Five feels like a big milestone…..! This is the year that most children will start Kindergarten in the U.S. Although parents and children may have some trepidation with this milestone, it is also very exciting.
Five year olds are so much fun. Much of the volatility of age three and four calms down. Five year olds tend to be extremely social and self confident among children and adults with whom they feel comfortable. They are also developing more sophisticated reasoning skills. They tend to like rules (even when they have trouble following all of them). The questions that started at age three are more numerous. The multitude of questions can sometimes be a challenge for parents, but try to have patience. Your five year old is trying to figure out how the world works.
Five year olds have friends! It isn’t as if younger children do not have playmates, but five year olds start to make their own friends (independent of parent relationships). They also want to please those new friends.
Motor skills are definitely more advanced at this age. Not only can children run fast, but they can skip, hop, somersault, and climb.
Five year olds tend to show a lot of independence. They can perform some small, safe tasks on their own.
Despite how grown up your five year old appears, be sure to continue with a clear routine and bedtime. With all the growing, thinking, and activity they do during the day, they are exhausted at night and need a good rest.