Many times parents a e concerned with what is the typical development and behavior of a healthy and/or normal 5 year old. In this article, we will discuss 3 things to expect that, in general, applies to a child that is 5 years old.
He or she will get better at mastering more physical skills. Your five your old can climb stairs without holding on, skip, jump rope, run, jump off things, play on play grounds, use scissors and start to learn how to ride a bike with training wheels. You will notice at this age that you child will want to gain mastery over many physical skills and may attempt to do things that the child is unaware that is out of his or her own ability. It is best to set limits for children during those times to prevent injury. However, it is also important to encourage them to do the things that want to try to do. Balance is always key in this formula.
Your five year old will start to gain more self control then that of a 3-4 year old. He or she will want to start being more independent and in more “in charge” of he or her own behavior. Now you will start to see the “lighter at the end of the tunnel’ because you will start to notice all of your past parental guidance is beginning to sink in! Now your children will have the ability to repeat safety rules during play. He or she will be able to you words instead of resorting to more physical ways of expressing themselves. Your 5 year old will start to be able to gain the control to calm him/herself down when feeling anxious and/or upset.
You child will be able to follow rules and remember them better. This will become very apart if you have rules with pictures and the rules posted on paper for the child to remember. Now you will be able simply point to the rule as gentle reminder and your child will know what is expected. Your child will continue to act on impulses at times and he or she may still resort to temper tantrums or escalate to physical violence. Remember to keep calm, redirect the negative energy and tell your child what to do instead during these times.
These three things you can expect from you child as he or she is learning how to handle growing a litter older as a 5 year old. Although some of these behaviors can cause confusion and frustration, these new behaviors and development will become apparent during the first 5 years of life.
Do you want to learn exactly how to eliminate your child’s out-of-control and defiant behavior without using Punishments, Time-Outs, Behavioral Plans, or Rewards?