Your 5-year-old: Development, behavior and parenting tips

Our 5-year-olds are enjoying a magical time in their young lives, and with all of that magic comes all sorts of changes and some unique challenges for parents.

It may be sobering to see your 5-year-old has grown from a toddler into a little person. At this age, children show us a glimpse of the adult they will one day become. While there are a number of factors that contribute to a child's development, there are some universal milestones that come with a child's fifth year.

5-year-old developmental milestones

Social skills for 5-year-olds

• knows right from wrong
• doesn't use adult logic
• plays make-believe
• likes to play with friends rather than alone
• plays with both boys and girls but prefers the same sex
• seeks praise from adults and peers
• wants to conform and may tease those who don't

Motor skills for 5-year-olds

• walks on a balance beam
• runs in an adult manner
• can jump rope and possibly skate
• bounces and catches a small- to medium-sized ball
• stands on one foot for 10 seconds without swaying
• jumps over string 10 inches off the ground using two-footed takeoff and landing
• completes three sit-ups
• kicks ball so it travels 10 feet in the air
• can lace his shoes but not tie them
• grasps a pencil in an adult manner
• cuts and pastes basic shapes, colors within lines

Language skills for 5-year-olds

• speaks fluently and uses correct pronouns and plurals
• uses the right tense most of the time
• understands opposites
• seeks out new words and knowledge

Parenting survival tips

Every parent can use some tips when it comes to raising a 5-year-old. Dr. Robyn McKay, a therapist at Arizona State University and expert in child and adolescent development, offers the following nuggets of wisdom:

• Encourage your child's curiosity (tiresome and frustrating sometimes). Ask him, "What do you think?" You'll be amazed at his creative responses!
• Keep challenging your own mind. One of the best predictors of a child's future success is his or her parents' own educational level. When you keep learning, you grow, and your child most certainly benefits. For example, learn a second language along with your child, take a creative writing class, or finish your master's degree.
• Focus on what's right with your child. Does she belt out songs from the Phantom of the Opera soundtrack? Is he already a math whiz? Celebrate your child's strengths and encourage him or her to continue focusing on what's right. The world is full of critics. Be your child's biggest fan.

Up next: More about your 5-year-old's development >>