These Activities Can Help Your Five Year Old Meet Cognitive Development Milestones

Music Therapy is a Resource Utilized by Many in Addressing Cognitive Development Issues With Young Children

Every child grows at a different pace. There is no shame in meeting certain developmental milestones at different times. Every parent/guardian wants the best for their child and sometimes these milestones can feel daunting and worrying for you and your child. 

There are certain low pressure and fun activities that you can do with your five year old that help to promote their cognitive development. In this article we will go over what some of the typical cognitive development milestones for five year olds are, and different activities that you can have your child engage with to improve their cognitive development. We will also discuss how music therapy in particular is an especially effective method in advancing a child’s cognitive development. 

Here is everything you can find in this article in regards to cognitive development for five year old kids 

  • Most five year olds will be approaching these cognitive developmental milestones
  • What activities promote cognitive development and are appropriate for children at the age of five?
  • How can music therapy help your child to reach those milestones? 
Every child will reach developmental milestones in their own time, for the most part there is no need to push your child to try and meet milestones before they are ready as not every kid needs to meet the same milestones at the same time their peers do. 

Most five year olds will already be approaching these cognitive developmental milestones

There are many different criteria out there for what most five year olds will be learning or how they will be growing in terms of cognitive development at age five. Some of the most common cognitive development milestones for five year olds include recognizing the letters of the alphabet, the ability to count ten or more objects, knowing the names of at least four colors, a basic understanding of the concept of time, their family’s address and phone number, and what most of the objects in their household are used for. Most children who are five years old will be able to carry on a conversation with another person, use the future tense, and talk about or tell stories. In terms of physical/gross motor development, most five year olds will be able to hop on one foot, swing and climb, somersault or skip, and use the toilet by themselves (although they may still be wetting the bed on occasion).

In terms of fine motor skills most five year old children have developed the ability to copy shapes when drawing, draw people, get dressed and undressed on their own, write some letters of the alphabet, and hold a spoon and fork on their own. 

Artistic endeavors, activities, and projects can be some of the best ways to help your child become more advanced in their cognitive development.

What activities promote cognitive development and are appropriate for children at the age of five?

There are so many different lists and resources out there to help you discover engaging activities for your five year old that can help to advance their cognitive development. Here we will just go over a few of the most effective activities and ideas for things to do with your five year old to help them with their cognitive development. 

Play games with your child. This could include simple card games like go fish or memory games where you have pairs of cards face down and try to have your child remember which card (that is face down) matches the one they pick up. 

Most five year olds will still just be learning how to read, so having them read books can be a bit of a daunting process. Even if a child is still learning how to read, it is incredibly stimulating for a child to be read to, as ir promotes their cognitive development. 

Art projects not only help children develop their fine motor skills, but they also help children to become more comfortable and confident expressing their emotions. This also helps children learn to regulate their emotions and can help lessen tantrums or outbursts. 

Hands on physical activities are great for kids at this age. Consider taking your child on walks to the park with you or on a short easy hiking trail. Swimming can be a great activity for kids, too. Lastly, the zoo or art museum/gallery helps children to engage physically and mentally with their surroundings.  

Not only does music therapy help children with their cognitive development on an individual level but it can help them in social settings so much as well!

How can music therapy help your child to reach those milestones? 

Music therapy is one of the most engaging and stimulating activities for a child. Engaging with music activates so many different parts of your brain that other activities just don’t have the same effect on. This promotes cognitive development. Music therapy also has an incredible positive effect on children's fine motor skills and spatial awareness. It helps children find productive ways to express and work through the emotions they are experiencing. With limited vocabularies, music can help children to express things that they may otherwise struggle to express in conversations. 

Cognitive development is a complex process for every child. Not every kid needs to be reaching milestones at the ages you read about online. Every child has a different pace that they will develop at and should be respected. If you see your child getting frustrated with themselves, it can be hard to figure out how to step in and help them with advancing their cognitive development. Music therapy is one of the best ways to address this and there are so many resources out there to help you get started with music therapy for your child! 


Edited by Cara Jernigan on January 15, 2021

Lily Taggart
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