5 years old
Motor: He can skip and enjoys playing active games and movements. She may be able to swing herself on a swing.
Fine Motor: Able to print his first name. Draws a triangle. She dresses, bathes, eats and toilets independently. He can built elaborate structures and enjoys playing noisy instruments.
Language: By this time she has a vocabulary of 2000 to 2500 words. She is able to name more than 4 colors. He can say full sentence of more than 10 syllables. Can count 10 pennies correctly. Can begin to understand concept of opposites. He knows morning, afternoon, night, yesterday, today and tomorrow. She can learn the address or phone number. Can understand left and right on self.
Social: Likes domestic role-playing differentiating sex-roles. He submits to more rules and regulations and can wait for his turn. Likes to please adults and is interested in family activities.
Emotional: He can begin to express feelings in words. He can get embarrassed easily and doesn’t know to laugh at self yet. She shows guilt at misbehavior. She likes to be independent but infact dependent for the lack of advanced skills. She will crave for facts and will ask a lot of Why and What questions.
How to promote Development:
Provide a good speech and language role model. His listening skills have improved but it is not until 7-8 yrs of age that he can listen well enough to have an exchange of ideas. Be a patient listener to hear him express his feelings and ideas. If the child stutters, pay absolutely no attention to stuttering. Increased concern will only add to his anxiety and will worsen stuttering.
Avoid correcting errors; the child will make her own corrections. Encourage him to use language instead of aggressive behavior to get his own way.
Provide him more time with peers, but with continued supervision. Try to involve him in a variety of activities and experience including group games, visit to a zoo etc. By age 6 they usually prefers the company of their own sex. This preference continues through adolescence.
TV watching should be controlled. There should be a set time. Make a family activity by discussing what programs are to be selected, every one getting a limited choice. Try to watch the programs with the child. Do not develop the habit of eating junk foods while watching.
Discipline: Provide positive reinforcers like hugs and kisses and stickers or stars for good behaviors. Do not use food as a positive reinforcer as that may inculcate habit of eating for pleasure only. Expect child to control his behavior for attention and approval. Try to ignore or time out for misbehavior. However harmful behavior to himself or others should be stopped. Try not to give punitive punishment as that may lead to more anger and violence. Sometimes spending more time with older children helps as imitating is the easiest way for a kid to learn. Try to keep the daily schedule consistent with expected behavior defined and maintained. Frequent aggressive and uncontrolled behavior needs investigation into the child’s role models, unrelieved pressures or fears and physical problems.
Nutrition: Between 4-8 years of age calcium requirement is around 800 mg daily. This equals to roughly 3 servings of milk or milk products or calcium fortified products. Following is the calcium content of various food groups.
| 1 cup of plain yogurt | 415 |
| ½ cup of ricotta cheese | 337 |
| 1 cup of low fat milk | 300 |
| 1 slice of cheddar cheese | 204 |
| 1 slice of Mozarella cheese | 183 |
| 1 slice of American cheese | 124 |
| ½ cup of cooked spinach | 122 |
Children who consume large amount of juices are at risk of diarrhea, failure to thrive, nutritional deficiencies and future obesity. This is especially true if juice becomes the primary source of nutrition. Try to limit juice to 4-6ozs per day at the most and encourage more water drinking.
Multivitamen: A whole chewable a day.
Recommended Servings per day for 4-6 years old: Cal 1800
| Grains | 7 servings |
| Vegetables | 3 servings |
| Fruit | 2 servings |
| Dairy | 2-3 servings |
| Meat | 3-4 servings |
Dental check up should be regularly done. He may start losing teeth in the same order they erupted by the time he is 6 years old.