By this age, kids can usually hop on one foot and are learning to skip. Play becomes increasingly imaginative and is an important part of kids' growth and development now. So it's important to make sure they have time for creative play — alone and with friends — whether that means drawing pictures, playing house, or acting a part. Although kids come in all shapes and sizes, a healthy child should continue to grow at a regular pace.
To monitor physical development, the doctor will weigh and measure your child at regular checkups , then plot the results on a standard growth chart to follow over time and compare with that of other kids the same age and gender.
Normal growth — aided by good nutrition, plenty of sleep , and regular exercise — is one of the best overall indicators of a child's good health. But your child's growth pattern is largely determined by genetics. Pushing kids to eat extra food or more than the recommended amounts of vitamins, minerals, or other nutrients will not make them taller. And eating too much may lead to excessive weight gain.
Preschoolers can be picky eaters , but it's important to continue to offer a variety of foods. You might also notice that your child can play with others to achieve a common goal — for example, working together to build one big sandcastle. Your child is becoming more social and prefers to play with friends rather than on their own.
Your child can share , although they might find it hard to share favourite toys and other things. Games with rules sometimes challenge your six-year-old, and your child might even accuse others of cheating sometimes.
Feelings At this age, children can express feelings , although they might need help and time to identify and talk about tricky emotions like frustration or jealousy. They often have much better control over feelings too and might have fewer unexpected outbursts of anger and sadness.
You might see more patience, and your child might even be open to reasoning with you. This means there could be fewer disagreements in the future. Although your six-year-old loves to be independent, they still need your love and attention. For example, some children might be afraid of supernatural things like ghosts , criticism, tests, failure, or physical harm or threat.
Your child understands simple concepts like time today, tomorrow, yesterday , knows the seasons, recognises some words by sight and tries to sound out words. Your child might even read on their own. Talking and communicating At this age children talk a lot, sometimes even when nobody is in the room. Your child understands jokes and riddles — jokes about poos and wees are particularly funny.
Your child can learn how to ride a bike, jump rope, balance on one foot for a short period of time, walk downstairs without needing to hold your hand, skip and catch a large ball. Many six-year-olds will also be interested in playing team sports like soccer.
Regular physical activity promotes healthy growth and development and learning new skills builds confidence. Kids at this age are learning to hop, skip and jump forward. They are eager to show off how they can balance on one foot, catch a ball or do a somersault.
Preschoolers and kindergarteners also might enjoy swimming, playing on a playground, dancing and riding a tricycle or bicycle with training wheels. Many parents look into organized sports to get 4 and 5-year-olds active. The average preschooler has not mastered the basics, such as throwing, catching and taking turns. Even simple rules may be hard for them to understand, as any parent who has watched their child run the wrong way during a game knows.
Starting too young can also be frustrating for kids and may discourage future participation in sports. If you decide to sign your child up for soccer or another team sport, be sure to choose a league that is right for their age and developmental stage. A peewee league that focuses on fun and learning the fundamentals might be great for a child still in preschool.
Playing together, running in the backyard or using playground equipment at a local park can be fun for the entire family. Other activities to try together, or for a group of preschoolers to enjoy, include:. Designate a safe play area and try some active inside games such as:. Those who get enough rest may no longer need a daytime nap and can benefit from some quiet time in the afternoon.
This is the age where they might be in preschool or in kindergarten. As they give up naps, they may go to bed at night earlier than they did as toddlers. Check out our guide about Healthy Sleep for Children for more info.
Communication Milestones Communicating with our kids is one of the most pleasurable and rewarding parts of parenting. Children learn by absorbing information through daily interactions and experiences not only with us, but with other adults, family members, other kids, and the world. Between the ages of 4 and 5, many kids enter preschool or kindergarten programs, with language skills a key part of learning in the classroom.
A very important part of growing up is the ability to interact and socialize with others.
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