Age 6 Milestones: Speech, Language, Literacy, Play, and Executive Functioning Skills
Below you will find milestones for speech, language, literacy, play, pragmatics and executive functioning skills.
Language refers to the whole system of words and sentences used to communicate meaning. Speech refers to the sounds in words, also known as articulation. Literacy skills are phonological awareness, reading and writing skills. Play milestones are used as predictors for later language development. Pragmatics is how language is used. Executive functioning is a set of mental skills that include working memory, flexible thinking, and self-control.
These milestones represent the skills that are typically developed by the time a child turns 5 years old. If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s development please contact a speech-language pathologist or discuss your concerns with your child’s pediatrician.
Language
Follows a 3-step direction in accurate sequence
Asks and answers more complex wh- questions in context
Makes basic inferences and predictions
Produces 6-8 words in a sentence with past, present, and future tense, plurals, possessives, and pronouns accurately and consistently
Begins to master exceptions to grammatical rules (e.g. irregular verbs, irregular plurals, etc.)
Uses adjectives and attributes to describe nouns
Produces narratives with characters, setting, an initiating event, actions, consequences around a central theme, and some semblance of resolution
Pragmatics
Clarifies ideas when not understood by others
Initiates and maintain conversations
Asks for meanings of words
Expresses feelings verbally
Shows interest in humor
Play
Uses complex and real play routines
Invites others to play using words
Engages in cooperative and competitive play
Resolves social conflicts with words
Plays games with rules
Cognition/ Executive Functioning
States name, birthday, and address
States current date
Names days of the week and months of the year in sequence
Remains engaged in one activity for 15-20 minutes
Uses logical reasoning to solve a simple problem
Speech Sounds
Understood by all familiar and unfamiliar listeners
Might have problems with “r”
Literacy
The following skills emerge at age 5 and are mastered by age 7
Phonological Awareness
Understands that language is broken into parts
Identifies the first sound in a word
Lists words that begin with the same sound
Blends 3-4 sounds to make a word
Segments words into 3-4 individual sounds
Manipulates sounds in words (e.g. answer “what’s hop without /p/”)
Produces and identifies rhymes
Reading
Reads picture books for pleasure independently
Tracks print from left to right, top to bottom, front to back (in English)
Narrates a story through pictures
“Reads” familiar books from memory
Retells more complex stories in sequence
Recognize approximately 25 words by sight
Recites alphabet
Identify all upper and lower case letters by name and sound
Attempts decoding by identifying sounds of letters and synthesizing to produce words
Writing
Prints own first and last name
Writes all upper and lower case letters in isolation
Spells simple sight words conventionally
Attempts to spell most words by writing one letter per sound
Makes phonetic spelling errors
Labels pictures with simple words, phrases, or sentences
Sources:
Applebee, A. (1978). The child’s concept of a story: Ages 2 to 17. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
Bowen, C. (2011). Table 1: Intelligibility. Retrieved from http://www.speech-language-therapy.com/ on January 2, 2022.
Gard, A., Gilman, L., Gorman J. (2012). Speech and language development chart (Pro-Ed 2nd edition).
Paul, Rhea. Language Disorders from Infancy through Adolescence : Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing, and Communicating. St. Louis, Mo. :Elsevier, 2012.
Shipley, K. G., & McAfee, J. G. (2009). Assessment in speech-language pathology: A resource manual. Clifton Park, NY: Delmar Cengage Learning.
