4–5 years · Rules, reasons and stories
The child can now hold a rule in mind, wait a little, and tell a story with a beginning and an end. Interest in letters and numbers usually appears of its own accord.
Body and movement
- Hops and may skip
- Balances on one foot for several seconds
- Uses a pencil with a mature three-finger grip
- Cuts along a line, and may cut a simple shape
- Draws a person with six or more parts
- Dresses and undresses independently, may manage buttons
Communication
- Speaks in full, mostly correct sentences
- Tells a connected story with a beginning, a middle and an end
- Understands and uses 'before', 'after', 'because'
- Asks the meaning of words
- Recognises rhyme, and may hear the first sound of a word
- Recognises own name in print, and some letters
Thinking and looking
- Counts to ten or beyond, and counts objects accurately to about ten
- Knows that the last number counted is 'how many'
- Sorts by two attributes
- Knows some letters and the sounds of a few
- Understands 'more', 'less' and 'the same'
- Predicts what comes next in a familiar story
Feeling and belonging
- Plays in a group with a shared plan
- Follows rules in a simple game, and minds when others do not
- Waits a short turn without an adult reminding
- Shows empathy and offers comfort
- Talks about what they want to be and do
👀 Worth asking a doctor about
- Speech not fully understandable to strangers
- Cannot tell a simple story
- Cannot follow a two- or three-step instruction
- No interest in other children or in pretend play
- Cannot hold a pencil at all
- Extremely restricted interests, or intense distress at small changes, most days
These are reasons to ask, not verdicts. Early help works; waiting rarely does.
🤝 What helps at this age
- Read aloud daily and talk about the story rather than testing it
- Let the child do the writing that matters to them — lists, labels, cards
- Count real things during real work
- Resist worksheets: at this age they teach compliance, not thinking
