The Typical Development of a Child Age 5

Lea Martinez
EDU 220
 Physical
• Typical Behaviors
A child at the age of five is usually able to dress and undress
themselves with no help. However, they may need help with coats and
jackets. In fact, “Getting dressed in the morning will be easier as they
master previously tricky buttons and zippers” (Child Development
Institute, 2015).
Children at this age may also be farsighted, which is typical for that age.
If they are farsighted, it may cause them problems with their hand and
eye coordination.
 Physical
• Typical Behaviors (Continued)
Once children are five, they can usually use the toilet without help from
an adult.
Also, a five-year-old will dislike some foods, and if they are asked or
told to eat something they do not like to eat, they may become sick.
For example, they may vomit or get a stomachache. However, at this
age, children do want more of a choice when it comes to food.
 Physical
• Typical Behaviors (Continued)
As for physical activity, a child at this age will be more confident physically.
For example, they will have more confidence playing games such as
playing tag, kicking balls and climbing. Additionally, there are many other
things children can do physically at this age. They can stand on one foot at
least for 10 seconds, hop, and somersault, and use a fork and spoon
(Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017). Their balance will be
better than it was a year ago and they will explore different types of
equipment for play because their confidence has improved.
 Physical

• Typical Development Level According to Snowman

Children who are five years of age are very active and have good control
of their bodies and will enjoy doing activities. (Snowman & McCown,
2013, p. 49). Because they are so active at this age, they do need to
have several periods of rest throughout the day.
When it comes to gross motor skills and fine motor skills, children at this
age are better with their gross motor skills.
 Physical
• Typical Development Level According to Snowman (Continued)
The reason is that their larger muscles or more developed. “Therefore,
preschoolers may be quite clumsy at, or physically incapable of such
skills as, tying shoes and buttoning coats” (Snowman & McCown, 2013,
p. 49). However, they can learn to accomplish these skills through
repetition.
Children this age can carry out simple commands, and they can focus
on a task they are given. The reason for this is because the frontal
lobes of their brains are rapidly growing. Most children at this age are
also good at self-regulation.
 Physical
• Typical Development Level According to Snowman (Continued)
Also, children this age do not notice gender differences in each other’s
physical development, and they usually do not notice any proficiency in
motor skills (Snowman & McCown, 2013, p. 49).
 Physical
• Recommendations for Continued Development
Because children want and can dress and undress themselves at this
age, parents should allow their child independence when dressing for
the day.
Another typical behavior for a five-year-old is that they may be
farsighted. Therefore, parents or guardians should have their eyes
checked. Any awkwardness should be looked at as a normal condition
at this age.
 Physical
• Recommendations For Continued Development (Continued)
Parents should eat meals with their child. They need to see their
parents eating healthy foods such as fruits, vegetable, and whole grains
as snacks (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). By
watching adults eat healthy foods, the child will want to try more of a
healthy variety of foods as well. “Offer appealing variety in foods, but
do not force the child to eat anything” (University of Washington,
1993). At the same time, the child should have a limited amount of
foods high in sugar, salt, and fat.
 Physical
• Recommendations for Continued Development (Continued)
Physical activities are important for children at this age level. For
example, active play helps to develop their gross motor skills.
Additionally, it will help keep the child physically fit and healthy. Active
play will also keep their muscles toned and strengthen bones (Child
Development Institute, 2015).
Parents, caregivers, and educators should limit any screen time of
quality programming to no more than 2 hours per day (Center for
Disease Control and Prevention, 2015).
 Emotional
• Typical Behaviors
There are several typical emotional behaviors for a five-year-old child.
Most children this age are reliable and adjust well to many situations.
Many children this age are afraid of the dark, dogs, and falling off of
something. However, children this age are typically not looked at as
fearful.
Additionally, there are some behaviors a child this age may
demonstrate if they are tired or upset.
 Emotional
• Typical Behaviors (Continued)
These behaviors are nail-biting, eye blinking, throat clearing, sniffling,
nose twitching, or thumbsucking (University of Washington, 1993).
Also, children this age love to please the adults that are in their lives,
but they may quickly and easily get embarrassed.
 Emotional
• Typical Development Level According to Snowman
Five-year-old children can regulate their emotions. They can also tell
the emotions of their classmates. What happens if the child becomes
angry with their friend or another classmate? According to Snowman
& McCown (2013), “When they become angry at the behavior of a
classmate, many kindergarteners can suppress an impulse to hit or
shove the other child” (p. 51).
Additionally, children this age can become jealous of other classmates.
For example, if they think a teacher is showing more attention to one
classmate.
 Emotional
• Recommendations for Continued Development
To help with the five-year-old emotional development, parents and
educators should be grateful. Show them love by recognizing when
they demonstrate a positive behavior (University of Washington, 1993).
