Print This PageAdvocare Advice for Age Five to Six Years
Immunizations:
- DTaP (Diptheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis)
- Polio
- PPD (Tuberculosis screening)
- Flu shot (in season)
Safety:
- Use an approved car seat in the back seat of your car. If your child weighs more than forty pounds, use a booster seat with a high back. All children should stay in car seat devices until they weigh 80 pounds or have reached a height of four feet nine inches (4'9"). Seatbelts alone are unsafe and illegal for five and six-year olds.
- Teach your child how to swim; always supervise children near water.
- Use sunscreen whenever your child is outside.
- Provide a helmet and safety gear for biking, skating, and boarding sports.
- Keep your home and car smoke-free.
- Make sure your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors are working, and have a plan for emergencies.
- Avoid having a gun in the home. If you must have a gun, store it unloaded and locked with the ammunition locked-up somewhere separately from the gun.
- Teach children about street safety. Children are not ready to cross the street alone until at least age 10.
- Teach children about safe behavior with other adults:
- No one should ask children to keep a secret from their parents.
- No one should ask to see private parts.
- No one should ask for help with his/her private parts.
- Teach children their address and phone number.
Nutrition:
- Children should eat a healthy breakfast every day.
- Buy fat-free milk and low-fat dairy foods; encourage 3 to 4 servings each day.
- Offer 5 servings of vegetables and fruits at meals and for snacks every day.
- Avoid candy, soft drinks, and high-fat foods.
Development:
- Growth continues in all spheres of development: motor skills, language, social skills, and personality.
- At five to six years old, children are active talkers. This is normal. It is not unusual for exaggerations and fiction to be told along with facts.
- Encourage independence in dressing, bathing, and getting ready for the day. Help your child develop routines.
- Children at this age should have chores, such as making the bed, cleaning up after themselves, and helping with dishes.
- Limit TV, videos, and computer games. We encourage no screen time on school nights, and limit weekend screen time to two hours per day.
- Children should not have a TV or computer in their bedrooms.
- Encourage at least an hour of (safe and supervised) active outdoor play every day.
- Read to your child daily. At age five to six some children are starting to pick out letters and words. Encourage reading age-appropriate books.
- Allow for "down time." Don't over-schedule your child.
- At five to six years old, children begin to negotiate friendships. Give guidance, but mostly let them work things. This will allow them to become independent and confident.
Healthy Teeth:
- Help children brush their teeth twice a day.
- Use a pea-sized amount of toothpaste with fluoride.
- Teach children how to floss once a day.
- Visit the dentist at least every six months.
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