 four year olds spend more time with cooperative play play best in groups of 3 – 4 begin to share toys and take turns are still bossy, inconsiderate and fight still need approval and comfort

 five year olds are more outgoing and talkative their play is more complicated prefers of their own age engage in name calling and threats when they fight have more respect for other people’s belongings are more concerned with what their friends say and do  they do not like to be different

 six year olds within their friendships, there is often times of friction, aggression, threats and stubbornness they want everything and do everything their own way are more likely to be jealous of other children’s toys friendships are closer and longer lasting (usually with the same sex) like group play and organized teams

 defined as the process of gradually learning to base one’s behaviors on personal beliefs of right and wrong  between the ages of 5 – 7, children begin to develop a conscience an inner sense of right and wrong  children begin to the know difference between truth and lies  are motivated to follow rules because of their fears of being punished

 consider the child’s age and abilities  parents/caregivers should teach by example  the process of learning how to control your behavior is a lifelong process  do not withhold love because of a misbehavior

 a stage developed by Jean Piaget  some signs of preoperational thinking use of symbols  objects and words can represent something else make believe play  learn through fantasy and dramatic play egocentric viewpoint  view world in terms of themselves limited focus  difficult to focus on one or more characteristics at a time

 formal intelligence tests to help meet the child’s educational needs  intelligence quotient (IQ test) numerical standard that tells whether a person’s intelligence is below average, average or above average an average IQ score is between 90 – 110

 depends on the attitudes of parents, caregivers and other family members  during this stage, many children will develop an interest in these areas Reading  take time to read to children  an opportunity to learn about the world Art  allows children to express their feelings, learn to control movements and show creativity  children need to enjoy the process of creating art Music  helps to develop children’s rhythm

 children need to develop a good attitude from the very beginning

will have had a complete medical and dental exam -- vision and hearing should be checked -- all immunizations are up to date child should know their full name, address and phone number help the child feel confident about their ability to follow directions

explain to the child what to expect at school -- visit the school together before school starts -- let them pick out their clothes for the first day of school have a positive attitude about your child going off to school

 up to this point children have learned language through listening  vocabulary will continue to increase  sentences will become more complex  articulation will improve due to physical development at age 3, children can say approximately 30% of their words correctly at age 6, children will speak 90% of their words correctly