3 YEARS

Studies the environment with all five senses.
Remembers relationships and is able to form concepts about them.
Can remember objects and compare them to other objects.
Has a vivid imagination but is not always sure where reality ends and fantasy begins.
Tells tall tales.
Wants to find out about size and shape of everything.
Ask questions about how things work.
Constantly asks, "Why?" Tries to understand cause and effect.
Begins to understand when parents try to reason with him or her.
Connects adventures with self and may inject self into adventure stories.
Likes to listen to stories read by parents.
Can enjoy humorous situations.
Has vocaulary of 900 to1,000 words.
Speaks in two to five word sentences.
May understand more of adult conversation than adults realize.
Can hold up fingers to indicate age.
Can count two or more objects.
Can count by rote up to 10.

4 YEARS

Is aware of intellectual advances and may remind parents, "I'm not a baby anymore."
Continues to ask "Why?" and "How?"
Improves reasoning abilities and can form logical conclusions.
May still confuse fact and fantasy.
Likes to try new games and test ability to play them.
Has only of a vague concept of time; relates the word yesterday with the past and tomorrow with the future.
Memory is continually enhanced by growing language skills.
Has vocabulary of 1500 words.
Answers telephone and takes simple messages, but may not always be reliable.
Likes to use silly names and words and enjoys play on words.
Can retell a story following the correct sequences of events.
Loves to tell tall tales.
Likes rhyming poems.
Realizes power of words and often begin statement with, "You know what?"
Speech may be rapid, disconnected, and repetitious.
May exhibit mild stuttering because thinking is faster than ability to talk.

5 YEARS

Seeks information and serious answers to questions.
Learns about right and wrong.
Accepts the fact that there are rules even though unable to understand reasoning behind rules.
Has developed symbolic thinking and is thus able to use materials in a variety of ways.
Appreciates humor and unusual situations.
Enjoys routines and is aware of daily routines.
Has increased attention span and improved concentration skills.
Likes to look at books and listen to the same stories over and over. Will correct anyone who makes mistakes reading the stories.
Understands number concepts; can follow instructions involving numbers.
Understands quantitative thinking in terms of "more than."
Has vocabulary of 200 to 2200 words.
May not know the meaning of all words used.
Speaks with grammatical construction comparable with adults in the home.