Age 5
Now your child is five years old and is time to start gearing up for the “real” school. Your child changes from a little child who has been protected by mommy and daddy, to a kindergartner, with the demands of a new school and new expectations and challenges. Children this age need your approval, praise and encouragement. Your child wants to please you and wants you to be proud of their work so don’t hesitate to tell them how proud you are of their efforts.
At the age of five an average child behaves good, is helpful and conforming. The child will mostly attempt to do things that he really knows he can do. He will need your attention, affection and praise. Many children at this age are energetic and fidgety, this is a normal part of their development. He may even show opposite extremes of behavior. Once the year goes on your child may become less well-behaved.
At five-years-old, your child is learning to understand herself. You can help by encouraging him as he:
* Develops a positive, realistic self-image.
* Learns to respect himself.
* Begins to understand his own uniqueness.
* Gains awareness of his feelings.
* Learns to express feelings.
* Learns how to participate in groups.
* Begins to learn from his mistakes.
Teach them the Value of Money
By the time they start school, many children are ready to receive an allowance. The goal is to give your child the opportunity to budget, spend and save his own money. Most experts agree an allowance should not be linked to chores or grades. Extra money for special jobs such as cleaning out the garage is fine.
The amount of the allowance depends on which expenses the child is expected to pay, so sit down with your child and map out a weekly or monthly budget. One suggestion is to pay 50 cents per week for each year of the child’s age. You can encourage saving by dividing the allowance among three jars. Money in jar 1 can be spent on whatever the child chooses. Jar 2 money is saved for a more expensive item, like a toy or book. Jar 3 is reserved for long-term savings, such as a college fund. Pay interest (even a few pennies at a time) to jar 3 money. Children are fascinated when money makes money. More…
Signs of Difficulty
Kindergarten is a child’s introduction to school. If this first year is full of problems, the child can begin to lose his or her enthusiasm for learning and normal learning development can be delayed. It’s important for your child to be ready physically, socially, emotionally, and intellectually in order to succeed in kindergarten.
The child will have trouble if he isn’t able to: Be happy away from home. Follow teacher’s directions and classroom rules. Do basic drawings and cut and paste with some degree of skill. Handle his personal needs like going to the bathroom and dress himself. Have a basic social skills and get along with the classmates and the teacher.
Skills Your Child Should Learn at Kindergarten
In kindergarten, one of the main goals is to help the child become comfortable in the school setting. He will learn how to get along with the classmates and the teacher and to follow classroom rules. The academic focus is on teaching the child some of the basic skills that will prepare him to read, write, and do math.
Your child will learn to:
* recognize and form upper and lowercase letters of the alphabet
* match sounds to each alphabet letter
* recognize and use rhyming words
* begin reading words by using initial consonant sounds and such sound patterns as -an and -at (fan, man, can) and (sat, rat, pat)
* recognize a few frequently used sight words such as the, and, is
* capitalize the first and last name of a person and the word “I”
* count, recognize, and write the numbers up to twenty
* identify, draw, cut, and name squares, circles, triangles, ovals, diamonds, and rectangles
* classify and group objects according to such characteristics as shape, color, size, texture, and so on
* identify days of the week and seasons of the year
If you are not sure whether your child is ready for kindergarten or not here are some signs that your child may show to tell you that you will not have anything to worry about. He is ready.
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Your child plays well with other children and takes turns, in other words have basic social skills
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Your child is able to follow directions
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He adjusts to simple rules regarding behavior and can manage in a group
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Feeds and dresses himself
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Is able to separate from you for at least ½ day
Children ages 3-5, requirements in a nut shell:
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opportunities to develop their motor skills finer
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encouragement of language through a lot of talking, reading, singing
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activities that will develop a positive sense of accomplishment and mastery
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opportunities to learn cooperation, helping, sharing and social skills
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help and support with experimenting pre-writing and pre-reading skills
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