What English should a 5-year-old know?

What can a typical 5-year-old do in English?

A typical 5-year-old uses English to get things done: asking for what they need, telling you what happened and joining in with games. Children develop at very different rates, so think of what follows as a broad picture rather than a checklist to pass. It describes children who hear English regularly at home, at preschool or both.

What about listening and understanding?

Many 5-year-olds can follow an instruction with two steps, such as “Put on your shoes and wait by the door.” They can listen to a short picture book, answer simple questions about it and often tell you what they think will happen next. They enjoy hearing the same favourite stories again and again, which is a good thing: repetition is how new words stick.

What about speaking?

It's common for children of this age to speak in short sentences, ask lots of questions (“Why is the sky blue?”) and retell a simple event in order, even if the details wander. Grammar mistakes such as I goed or two mouses are normal and show that a child is working out the rules of English for themselves. Some sounds, such as th and r, can take a while longer.

Everyday vocabulary usually covers family, food, toys, animals, colours, numbers, body parts and daily routines. Children also start to use words about time and feelings, such as yesterday, later, excited and worried.

Does it matter if English isn't their first language?

No, being bilingual is not a problem, and it is very common in Singapore and Malaysia. Many children grow up hearing English with Mandarin, Malay, Tamil or another language at home. A child learning two languages may be at a different stage in English from a classmate who hears only English, but their total language, across both languages, is often just as rich.

Some patterns are normal for children with more than one language:

• A quiet period. A child may listen and understand for some time before they speak much English.
• Mixing languages. Using a word from one language inside a sentence in another is a normal part of growing up bilingual, not a sign of confusion.
• Uneven vocabulary. A child might know school words in English and home words in their home language.

Keep using your home language. Strong talk in any language, with stories, questions and conversation, builds the thinking and vocabulary that children carry over into English.

Should a 5-year-old be reading?

Not necessarily. Some 5-year-olds read simple words and short sentences, and many do not read yet at all; both are within the normal range. What matters more at this age is the groundwork that makes reading easier later:

• Enjoying books and wanting to be read to.
• Knowing that print carries meaning and that English is read from left to right.
• Recognising their own name, and perhaps a few familiar words such as mum, dad or stop.
• Hearing rhymes and noticing that words can start with the same sound.
• Holding a crayon or pencil and trying to write some letters, especially the letters in their name.

If your child can do some of these, they are building the right skills. Pushing a child to read before they're ready can take the fun out of books, so follow their interest and keep reading together.

What phonics might they know?

Many 5-year-olds know some letter sounds, and some can blend three sounds to read a short word such as sat or pin. Phonics teaches children to link each sound in spoken English to the letter or letters that write it, then blend sounds to read and split words to spell.

At 5, phonics might look like this:

• Hearing the first sound in a word: sun starts with /s/.
• Saying the sounds of a few letters, often starting with s, a, t, p, i and n.
• Blending sounds aloud with help: /c/ /a/ /t/, cat.
• Spotting rhymes such as hat, cat and mat.

Children who already know letter names from alphabet songs are not behind; they simply need to learn the sounds as well. For ideas you can use in a few spare minutes, see our phonics games at home.

When should I talk to a teacher?

Talk to your child's teacher whenever something worries you; you don't need a big reason. Teachers see your child with others of the same age and can tell you whether what you've noticed is common or worth watching. It's worth raising sooner if, in any of their languages, your child:

• Seems to have trouble hearing, or often doesn't respond when spoken to.
• Is very hard for unfamiliar adults to understand.
• Finds it hard to follow simple instructions that other children manage.
• Has stopped using words or skills they used to have.

A teacher may suggest a check with your family doctor or another professional. That is a normal step and often brings reassurance. If the only concern is that your child is still learning English, look at how well they talk and understand in their home language too.

How can I help my 5-year-old with English at home?

Talk, read and play with words every day; a few minutes most days does more than one long session. Read a picture book together and chat about it, sing songs and rhymes, play I spy with sounds and let your child see you reading and writing for real reasons, such as a shopping list or a birthday card. Praise effort as well as right answers.

If you'd like support, CurioKids teaches live, 1-to-1 English lessons for children aged 4 to 12, each 25 minutes long with a real teacher. Most children start with Phonics Starter; a child who already reads can be placed straight into a CEFR-based level after the free first lesson. Phonics Starter is 52 lessons in 10 units, and the CEFR-based levels that follow are Pre-A1, A1 and A2. Book a free first lesson, with no card needed, from our Singapore or Malaysia page.