Achievements

• Play well in groups.

• Have one or more friends.

• Play games by the rules.

• Spends an increasing amount of time with children the same age.

• Is able to express feelings (anger, sadness, gladness, etc.) in words.

• Is developing feelings and habits that make children feel competent.

• Is developing increasing competence with physical skills and abilities.

Diet

• I should have three regular meals and two nutritious snacks per day.

• Encourage me to eat a balanced breakfast at home or at school and a nutritious lunch by packing a lunch or through the school lunch program.

• Serve a variety of healthy foods including fruits and vegetables.

• Sit down to family meals when you can. This is a good time to build family closeness, talk about the day, and catch up on feelings and activities. Try to keep meals positive.

• Limit foods that are high in fat or simple sugars including junk foods such as candy, chips, soft drinks, and juice.

Dental Health

• Brush teeth twice daily using a pea-sized amount of toothpaste with fluoride on a soft toothbrush. Parents should be regularly supervising brushing and flossing.

• Dental visits are needed every six months.

• Discuss dental sealants with my dentist when my permanent molars erupt.

• Regular or frequent thumb or finger sucking should be discussed with my doctor.

Health habits

• Make sure I get plenty of sleep. Generally I should get nine to eleven hours of sleep.

• Encourage me to get regular physical activity in a safe environment such as PE in school, after school sports clubs, active play, or walking with other family members.

• Limit TV to an average of one hour per day. Watch quality shows. Talk with me about what you see and how it makes you think and feel.

• Begin to let me take an active role in managing my own health.

Safety

• Establish and enforce exact, firm, consistent rules for safe behavior.

• Continue to ensure that I wear a seat belt if I have outgrown my booster seat.

• Teach me how to swim. Even children who know how to swim should be supervised by an adult while in or near the water. Be sure apartment pools are fenced on all four sides and have a self-closing, self-latching gate.

• Test smoke alarms and change batteries twice a year.

• Go over safety rules at home with me. Lock up poisons, matches, alcohol and electrical tools. Conduct fire drills at home.

• Supervise play in the neighborhood. Know where your child is at all times.

• It is best if guns are kept out of homes with children. If this is not possible, all guns should be stored unloaded and locked, with ammunition kept separately.

• Keep your house and car "smoke free."

• Teach safety skills for getting to and from school, getting on and off the bus, crossing streets, and finding neighborhood safe houses.

• Teach me my first and last name, address, and phone number.

• Ensure that I am supervised in a safe environment before and after school.

• Have me wear a bicycle helmet when riding a tricycle or bike. Teach me neighborhood, playground, and street safety skills.

• Reinforce playground safety.

• Make sure protection a regular family event. I need protection from the sun and from sunburns.

Sexuality Education

• Be open to answer my questions about sex and sexuality. Give answers that are honest but appropriate to my age and level of understanding.

• Have age appropriate sexual education books in our home that will answer some questions and encourage me to ask more.

• Find out what is taught about sexuality in my school.

Behavior, Discipline, and promoting social competence

• Be positive. Praise me for cooperation and accomplishments. Spend some time with me doing something we both enjoy.

• Provide opportunities for me to interact with other children in team or other group activities. Help me to learn how to get along with others my own age.

• Set limits and establish limits for unacceptable behavior. Positive reinforcement and modeling with safe natural consequences will encourage self-discipline and impulse control.

• Assign to me age appropriate chores around the house.

• Show me ways to develop and maintain friendships

• Teach me to respect appropriate authority and encourage my ability to communicate with parents, teachers and other adults. Teach me to manage anger and resolve problems without yelling or violence. Be a good role model

• Choose caregivers and daycare carefully. Discuss with them your attitudes about behavior and discipline.

Positive family relationships

• Encourage me to talk with you about school, friends, and the day’s experiences.

• Read with me at least 20 minutes a day. Discuss feelings and reactions of the characters. Keep reading even after I can read for myself. Let me see you read as well. Show affection in the family.

• Become involved in my school. Attend parent teacher conferences. Join PTO, volunteer as room parent; ask other families to join us for play dates.

• Participate in games and physical activities with me.

• Know my friends and their families.

• Share meals as a family whenever possible.

• Spend time talking to each other.

• Remember to enjoy and treasure the fun things I say and do. It’s easy to get caught up in the daily hassles.

• Be a positive role model for me.

Tasks I will achieve

• Begin to accept responsibility for my own good health habits.

• Become competent member of the family, community, and other groups.

• Develop the ability to read, write, and communicate increasingly complex thoughts.

• Task responsibility for completing homework.

• Resist peer pressure to engage in risk taking behaviors.

• Resolve conflicts and manage anger constructively.

• Achieve a sense of personal competence.