SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
being with friends becomes increasingly important
interested in rules and rituals
girls want to play more with girls; boys with boys
may have a best friend and an enemy
strong desire to perform well, do things right
begins to see things from another child's point of view, but still very self-centered
finds criticism or failure difficult to handle
views things as black and white, right or wrong, wonderful or terrible, with very little middle ground
seeks a sense of security in groups, organized play, and clubs
generally enjoys caring for and playing with younger children
may become upset when behavior or school-work is ignored

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
skilled at using scissors and small tools
development of permanent teeth
enjoys testing muscle strength and skills
good sense of balance
can catch small balls
can tie shoelaces
enjoys copying designs and shapes, letters and numbers
can print name
long arms and legs may give gawky awkward appearance

INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT
may reverse printed letters (b/d)
enjoys planning and building
doubles speaking and listening vocabularies
reading may become a major interest
increased problem-solving ability
interested in magic and tricks
longer attention span
enjoys creating elaborate collections
able to learn difference between left and right
can begin to understand time and the days of the week

IDEAS FOR CAREGIVERS
Provide opportunities for active play. Throwing at targets, running,jumping rope, tumbling, and aerobics may be of interest.

Provide opportunities to develop an understanding of rules by playing simple table games: cards, dominoes, tic-tac-toe, etc.

Provide opportunities for children to do non-competitive team activities such as working a jigsaw puzzle or planting a garden.

Encourage children's sense of accomplishment by providing opportunities to build models, cook, make crafts, practice music, or work with wood.

Encourage children's collections by allowing them to make special boxes or books in which to store their collections.

Encourage reading and writing by allowing children to produce stories with scripts, create music for plays and puppet shows, produce a newspaper, record events, go on field trips, or conduct experiments.

Help children explore their world by taking field trips to museums, work places, and other neighborhoods. Invite community helpers to your home.

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DOCUMENT USE/COPYRIGHT
National Network for Child Care - NNCC. Part of CYFERNET, the National Extension Service Children Youth and Family Educational Research Network. Permission is granted to reproduce these materials in whole or in part for educational purposes only(not for profit beyond the cost of reproduction) provided that the author and Network receive acknowledgment and this notice is included:

Reprinted with permission from National Network for Child Care - NNCC. Oesterreich, L. (1995). Ages & stages - five-year-olds. In L. Oesterreich, B. Holt, & S. Karas, Iowa family child care handbook [Pm 1541] (pp. 207-210). Ames, IA: Iowa State University Extension.