some buttons; the core curriculum sets tying shoelaces as a goal for the end of preschool. Many children only learn it at the age of six or seven.
How long should a 5-year-old be able to focus on a task? According to the CDC, most five-year-olds pay attention to an activity, such as listening to a story or doing an art project, for 5 to 10 minutes. With an activity the child has chosen and finds interesting, this time can be much longer.
Is it normal for a five-year-old to still be unable to say “r”? Often, yes. A single difficult sound in a five-year-old who otherwise speaks fluently and clearly is common. It is worth having it checked by a speech therapist, especially before the reception year, but it is not a warning sign.
In closing
A five-year-old tells stories, plays by the rules, counts, takes an interest in letters and copes better and better on their own. The list of skills helps you see whether development is heading in the right direction, but it is not an exam before the reception year. What helps them most is everyday life full of conversations, movement and real tasks, and adults who let them try.
If you are looking for a preschool for a five-year-old and would like to see what a day looks like in a mixed-age group, take a look at the Montessori preschool page.