Milestones for children (5-12 years)

During primary school years, developmental milestones become less formal.

The focus shifts towards monitoring children's performance outcomes in key learning areas at school. Every child is different in how they develop, and children may be stronger in some areas than others.

  • Ensuring your child is developing at the right speed or skill for their age allows them to be prepared to learn effectively.
  • Working closely and collaboratively with your child’s school and teachers is important.
  • Teachers are with your child every weekday and with other children of a similar age.
  • They may also be able to identify any developmental delay or missed milestones in their learning and assessment. 

If your child is experiencing challenges with their fine or gross motor skills, talk with their teacher to see if individual adjustments can be made to support their learning and development.

Gross motor skills

Gross motor skills use larger muscles to help you perform basic movements such as walking, running, and jumping. In primary school, your child’s gross motor skills develop to allow for more speed and skill and improve body and object control. This allows for children to:

  • improve coordination and balance
  • develop social skills such as communication and teamwork
  • develop emotional skills such as winning and losing graciously
  • increase confidence in physical activities
  • be exposed to new sports.

Children are introduced to basic movement skills in predictable scenarios in the early primary school years. They practice movement, balance and control as they learn how their body can move.

In the later primary years, children focus on the quality of these movements and adapt skills to new or more challenging settings. Children learn to perform these skills with more precision and apply movement to various games and sports in different sequences.

Fine motor skills

Fine motor skills involve the coordination of small muscles in the wrist, hand, fingers, and even toes. Fine motor skills help your child manipulate or move objects and interact with the world in more detail. They include:

  • holding a pencil
  • tying their shoelace
  • cutting with scissors
  • holding a glue stick
  • typing on a keyboard.

In primary school, your child’s fine motor skills develop to allow for more accuracy, precision, skill, and speed. They also allow for children to:

  • express their ideas
  • showcase creativity
  • become more independent
  • communicate knowledge
  • develop new skills or hobbies.

Language and communication

Language skills involve the ability to document, communicate, and understand thoughts, feelings, and needs through words, speech, and texts.

In the early primary school years, children focus on the foundations including learning to read and understand texts, as well as writing and forming basic sentences. 

In the later primary school years, children focus on developing the depth and breadth of their vocabulary. They develop their reading fluency and comprehension as well as develop their grammar and punctuation.