we had visitation day at my DD5's preschool and I actually felt a little worried since a five year old in her class couldn't count to 12, another boy couldn't say how old he was, and most of the kids don't speak clearly.
If you are comparing these children to your own they won't sound nearly as clear and understandable as yours, ever. That's even included in assessments of speech problems, they expect the parent to understand much more than a stranger. My two year old is 100% understandable, but strangers often don't catch what he says. And half of what the other toddlers I know say I don't understand.
Don't discount shyness either. My five year old can multiply, but if a stranger asked her how old she was she probably wouldn't answer.
If a child's rue abilities were always shiningly obvious no teacher would ever need a hint from the parents.
