Autonomy in Child Development
Your child has successfully acquired the basic skills; what you will see during this fifth year are an elaboration of those basic skills. This elaboration is as important as the initial acquisition of them. For you as a parent, this year is a time when you will enrich your child’s experiences. For example, your child has the skill of walking. However, your child has limited experiences in walking on a variety of terrains. Unless you live in the country, your child’s walking experiences are have most likely been on relatively smooth surfaces. Adventures such as walking through the woods will provide your child opportunities to experience uneven surfaces. These experiences are important for developing balance. In Psychology, these experiences generalize the initial skill. These generalizations extend your child’s skills and, as she grows older, will provide a stronger foundation for her to learn more complex skills. This skill enrichment will make developmental and learning experiences more enjoyable and meaningful in his future.
Cognitive Developmental Milestones, Year 5
One remarkable characteristic of the fifth year development is the added enjoyment your child will receive from her interactions with the environment, both physical and social. Your child’s mastery of his environment will become visible. The process of you doing less for your child will continue. Your child’s cognitive growth will become visible in her drawings by the inclusion of more details and more complex figures. Instead of drawing figures with only lines, as in his stick figures, he will use simple shapes to indicate the body parts. Different body parts will become more recognizable.
In writing, your child will be able to copy letters, numbers, and simple shapes; in counting, your child will be able to count up to 10 objects. This is important in that your child is beginning to develop a one-to-one correspondence between numerals and objects and can indicate that relationship by pointing to the object as she counts. This seems like a simple task but is often difficult for children. This one-to-one relationship is a fundamental mathematical relationship. You can facilitate this skill by setting up opportunities for your child to count things in her daily living environment. For example, if you buy apples when grocery shopping, have her count the apples for you, telling her you want to buy only ten apples. You will also notice your child is naming many more colors than before.
Another skill that you will notice is that your child is beginning to know the order of simple routines. Our lives are filled with routines, even though we often don’t notice them. Routines are the way we do things, and we tend to do many things the same way each time. In the past, you have had to guide your child through each step of these daily routines. She will now need less guidance which will simplify your life. Your child will demonstrate his increasing self-knowledge by saying his name and address.
Social and Emotional Developmental Milestones
Your child’s social and emotional skills will also develop in complexity. His social interactions will be longer and more involved. His emotional responses will, likewise, become more complex. These responses will express his point of view which will need to be considered. The days of simply picking up your child and moving her are over. At 5 years, your child is aware of gender and that matters to her. She also will enjoy playing with her friends and this play will involve more interaction, such as dancing, singing, and playing simplified sports games. At this age children become more involved in group activities, because they have developed the basic social interaction skills required, such as waiting her turn, following simple rules and routines. Both, sports and the arts provide children many opportunities for developing these skills.
As important, is your child’s growing awareness of reality. He will distinguish more between pretend actions and real ones. She will develop an increased flexibility in transitioning between the two. Emotionally, your child will display changes from compliance to non-compliance. You should not interpret this behavior as good or bad. It is simply emotional development and greater awareness of himself as a person. Your child simply needs to know that you are there for him. You can facilitate his emotional development by naming the emotions he is experiencing and helping him discover what has caused the emotion. Help him experience the transience of his emotions. Emotions are like buttons, they come and go.
Language Developmental Milestones
By this time, your child firmly has her foot in the door of language and speech development. Her language and speech skills will continue to increase in their application to her daily life. This is an important generalization of these skills. In the coming years, your child’s development in this area will include her discovery of the power of language.
Your child’s advancement in language will allow him to work with larger chunks of verbal information. Thus, when he tells you about his school day, he will do so with more sentences and this information will be more organized. This ability to use larger chunks of language will also be visible in your child singing songs and reciting nursery rhymes. Her knowledge of rhymes acquired in her fourth year will help her learn the rhymes. In addition to naming more letters and numbers, he will be able to answer simple questions about stories. All these skills are ones that are used extensively in school. Reading stories to your child and asking simple questions about them, saying the names of numbers, and reciting simple nursery rhymes with your child will provide her with a good foundation for her school years.
Movement Development Milestones
Motor skills are important in all areas of your child’s life and one such area is self-care. Your child will begin to use the toilet by himself. This generally also includes getting out of diapers and no longer having toileting accidents. However, your child is likely to exhibit these toileting skill only at home or at school where the toilets and restrooms are familiar. Public restrooms tend to vary in their construction, so your child will need some assistance in these places. Your child’s play will be expanded by her ability to hop and stand on one leg for at least ten seconds. She will also be able to do somersaults and play on swing sets with her peers. In his art work, your child will begin to use scissors. However, his cutting will not be exact. He will unlikely be able to cut along a black line, although he may be able to follow it.
Four Year Developmental Activities
You may have already noticed that your child has been acquiring the skills needed for success in school. One of the most important things you can do as a parent is to be aware of the fact that you are modeling how to do things for your child. This is especially true for your emotional responses to daily living events. Life is difficult and normally it brings frustrations. Remember, how you respond to these frustrating events is important, because your child is watching you and is learning. Many of the skills we have talked about are required in your daily living activities. One important skill your child is learning is how to occupy her time. For example, what to do after school is a problem your child encounters five days a week. Yet, every home has daily chores that need to be done in order for it to function. You should include your child in this work. At 5 years, your child can’t do all of the many tasks that have to be done, but he can do parts of them. Make doing these tasks part of his daily routine and provide him the opportunity to develop productive habits in his daily life. Show your child that this daily work is both fun and meaningful.