Here is what you can expect during the transition to school, ages 5 to 6.5 years. Parents may need to consider whether their 5-year old is ready to begin first grade. So it's wise to eliminate temptations and no … , is impressed with his own increased abilities, loves to read, learn new facts, practice writing…, is able to judge what he can and cannot do; therefore, is more confident and secure, may ask for permission to do even simple things, cares a lot about his own room, home, street, neighborhood, classroom, may ascribe human feelings to inanimate objects (“It is raining because the clouds got angry”), has a more accurate and detailed concept of death – however, since he may still think death is reversible, he often can be matter-of-fact and unemotional about death, some may still wet the bed at night (not a concern), adores parents and sees them as the ultimate authorities, has strong feelings for family, including pets, sees mother as the center of his world and wants to please her and be near her, may do better with siblings, but may over-estimate abilities to care for younger children, may have frequent frightening animal dreams, gets along well with others, although plays better with two friends than with three, may make up stories with violence as the main theme, can be over-demanding and explosive at other times, is in a constant state of tension, which results in an increase in tensional outlet behaviors (chewing on lose clothing, biting or tapping pencils), is restless and finds it hard to sit still, will rebel and go against what he is asked to do, finds it hard to maintain grasp of pencil, may reverse numbers or letters (this is not a good age to teach reading or writing), experiences an increase in colds, headaches, earaches, stomachaches – feet hurt, face hurts, may have toileting accidents when overly excited, can be extremely enthusiastic and adventuresome, is competitive – needs to be the fastest, best, the winner, tends to fling clothes all over the house, can be ambivalent, may have trouble making choices, sees self, not the mother, as the center of the universe, goes from hating mother to loving her; can fear that she will get sick, die, not be there, is at his best and worst with primary caregiver, can get confused if school rules differ from home rules, relationship with teacher is not as intense as it will be in another year, can be very bossy, especially with younger siblings, can make friends easily, but relationships tend to be stormy because he is so stormy, will cheat to win and will accuse others of cheating, will be very ashamed about such accidents, restless, hands always busy, wiggles, kicks, complains that it is too hot and perspires easily, hates the sight of blood and anything that penetrates the body, the 6 year old may remind parents of 2 1/2-year old, use counting (“Let’s see if you can do that by the time I count to ten”), use of clock (“See if you can do that by 3 o’clock”), side-step versus confront issues i.e. 9.4% of children aged 2-17 years (approximately 6.1 million) have received an ADHD diagnosis.2 Read more information on ADHD here. Language development grows significantly, which leads to learning the names of objects of interest, the ability to ask for things, and as they discover their independent nature, yes, they develop the ability to say, “No!”. For example, some: Much of the following information is based on the studies by The Gesell Institute of Human Development, with the primary source being Your Ten to Fourteen Year Old, by Louise Bates Ames, Ph.D. Also included is information from Pick Up Your Socks by Elizabeth Crary. The National Center on the Sexual Behavior of Youth has looked at the research, and we’ve distilled the common child behaviors by age for you. Understands concept of days — today, everyday, yesterday, tomorrow, a week, a month, every morning, afternoon, evening, can understand spatial concepts: up, down, in, out, over, around, under. May want to check behind objects and people, can draw a man with two parts: head and legs. “There’s more pressure to be grown up, to take more responsibility,” says Romero. Range of Violent Behavior. Basic description of an 11-year old: Fluctuates between extremes The same is true of two children raised by the same parents in the same environment. One way to encourage good behavior is to use a reward system. Among children aged 2-8 years, boys were more likely than girls to have a mental, behavioral, or developmental disorder. It is a time for active exploration of their environment. The National Center on the Sexual Behavior of Youth has looked at the research, and we’ve distilled the common child behaviors by age for you. As children grow, they show many changes in their abilities and behavior. Toddlers and preschoolers between the ages of 18 months and 6 years old may revert back to behaviors like clinginess, bedwetting, thumb sucking, and temper tantrums. Won’t accept a compliment if he thinks it is not fully deserved, tells less tall tales and wild exaggerations, believes less in fairy tales and magic, although may be very superstitious, exhibits more intense disdain and disgust for opposite sex, girls are quieter, like to giggle and whisper, likes to be a member of a “club” or group, is less willing to share details of his life with parents, may question parents always being right and having all the power, may seem to be drawing away from the family circle, may object to being called, “My son,” or “My little girl”, may not like to talk about when he was younger, may not want to be recognized in public by a parent, is moving away from earlier preoccupation with mother, has less interest in her comments or company, Boys are often sulky around her and frequently find fault with her and can resent her efforts to make them neat and clean, may be a growing respect for father and for father’s occupation, enters a new relationship with his father based on shared interests, especially for boys, may get along better than previously did with siblings, able to respond nicely to younger siblings, especially if given some responsibility for caring for them, is frank, un-self-conscious, accepts life and the world as they are, delights in physical activities – sliding, running, climbing, jumping, is closely attached to family; mother has special prestige, but still gets along well with father, can be very nurturing towards younger siblings, even pets, likes to be in groups, clubs, gangs, which tend to be inclusive in their membership, likes school, likes to