Developmental Milestones for First Graders

Going to first grade can feel like a really big deal, both to kids and their families. Moving up from kindergarten means big changes in the way kids begin to think and interact with the world, and the milestones you may see this year show that. You might not see a big change in your child’s physical skills this year. But you can expect to see big changes in social and thinking skills.

Check out these developmental milestones to get a sense of which skills are typical for first graders. But keep in mind that first graders aren’t all the same age and will develop at different rates. So if your child isn’t doing a few of these things yet, don’t panic.

Physical Milestones

Most kids gain stamina and coordination during first grade. They may start the year a little uncoordinated, because the big muscles in their arms and legs are better developed than the small muscles they use for smaller movements. What kids can do physically this year doesn’t change as much as how well they’re able to do it.

By the end of first grade, most kids will:

• Have improved hand-eye coordination for things like tying shoelaces

• Be able to dance in time with the music—and even add some cool moves like spinning in place without moving from one spot

• Have handwriting that’s getting neater and easier to read

• Run, hop, skip, and jump

• Throw and kick a ball, and catch it with both hands

• Copy shapes and letters

• Know how to use utensils the right way (even if they don’t always do it!)

• Perhaps begin playing a musical instrument

• Ride a bike without training wheels

• Be capable of doing chores like sweeping or making the bed

• Tie shoes and button and zip independently

At-home connection: Still having trouble with shoe-tying? Check out a two-minute tutorial of a unique way to tie shoes.

Cognitive Milestones

Kids’ thinking skills this year allow them to start exploring the world to find answers to their own questions. During first grade, most kids:

• Start developing the skills to reason and think logically

• Try to think about things before making decisions

• Learn from what they hear and read—not just from what they see and do

• Have trouble making choices because they want to do everything at once

• Can read several sight words (words they see frequently and can read without sounding out) and sound out other words

• Begin to have a better sense of time, understanding increments of time, days, weeks, months, and seasons

• Predict what comes next in a pattern, as well as recognize and create their own patterns

• Count to 100 by ones, twos, fives, and tens

• Write and recognize the numerals 0 to 100, and the words for numbers from one to twenty

• Do basic addition and subtraction up to 20

At-home connection: Do you know Fannee Doolee? She only likes words with double letters. Play this fun word game and others to help build flexible thinking skills.

Language Milestones

By the start of first grade, kids may use language in long and complicated sentences to tell about past, present, and future. But this year, they may start combining spoken language with reading and writing. First graders typically:

• Start sounding out words

• Understand the relationship between letters and sounds

• Know, use, and understand thousands of words

• Stop reversing letters (by the end of first grade)

• Try to express feelings with words, but may resort to aggression when upset

• Use words to convince people of their viewpoint and to tell stories

• Tell jokes and riddles, and may understand simple puns

• Tell little lies about everyday things

At-home connection: Worried about backwards letters and numbers? Learn why some kids still write them like that at this age.

Social and Emotional Milestones

Your first grader’s social-emotional skills are an interesting mix of independence and an increased need for your attention and approval. By age 7, kids typically start to understand that friendships aren’t something they can control by themselves. That may make them a little anxious. Many kids also:

• Are more independent, but less secure (they may want a lot of attention and approval from adults)

• Form and break friendships easily, and can be critical of other kids

• Get their feelings hurt more easily and start being very aware of other people’s feelings

• Are eager to please and want to “be first” and win

• Understand right from wrong, but look for the loopholes in rules to get what they want

• Are more aware of how others see them

• Begin to understand what it means to feel embarrassed

At-home connection: Talk about different types of friends. Get tips to help your child learn about friendship and connecting with other kids.

There’s a lot of variation in how quickly kids develop skills throughout first grade. Your child may meet social and emotional milestones before physical milestones or vice versa.

If your child isn’t doing most of these things by the end of first grade, connect with the teacher or talk to your health care provider about your concerns. If your child needs support in some skill areas, now is a good time to start.

Take a look forward at developmental milestones for second and third graders.