Because children this age are afraid of things such as the dark, parents
should not dismiss these fears as being silly or not relevant. Fear is an
important feeling to the child, and they need to know that you care
about their feelings.
 Emotional
• Recommendations for Continued Development (Continued)
Because they may show nervous habits like nail biting or nose
twitching, parents and educators should try not to look too concerned
and understand that most of the time these habits are temporary.
If your child is upset, try to help the child through the steps so that they
can solve the problem ( Center for Disease Control and Prevention,
2017).
 Cognitive/Intellectual
• Typical Behaviors
There are certain typical behaviors that some children who are five may
demonstrate. One behavior is that if they are tired or if they are
nervous, they may start to stutter when they talk.
Also, Children at this age will only try things that they have
accomplished. When they are given something to do, they will follow
the instructions. For example, instructions that involve numbers.
 Cognitive/Intellectual
• Typical Behaviors (Continued)
A typical five-year-old knows their colors and numbers. For example,
they can count to ten, and they know their telephone numbers
(Medline Plus, 2017). In addition to counting to ten, they can also print
some letters.
Even though they know colors and numbers, “a few children at this age
are able to read on their own” (University of Washington, 1993).
Something that children this age do a lot of is they ask many questions.
One of their favorite questions is why questions (Child Development
Institute, 2015).
 Cognitive/Intellectual
• Typical Behaviors (Continued)
When they are given rules, they accept them. However, that does not
mean that they always understand the rules.
They can also classify simple groups and are able to put blocks in order.
For example, they can set the blocks in the order of large to small.
Children at this age may not understand a lot of definitions, but they
use many words when they talk.
 Cognitive/Intellectual
• Typical Development Level According to Piaget
Piaget believed in four stages of development. Sensorimotor,
preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational. A five-
year-old is in the preoperational stage. The preoperational stage is
where the child does not think logically, but they can form many new
schemes (Snowman & McCown, 2013, p. 26). He believed there were
three main obstacles for the child.
 Cognitive/Intellectual
• Typical Development Level According to Piaget (Continued)
The obstacles were called perceptual centration, irreversibility, and
egocentrism. Perceptual centration is when the child only can focus on
one characteristic of an object. The irreversibility obstacle explains that
the child is not able to reverse neither physical or mental processes.
The obstacle of egocentrism is about how the child understands his or
her world.
 Cognitive/Intellectual
• Typical Development Level According to Vygotsky
In contrast to what Piaget believed, Vygotsky believed the way we think
comes from both social and cultural forces.
Vygotsky also believed that psychological tools were the most
important things that a culture passed on to their members, which
included descendants (Snowman & McCown, 2013, p. 33).
Unlike other psychologists, Vygotsky believed social interaction was the
cause of cognitive development. For example, he believed people who
are intellectually advanced strongly influenced cognitive development.
 Cognitive/ Intellectual
• Recommendations for Continued Development
There are several recommendations that parents can use when dealing
with the cognitive or intellectual development.
Because children at this age can only print a few letters, give them
opportunities not only to practice printing their names but also allow
let them print names of their pets and objects.
With language, try not to emphasize any disturbance in the language
since it probably is only temporary.
 Cognitive/Intellectual
• Recommendations for Continued Development (Continued)
However, reinforce the skills that they mastered and allow them
opportunities for new and simple activities (University of Washington,
1993).
Children at this age should be talked and read to often because this is
the age where their language is developing quickly. However, speak to
the child in ‘grown-up” words and help them to use the correct words
when they speak (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017).
 Psychosocial/Social
• Typical Behaviors
By the age of five, children display several typical psychosocial
behaviors that may not have been observed a year or two ago.
The parents, especially the child’s mother is everything to them in their
world. If they are left at childcare, school, or with a babysitter, the
child may be afraid that their mother may not come back.
Also, children at this age love compliments and may start to mimic
other adults.
 Psychosocial/Social
• Typical Behaviors (Continued)
During mealtimes, a five-year-old will want to talk and have a
conversation with their parents or teacher.
During playtime, the child will play with both boys and girls. Even
though children this age will play with both boys and girls, they do
prefer to play with someone of the same sex. Also, children, this age
will love to win and hate losing in a game. The reason is that they have
not yet learned the concept of grace.
 Psychosocial/Social
• Typical Behaviors (Continued)
Additionally, they are usually more calm and friendly towards their
classmates and can play in a group or with an individual child.
Children at this age should be ok and like school. However, if they do
not like school “they may develop nausea and vomiting” (University of
Washington, 1993).
 Psychosocial/Social
• Typical Development Level According to Erikson
Erikson believed that the development of one’s personality was based
on the epigenetic principle. One way to look at the epigenetic principle
is by looking at biological organisms. “Organisms develop sequentially,
with various parts of the organism developing before others”
(Snowman & McCown, 2013, p. 17).
