Any-Mom » Stuff I Should Know About My Five-Year-Old

Stuff I Should Know About My Five-Year-Old

03.26.2009 | Author: OrganizerMom | Posted in My Kid is a Jeenyuss

I’ve signed up for several weekly e-newsletters that tell me what my child should be doing as a five-year-old. Mostly they tell me stuff I have already figured out on my own. Here are a few things I’ve learned about five-year-olds, followed by my comments.

Reading
Kids can start to read any time between the ages of 4 and 7. My son, being a brilliant child, started reading a few months before he turned five. We were shocked when he started reading as we hadn’t really been teaching him, just reading to him a lot and talking about words. I guess that’s all it takes. (Self-congratulatory pat here.)

Dressing
Five-year-olds should be able to dress themselves. My son has been dressing himself seemingly for years. We’ve got this covered.

Music Appreciation
Kids like music. Duh!

Independence
Kids are not old enough to walk or bike alone until they are 10 years of age. Finally, a rule of thumb I find useful. I have been struggling with this with my son. “Can I stay in the car?” he asks me as I get ready to pop into the dry cleaners. So far, I’ve been saying no, which I feel is the right choice for us. But when it comes to playing outside, he usually asks a parent to “watch” him. I’m thankful he doesn’t feel the need to sneak away to prove his independence (like I did when I was his age).

Sense of Humor
Five-year-olds have simplistic senses of humor. Really? All I have to do is say the words “poop” or “fart” and my son falls on the ground laughing. I don’t need an expert to tell me this.

Money
Five-year-olds are starting to understand money and what it’s used for. My son is right on track with this. He gets an allowance of $2 per week. One dollar is placed in the “Save” envelope and one dollar is placed in the “Spend” envelope. When enough money accumulates in the “Save” envelope, he can buy the toy of his choice. He likes handing over his own money to the cashier at the store but he still doesn’t have any concept of actual costs. He also thinks the Wawa just gives out money to anyone.

Subject Obsessions
Five-year-olds tend to become obsessed with a particular subject. No kidding. I’ve watched my son go through trains to dinosaurs to sharks to superheroes.

I’m sure there is much more I need to know about my child that is not listed here. So I’ll be adding to this list as time goes on. In the meantime, if you have anything to add to this list, please comment and let me know!