Development
3-5 Yrs: Learning & Remembering
Your child gains a good memory for numbers, sequences and stories.
He
combines these new skills with a vivid imagination, resulting in many
'tall tales' and silly jokes.
To
encourage this emerging creativity, read to him regularly, let him paint
and draw, and play simple memory and counting games with him.
Language
development
At the age of 5, your child uses complete sentences and says over 2,000
words. He may understand as many as 13,000. He becomes a great talker
and can carry on lengthy conversations. He may ask the meaning of words
he doesn't understand. His speech becomes well articulated with very few
mispronounced words. Some children may still lisp and may need a little
help from a speech therapist.
A
sense of time
He remembers sequences and can memorise some numbers. He begins to gain
a better understanding of the passage of time and the sequence of events.
He knows what you mean by yesterday and tomorrow, but still has difficulty
thinking far beyond that point.
As
he approaches 5, he may be able to remember his full name, address and
telephone number. This is important information for him to have, so it
is worth taking time to help him learn it.
Stories
and silly jokes
By combining his emerging creativity with his new memory for sequence,
your child is now able to create and tell stories, some of which he may
try to pass off as reality. At this age, the distinction between fantasy
and reality is often blurred.
He
also develops his own (somewhat peculiar) sense of humour and tells frequent
jokes. Many of these are simply 'silly' but can reduce your child to tears
of laughter.
Your child can now identify all primary colours
He loves colours and may develop a favourite
shade, insisting on wearing it all the time. Encourage him to experiment
on paper with crayons and paints, and show him how to cut out different
shapes from coloured paper. Arts and crafts are a favourite activity right
now so let him try moulding clay or dough. He'll love the result... even
if you're not too sure what it's supposed to be!
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