According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the time between the ages of 4 and 5 marks your child’s transition from being toddler to a preschooler. While his physical growth and motor skills might still be slow to development, you can expect to see some great intellectual, social and emotional changes.
Below are lists developmental milestones – things that most children can do at these ages – as well as signs of possible developmental delays at this age according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Below are lists of developmental milestones – things that most children can do at these ages – as well as signs of possible developmental delays at this age according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
4 years
Social and Emotional
Language/Communication
Cognitive (learning, thinking, problem-solving)
Movement/Physical Development
Act early by talking to your child’s doctor if your child:
5 years
Social and Emotional
Language/Communication
Cognitive (learning, thinking, problem-solving)
Movement/Physical Development
Act early by talking to your child’s doctor if your child:
To download the full checklist of developmental milestone from ages 2 months to 5 years old and delays to look out for, click here. Or download the Milestone Tracker mobile app.
If you are concerned about any developmental delays your child may be experiencing, ask your child’s doctor or nurse, or talk with someone in your community who is familiar with services for infants and toddlers in your area.
The checklists you find here are not a substitute for standardized, validated developmental screening tools such as those that might be administered by your child’s doctor.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children be screened for general development using standardized, validated tools at 9, 18, and 24 or 30 months and for autism at 18 and 24 months or whenever a parent or provider has a concern. Ask your child’s doctor about his or her developmental screening.
Getting your child ready for kindergarten is a big step. A child’s performance in kindergarten will inform much of their future performance in elementary school and beyond. Because there is no one right list that works for every family, here are some great tips for getting your child ready.
Checklist for San Antonio
Download this Kindergarten Checklist from the San Antonio Public Library to see what your child should be able to do before kindergarten, tips for helping them get there, and recommended experiences for early learning in San Antonio.
6 Steps to Get Your Family Ready
This helpful list from the Urban Child Institute has simple and powerful steps to ensuring that your child – and your family – is ready for kindergarten.
Get Ready for Kindergarten
For tips from veteran principals on easing first-day stress and preparing for success, check out this article from SchoolFamily.com.
Kindergarten: What Your Child Should Know
Here’s another good checklist by GreatSchools.org about what your child should know to be ready for Kindergarten.
Get Ready to Read
GetReadyToRead.org has a variety of activities for teachers and parents to do with kids. The downloadable handouts on this page can help you begin the skill development necessary for successful learning. You can also sign up for free activity cards and other resources.
Preschool Activities to Do With Your Child
Education.com has fun activities and games you can do with your preschooler to get ready for kindergarten including crafts, counting practice, easy science experiments, and art projects.
One important step to preparing for kindergarten is deciding what school will be best for your child. This resource from GreatSchools.org can help know what to consider, your child’s needs, and how to find the right fit.
Choosing the right child care option for your family can help make the first year of school successful for everyone. These local options or resources can help you find the right fit.
Child Care Assistance from the City of San Antonio
The Child Care Services Program provides monetary help for child care to an average of 8,200 children per day through more than 750 local child care providers. Child care services are available for both full and part-time care for qualified families. Qualified families may encounter a wait period for service availability. To be eligible for CCS, individuals must meet certain criteria. For more information, check out this page on the City of San Antonio’s website.
Quality Childcare Guide
This downloadable brochure from the Child Care Services program has a list of steps to choosing the right care for your child, plus a checklist on what to look for when deciding whether that child care meets your quality standard. English | Español
Quality Childcare Provider List
This is a comprehensive list of Quality Child Care Providers in the San Antonio area from Workforce Solutions Alamo, including address, contact information and accreditations.
Texas Workforce Commission: Texas Child Care Solutions
Developed by the Texas Workforce Commission, the purpose of Texas Child Care Solutions is so provide parents access to accurate and consistent information to assist them in making informed choices to meet their child care needs. Learn More >
Find Preschool Near You
Enrolling your child in pre-school is an important step in preparing them for kindergarten. Click here to find a free or low-cost pre-school provider near you.
What is Head Start?
Head Start is a federal program that promotes the school readiness of children through age 5 from low-income families by enhancing their cognitive, social and emotional development. For contact information of local Head Start providers, click here.