Additionally, Erikson believed that one’s personality development
occurs as someone goes through turning points. He called these
turning points psychological crisis or the stages of psychosocial
development.
 Psychosocial/Social
• Typical Development Level According to Erikson (Continued)
There are five stages of psychosocial development. The five-year-old
child is in the stage called typical versus guilt stage. So what sets the
stage for initiative? “The ability to participate in many physical
activities and to use language” (Snowman &McCown, 2013, p. 18).
If a five-year-old is given the freedom to choose what they want to
play or what other activity they want to do, they will decide how they
will do it and what to do. On the other hand, if the child is always told
what they can do, they may feel guilty about what they can and should
do.
 Psychosocial/Social
• Recommendations for Continued Development
There are several recommendations a parent or educator can do for
the continued development of the child’s psychosocial behaviors.
When a parent drops off the child at school, do not leave until the child
is ready for departure and make sure they know their mom or dad will
be returning.
Also, when there is a conversation with the child, allow them time to
respond to questions, and the parent needs to be sure that they also
respond to questions the child asks.
 Psychosocial/Social
• Recommendations for Continued Development (Continued)
All children are unique. Therefore, have the child learn the importance
of individual differences. Children this age are also aware of their
sexual differences. So it is important that adults “not shame the child
for interest for sexual differences or touching self” (University of
Washington, 1993).
It is crucial that adults give many opportunities for children in this age
group to be involved in group play. Also, when the child is playing or
doing another activity, offer an explanation to them and make it simple
for them to understand.
 Moral/Character
• Typical Behaviors
Children that are five display different typical moral behaviors. Some of
them may be different from a year ago.
Children at this age want to please other people and want to do good
things. They understand right from wrong and know that it is best to
tell the truth. However, if they do something that is wrong, they could
blame someone else or not tell the truth.
Starting a new school or trying an activity for the first time may be
what courage means to a five-year-old. “Courage can also be learning
letters and numbers or trying to remember to use words when they get
frustrated” (PBS Parents, 2017).
 Moral/Character
• Typical Behaviors (Continued)
Once a child is five, they look at responsibility differently than they did
a couple years of ago. Some things they see as being responsible are
getting dressed for school or helping mom with a chore at home. For
example, feeding the dog or watering the plant.
Children this age show compassion and gratitude in many different
ways. For example, they may give a hug or make a card to tell someone
thank you. If a friend or someone they love is upset, a child this age
may try to say kind words to them so that the person that is upset can
feel better.
 Moral/Character
• Typical Development Level According to Kohlberg
Kohlberg believed that there were six stages of moral reasoning.
The first stage which was called punishment-obedience orientation was
about the physical consequences of one’s actions.
The second stage called instrumental relativist orientation believed that
the laws of obedience should have some even exchange.
The third stage was called good boy-nice girl orientation. This stage
stated that in order to impress other people, the right action must be
taken.
 Moral/Character
• Typical Development Level According to Kohlberg (Continued)
The fourth stage was called law-and-order orientation which said that
rules need to be obeyed.
The fifth stage called social contract orientation said that “rules should
involve mutual agreements; the rights of the individual should be
protected” (Snowman & McCown, 2013, p. 42). This meant that laws
should be disregarded but only under certain circumstances.
The sixth stage called universal ethical principle orientation says that in
order to make the right decision, the person needs to look at all the
factors involved.
 Moral/Character
• Recommendations for Continued Development
There are some recommendations that parents and teachers can do for
the continued development of the five-year-old child.
When the child in untruthful, do not be shocked. Instead, help the
child to accept the responsibility for his or her actions. However, make
sure to do this in both a positive and a kind manner.
Sometimes the child may not behave in a proper way and parents and
teachers should not punish them for their inability to act properly at all
times.
 References
Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017). Child development:
Preschoolers (3-5 years of age). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/ncbdd
/childdevelopment/positiveparenting/preschoolers.html.
Child Development Institute (2015). Preschooler Development & Parenting Tips
(3-6). Retrieved from https://www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/ages-stages
/preschooler-development-3-6/#.Wx6XGSAnaM8.
Medline (2017). Preschooler Development. Retrieved from https://www.medline
plus.gov/ency/article/002013.htm.
 References
PBS Parents. (2017). Child Development Tracker Ages 2-8. Retrieved from
https://www.pbs.org/parents/child-development/.
Snowman, J. & McCown, R (2013). ED PSYCH. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage
Learning.
University of Washington. (1993). Child Development: Using the child development
guide. Retrieved from: http://depts.Washington.edu/allcwe2/fosterparents/
training/chidev/cd06.htm.