The Exhibitor

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Age (years): 3

Motor: Walks up and down stairs without assistance; uses nonalternating step. Walks without watching feet, marches to music. Balances momentarily on one foot. Rides tricycle. Can spread with knife. Explores, dismantles, dismembers.

Cognition: Creates representational art. Matches primary colors and shapes. Can show two objects: understands concept of two. Enjoys make-believe play; is less constrained by objects. Knows age but no concept of length of a year.

Socialization: Labels some coins. Plays in groups, talks while playing, selects with whom to play. Shares toys for short periods. Takes turns. Insists on being in the limelight.

Communication: Has 900-1,000-word expressive vocabulary, creates three- to four-word sentences. Uses "sentences" with subject and verb, but simple sentence construction. Plays with words and sounds. Follows two-step commands. Talks about the present.

Age (years): 4

Motor: Walks up and down stair with alternating steps. Jumps over objects. Hops on one foot. Can copy block letters.

Cognition: Categorizes. Counts rotely to five; can show three objects; understands concept of three. Knows primary colors.

Socialization: Plays and cooperates with others. Role-plays.

Communication: Has 1,500-word expressive vocabulary. Asks many, many questions. Uses increasingly more complex sentence forms. Recounts stories and the recent past. Has some difficulty answering how and why. Relies on word order for interpretation.

Age (years): 5

Motor: Has gross motor control, good body awareness; plays complex games. Cuts own meat with a knife. Draws well, colors in lines; creates more recognizable drawings. Prints simple words. Dresses without assistance. Has established hand preference.

Cognition: Carries a rule through a series of activities. Knows own right and left, but not those of others. Counts to 13; can show four or five objects. Accepts magic as an explanation. Develops time concepts. Recognizes relationship of parts to whole.

Socialization: Plays simple games. Selects some playmates based on sex. Enjoys dramatic play. Shows interest in group activities. Plays purposefully and constructively.

Communication: Has expressive vocabulary of 2,100 to 2,200 words. Discusses feelings. Understands before and after, regardless of word order. Follows three-step commands. Has 90% grammar acquisition.