Pre-K 4 SA
Pre-K 4 SA is a full-day prekindergarten program that also offers free afterschool care until 6:00 p.m. The program is highlighted by experienced teachers, high quality curriculum, and bilingual education options. Students are provided healthy and delicious meals including breakfast, lunch, and snacks at no extra cost and transportation is also available. To learn more, click here. To find out about eligibility and enrollment, click here.
Getting your child ready for a healthy life starts early. Healthy eating and physical activity habits are very important, and need support from the whole family.
Here are some resources to help your child have a healthy start to their preschool years. When children are not at their healthiest it may keep them from attending school, which takes away valuable learning time in preschool and later in their education.
What are some examples of healthy development?
These short informational videos explain physical activity, healthy weight, and safety by age.
Where can I find advice and knowledge?
KidsHealth.org is a widely-used children’s health and development site with advice and information for parents and fun material on health for kids.
What does sleep have to do with healthy development?
When preschool children don’t get enough sleep, it can affect their mood, behavior, eating habits, and ability to focus during the day. Learn more about what you can do to improve sleep from WebMD.
Why do preschoolers need physical activity?
Today’s children are four times less active in their day-to-day lives than their grandparents were, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Being active helps your child stay healthy, learn good habits early, gives them an outlet for natural energy, and keeps them from high risk of obesity and other health problems throughout life.
How much physical activity does my preschooler need?
What is physical activity for preschoolers? Physical activity can be playing actively, family fun such as hiking or swimming, and anything that gets your child moving! Aim for 60 minutes a day, and check out these USDA resources for tips to get moving.
How do we get started with physical activity?
Getting active can be free and easy. Check out this resource from PBS for tips to get active at your local park.
Where can I find free kid-friendly places for physical activity in San Antonio?
This guide offers useful information to kid-friendly parks in San Antonio.
What is a medical home?
Today, a child needs a home base for medical and non-medical care supported by a partnership between you, the parent or caregiver, your family, and your primary doctor or provider.
If you have insurance, it is likely you have already established a medical home. If you have not yet enrolled in medical insurance for your family, this is an important step to secure the medical support your child needs for healthy development. To get information about enrolling or one-on-one help, please visit enrollsa.com.
When should I call a pediatrician?
Handling illnesses or medical issues can sometimes be confusing for parents both new and old. Wondering when to call a pediatrician? Here are some helpful tips from WebMD.
Where can I find a pediatrician?Looking for a pediatrician in your area? Find one here.
Why are Well-Child Visits important?
Childhood is a time of rapid growth and change. At this exam, the health care provider will check your child’s growth and development in order to find or prevent problems. Your child should have more pediatric well-child visits when thy are younger and developing the fastest. Each visit includes a complete physical examination. Even if your child is healthy, well-child visits are an important time to focus on your child’s wellness. Learn more about well-child visits here.
What should I expect from a Well-Child Visit?
Check out this resource from KidsHealth for information about well-child visits and what you can expect from them.
At yearly exams, your child will be weighed and measured, and these results will be plotted on growth charts for weight, height, and body mass index (BMI). Using these charts, doctors can see how kids are growing compared with other kids the same age and gender. The doctor will take a medical and family history and do a physical exam. During checkups, your child’s blood pressure, vision, and hearing will be checked.
Why should my child get immunizations?
The use of vaccines has led to major improvements in child health over a relatively short period. Many of the infectious illnesses you or your parents had as children, from chickenpox to polio to measles, no longer affect most children today because of immunizations. If you follow the immunization guidelines recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), you can help make your child healthier than was ever possible in earlier generations. Learn more.
What do I tell my kids about immunizations?
This link from KidsHealth includes a simple guide to shots with interactive questions for parents and information for kids.
Where do I go for immunizations?
The Metro Health Immunization Clinic offers immunization services in San Antonio. Click here for more information.
Reminder: Immunizations are required by law
Immunizations are not only important for healthy development, but it’s also the law. Students who have not completed immunizations will not be allowed to register for kindergarten. Give yourself plenty of time during the spring of the year before your child enters kindergarten to have them done. Click here to download guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
What about speech, language and hearing health?
