Parenting Article No. 132
NOW I AM SIX!
“Now I am six I’m as clever as clever...”
A.A. Milne obviously loved the thought of being six.
He wanted to stay six “for ever and ever”. This brief
article looks at life from the point of view of an
average six year old child in today’s world.
At six years of age, I am gaining more confidence in
myself and in my ability to do things independently. I
am starting to realise that I can manage to do more
complicated things if I work at them in small steps
and if I am prepared to be patient. This opens up a
whole new world of activities! Of course, I still need
plenty of adult encouragement from my parents and
teachers. It’s the sort of time that I love having new
ideas to try out but I also enjoy repeating activities to
master them. I am showing more clearly the things
that I am interested in because I choose to
concentrate on them for longer.
It’s great if I can easily make friends but I am still
learning all the time about how to do this well. I
usually like to play with girls if I am a girl or boys if I
am a boy. Good friends will share ideas and games
with me. I need to know how to do that for them too.
They will show me how to do things I find difficult
(like skipping or catching a ball or swinging on the
monkey bars) and we get a lot of fun out of doing
something better each day. If we get angry with each
other, we learn that we can make it up and that things
will usually be ok tomorrow.
Exercise is not only fun but is a great way to improve
my self confidence and coordination. Group games
help me learn about waiting my turn and following
rules but I sometimes get very angry with anyone who
does not do it the “right way”.
My imagination is very active and I am starting to
learn a lot more about the world outside my family. I
find out that my parents do not necessarily know
everything but they can help me enjoy finding things
out. It is good to learn about how things work but I
do not need too much detail in case it gets
overwhelming.
I am beginning to read but still love to have books
read to me. “Chapter books” give me a chance to
hear more complicated stories and have to remember
the events over a few sessions.
I often love to watch TV or play games on the
computer and can sit there for hours, but it is better
for me if parents set a firm limit and make a definite
routine. I quite like to feel that I am in control so it
usually works to let me know how long I can watch,
then for me to decide which shows I prefer. If I have
brothers and sisters, we will also have to work out
how to share the time successfully. If there are things
to be done (like being totally ready for school or
doing my homework reading) it’s better to do them
before the TV can go on as I will hurry up! I find it
easier to separate from the set if a show has ended
and if I know the time limits are consistent no matter
how much I complain.
I need to have regular healthy food to keep up my
energy. If I do not seem to like certain foods, it may
help for me to see my parents eating them with
enjoyment and to be offered them from time to time
without any fuss. I often prefer fresh food such as
snow peas or carrot sticks as a snack while I am
waiting for dinner – then my Mum will not need to
give me so much cooked vegetable. I should be
encouraged to decide when I have had enough, but if
I complain that I am hungry later I know that I will
get fruit or a drink of milk.
I just love being six!!
The information in this brief article was taken from
www.raisingchildren.net.au
This excellent local website provides a mine of
information about children’s developmental stages. The
Raising Children Network includes brief feature videos on
topics such as Rough and Tumble Play, and Play and
learning. It also offers articles which can be printed out for
particular ages – this forms a “Book” which gives
information about behaviour, health, nutrition, sleep and so
on.
For a complete list of Regional Parenting Service articles go to the City of Greater Geelong website
www.geelongaustralia.com.au/community/family/services/article/8cbc84b53070368.aspx