5 year-old (Life is Good)

Social  Positive outlook

Rules are important

Likes to please

Likes to be good

Dependable

Likes to help

Organized

Needs approval

Likes group activities Verbal „h One word answers

Complete but short sentences

Often keeps school happenings to themselves

Doesn't share day

"I don't know" or "Nothing" can be favorite answer Cognitive „h Learns best through play and acting out situations

Bound by the here and now

Things have to connect to have meaning

Aware of other's work

Likes to copy

Not a logical thinker yet

Literal

Accepts reversals of letters and numbers Physical „h Active, but can sit still

Gross motor skills are improving and/or fine tuning

Many fine motor skills are still gross motor

When tracking, whole head moves, eyes don't sweep yet

Prints large using mostly upper case letters

Paper is straight when printingv

Prints letters and numbers in parts

5 1/2 year-old (Transition)

Social

Indecisive

Test limits and authority figures

Tentative

Tends to complain

Insecure with feelings

Temper tantrums

Ready and eager

Good at school and not at home or vice versa Verbal „h Elaborates on answers and differentiates

More words than ideas

Tends to answer what they heard last Cognitive „h Learns best from direct experiences

Trial and error learning

Likes to try things and learns from that experience

Shows and takes initiative

Aware of reversals, will ask which way it should go Physical „h Restless

Tires quickly yet needs lots of physical activity

Sits or tips sideways on their chair

Gross motor skills are improving and/or fine tuning

Eyes show free movement

Prints both upper and lower case letters

When runs out of space on the paper, prints up the paper or right to left

Lots of overflow

6 year-old (Growth Spurt)

Social

Wants to be first

Quantity, not quality

Indecisive

Transitions are difficult

Likes routine

Dramatic

Spntaneous

Enjoys life

Enthusiastic

Eager

Bossy

Teaser

Critical

May be dishonest

Poor sport

Friends are important

Thrives on praise

Worrier Verbal „h Elaborate answers

Likes to explain things

Enjoys show and Tell

Talks to self

Loves to ask questions

Loves jokes, riddles, rhymes, and guessing games

Elaborate dramatic play Cognitive „h Learns best through discovery (hand-on approach)

Aware of more than they can do

Needs help controlling impulsivity

Begins to approach the world logically

Loves to color, draw and paint

Enjoys process more than product Physical „h Tries more than they may be able to do

Industrious

Starting to organize left to right

Not ready for strictly academics

Active, tires easily

Reacts with whole body

Needs to release tension at the end of the day

Clumsy

Wiggles

Tips backwards on chair

Stands to do work

Lots of pressure on pencil (may break lead)

Eyes can sweep, return to position

More aware of hand as a tool

May start to shift paper when printing

Differentiates size of letters

Baseline is wavy and downhill

Some reversals still may occur

Teething

7 year-old (Sensitive)

Social „h Neat and orderly (home and school)

Not in a hurry!

labors over work, needs time to finish

Precise

Conscientious thinker

Takes in a lot

Lots of inner struggles/tensions

Moody!

Structire and guidelines help ease tensions

Sensitive to teasing, sarcasm, and being laughed at

May experience feelings of inferiority

Internalizes conflict

Keeps feelings in

Blames others or quits when conflicts occur

Likes to work alone

Needs verbal guidance or reminders (likes that teacher contact)

Can begin to reason

Interested in logical ends, conclusions

Good listener

Doesn't like mistakes (Eraser)

Not a big risk taker Verbal „h Enjoys conversations on a one to one

Vocabulary increasing rapidly

Speaking is very exact or precise

Likes to know the meaning of new words Cognitive „h Likes to take things apart and see how they work

Manipulatives still improtant

Mind is challenged by word codes, puzzles, brain teasers, riddles, and rhymes

Enjoys note giving and getting

 Board games become more of a favorite form of play replacing some of the active play of 6 year-olds

Begins to approach the world logically

Enjoys listening to stories Physical „h Quiet time physically

Holds pencil way down at the tip

Eyes sweep to the side and up

Better able to do some board work

Tense posture when printing, head may be down on desk

Non-dominate hand holds the paper in place

Printing is uniform, smaller in size and with a more even baseline

Not too many reversals

Mouth noises when working