For more information about ensuring your child’s speech, language and hearing health, check out this helpful guide from the American Speech—Language-Hearing Association.
How do I help my preschooler keep that bright smile?
Check out this Nick Jr. page for simple tips for making sure your kid is ready to keep a bright, healthy smile for life.
How do I find a dentist that’s right for my child?
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAP), the recognized authority on children’s oral health, can help you find a dentist for your child in your area.
How do I stay informed about child safety?
Kids are going to fall, crash, slip and tumble. It’s all part of being a kid. But there are little things we can all do to ensure that kids avoid more serious injuries. Here is a go-to source from SafeKids.org for child safety information on a variety of topics.
Texas-based Safety Tips and Resources
The Department of Family and Protective Services provides information on child safety ranging from sleeping and water safety tips to how to report child abuse and neglect.
How do I make my house healthy and safe for children?
Check out this list of tips for making your home child-safe.
First Aid and Safety Guidelines
Local First Aid and CPR training
Providing healthy and nutritious meals is one of the most important things you can do to get your child to develop healthy eating habits for life. Your preschooler’s normal growth and development also play a big role in their eating habits. As preschoolers grow, they change physically, mentally, and socially. These changes affect everything they do, including eating. To know what to expect, check out this helpful roadmap.
What should my child be eating daily?
MyPlate from the US Department of Agriculture provides daily food plans and ideas for your child, including tips for picky eaters and developing healthy eating habits.
Limit the amount of added sugars, sodium, and saturated fat in your preschooler’s meals, drinks, and snacks.
Download the healthy eating for preschoolers checklist here.
Want to know what to plan for? Check out this roadmap.
What is good brain food for my child?
This slide show from MedicineNet explains the top 10 brain foods for your child, which includes easy-to-get foods like peanut butter, eggs, oatmeal, and berries.
10 Snacks Kids Can Make Themselves
Helping your child create their own healthy snacks is a good practice to develop healthy eating habits. Check out these easy snacks your young child can make himself.
Delicious Healthy Recipes for the Whole Family
Your family eating habits have a major influence on your child’s eating habits. Here are some healthy recipes that the whole family can enjoy.
Your child’s social and emotional development involves understanding their own feelings and behaviors as well as those of others, and applying this knowledge to interactions and relationships. Research has shown that those with high emotional intelligence have better attention skills and fewer learning problems, and are generally more successful in academic and workplace settings. This parent toolkit, developed by a leading organization on social and emotional learning include tips on child self-management, social awareness and relationship building.
Good Parent/Child Communications
Communicating with your child can be challenging, but good communication is key to building self-esteem and mutual respect, as well as making parenting more enjoyable and successful. These basic principles from the Child Development Institute can help you evaluate and strengthen communication in your family.
Activities and Play Ideas
Learning4Kids.net has lots of learning opportunities and play ideas for children age between 4 -5 years that explore sense, creativity and the imagination while also building important developmental skills like coordination.
What if your child becomes angry?
Here are some tips by the American Academy of Pediatrics for what you can do. Although these suggestions are specific to weight management and health, they apply to all scenarios that involve anger and discipline.
What can you do for social-emotional development?
This downloadable resource from the American Academy of Pediatrics has tips for parents and caregivers to promote healthy social-emotional development with your child.
Local Events, Programs, and Services
The SA Kids Directory can help you find resources throughout San Antonio to promote social and emotional development with your kids.
How did you do today?
This checklist can help you do a quick assessment of how your family is doing to develop social and emotional intelligence.
Milestones and Tips for Home and Preschool
This article from GetReadyToRead.org lists milestones to know whether your child is developing social and emotional skills appropriate to her age, and tips to encourage social and emotional learning at home and preschool.
TV-Watching Guidelines
Kids can have a lot of fun learning from many TV programs, but should not spend too much time in front of the screen. Here are some general guidelines from BabyCenter.com on how much screen time is too much, and how to monitor your child’s watching activity. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says some screen time is okay for children as young as 18 months, but the organization recommends limiting kids to an hour or less a day.
