Knowing that primary school is around the corner may make a five-year-old feel anxious or excited. In fact, a five-year-old’s entire world is impacted by the fact that they now have one foot in primary school. If they are feeling anxious, you may need to be extra patient with your budding student.
Children of this age typically enjoy playing with others as they like to pretend, possibly dress up, and be part of a team. This is valuable in many ways because this type of play encourages leadership skills, problem solving skills and the ability to share ideas, plan ahead and collaborate.
Although five-year-olds enjoy being with friends, they don’t yet identify with them like older children do and their family is still the centre of their world.
Tip: Teach your child to love challenges
Positive praise is good for children. However, constantly telling them they are clever or talented can have its down side. Research shows that children try hard to retain these labels and may be disappointed when they feel they are not doing as well they could. This is known as a “fixed mindset” in psychology.
You can help by developing a “growth mindset” in your child. This mindset focuses on learning. The “growth mindset” tells children that with enough motivation, effort and concentration, they can become good at just about anything.
Foster the “growth mindset” by saying things such as “You did it! I see your practice is paying off!” or “Look at that! I can tell you put a lot of work into it.”