learn and accepts a reasonable amount of homework without resentment, has a strong moral sense of right and wrong – emphasis on finding out what is wrong, has a matter-of-fact attitude about philosophical issues – life, death, deity, time, space issues, is not self-centered but becoming aware of a conscience, 10 is reminiscent of 5 – self-contained, relaxed, direct, easy give-and-take, 11 is tense, questioning, searches and tests self through conflicts with others, 12 is better balanced – accepts others, more objective, fluctuates from childish to mature attitudes, 14 more outgoing, compares self with others, 15 is more introspective – explores self in relation to ideas, ideals, opinions of others, 16 more at ease, independent, self-reliant, is self-assertive, although may be called “rude and difficult”, experiences wide range of moods and emotions- can fly into a rage or burst out in laughter, is still emotionally immature and unaware of how others see him, exhibits best behavior when away from home, is increasingly hungry – has appetite for experience as well as food, can feel too hot or too cold – even the body becomes unstable as he enters adolescence, rebels against parents; finds fault, argues, calls names, yells, talks back, needs parents to balance reactions and not be too sensitive or too lenient, is less impulsive, more reasonable, more companionable, and shows better self-control, doesn’t want to be seen as a “baby” – works at being grown-up, is friendly, out-going, cooperative, ready to please, spontaneous, positive and enthusiastic, has a growing sense of humor, more cheerful, sociable, is influenced by the attitudes and interests of peer group, shows empathy and can views things from the standpoint of others, shows warm admiration for firm, well-informed teacher who has sense of humor, can work independently, but desires group activity, seizes opportunities for discussion or debate of political and civic issues, shows increase in conceptual thinking, in abstracts, shows initiative (example: might start own newspaper), shows increased tact when caring for younger siblings, has improved mother-daughter relationship, is more serious, less spontaneous, more reflective and more self-critical, is not as open or communicative and may lapse into spells of silence, is more guarded – may hesitate before expressing self, may be more shy with strangers, is very sensitive to criticism and keenly perceptive of the emotional state of others, shows increased resistance to authority figures, at school, responds with intense interest to assignments and discussions, has a great capacity to acquire knowledge through reading, listening, looking, states propositions and questions ideas, thinks in terms of hypothetical conditions, enjoys matching wits with a cooperative adult, makes detailed criticisms of parents – girls may be very critical of mother, especially her dress, clothes, make-up, seems to withdraw from family circle and from close confidential relationship with parents, fights with siblings, particularly those between 6 and 11 years of age, is intrigued by the wide array of interpersonal relations, is more discriminating about companions, has fewer friends, is robust, vigorous, expressive, gregarious, has a new sense of contentment and relaxation, likes to reason and is capable of independent thinking, has the verbal comprehension and word fluency equal to 4/5’s adult level, shows greater respect and confidence based on increased understanding, tries to be realistic and objective in judgments, not as impulsive, is exuberant, energetic but reasonable, has a fair measure of wisdom and philosophy, often expressed in wit and humor, can be objective about own development thus far and can begin to consider long-range plans, can perceive how others feel and can see self as others see him, has a high interest in being member of formal clubs, teams, communicates with friends at all hours of day or night, is interested in people and aware of personality differences, loves to talk – analyzing other people and their motives, confessing, denying, disputing, feels embarrassed by parental conduct, yet home relations are more genial and less tense, shows a more mature attitude towards adults in general, is moody, but not as intense and piercing as at 13, is serious-minded but does not indulge in heavy moods, is more thoughtful, serious, introspective, and quiet than at earlier ages – even speaks with a soft voice, may be more withdrawn, slow-to-warm, unwilling to reveal self, resists limits and is striving to be more independent, is gregarious in groups, likes gatherings, will follow a crowd, and enjoys spontaneous informal groupings, shows increased self-awareness and perceptiveness, focuses attention on details of thought and feeling, notices sensitivities, irritabilities, resistances, aversions and suspicions, is capable of harboring feelings of grudge, revenge and violence, uses exaggerated language to express scorn, respects the spoken word and works hard to accurately state thoughts and ideas, feels conflicted over issues of attachment and detachment, virtually secedes from family – omits or skimps on greetings, keeps to self, won’t sit with family at family functions; family unity at all-time low, analyzes the personality traits of parents, is reconciling loyalty to home, school and community, can enjoy competence in school, which can serve as an outlet from subservience at home, is sensitive about own limitations – tasks that are too hard send him into a slump, can be confused about own potential and responsibilities, is a stickler for precision and, at times, is a perfectionist, has less energy, which may appear as laziness, is more self-possessed and under better control, is cheerful, friendly, outgoing, well-adjusted, self-assured, likes to banter and enjoys laughter – teasing is good-natured, is more tolerant of world, takes life as it comes, is not as moody or ruled by emotions, not as touchy, cries infrequently, can curb anger, does not worry and tells others “Don’t worry about me”, is more oriented towards the future– plans for college, can talk about marriage in serious vein, is less impulsive and shows better judgment, is more willing to see another’s point of view, is interested in people– likes to build up multiple friendships – much companionship on a non-romantic basis, has fewer arguments with family members, including siblings, separates from home, may get summer job or attend special camp. 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