Guide to understanding a six-year old child

As I said, my Princess turns six this 3rd of July, and so, I endeavoured to research on what best to do to guide and understand a six-year old child. I thought that the best way to do that is share them with you through this blog page in the hope that mothers of six-year olds, who may happen to drop by, may also benefit.

Some of these may not really be the case in your six-year old child. We acknowledge that there are slight differences from one child to another, but generally speaking, these are the most common in almost all six-year old children.

And so here we go..

Routines

At mealtimes, the six-year old has a very good appetite, though she tends to ask for more than she actually eats. Lunch is the favorite meal and she often wants a large bedtime snack.

Very few six-year olds will nap, but they will go to bed early. Six still needs at least ten hours of sleep each night. They enjoy the quiet time before sleep to hear a bedtime story and talk about their day.

Bathing is a bother to most six-year olds, especially boys. They have to be reminded to bathe thoroughly, to brush their teeth, and to wash hands. Six is not neat with his clothes and usually leaves clothes and shoes scattered everywhere. It might be a good idea to invest in some baskets that he can use to begin to learn the habit of keeping clothes off the floor.

Character

Six-year olds have to be right. The early self is fragile when it begins to recognize the perspective of others. Six doesn't accept criticism or blame with composure. Instead, she argues or even lies to avoid blame. He also hates losing and will blatantly cheat, or change the rules, to win in a competition. This is especially true in the case of boys.

This difficult period can be a learning opportunity when parents approach these behaviors with gentle firmness. Don't push competition on your six-year old. Instead, provide opportunities for non-competitive games and activities this year. Be matter-of-fact about lying and cheating. Don't let them slide; add a consequence for lying and explain that cheating spoils the game.
Six-year olds need encouragement and praise. They need to know that it's okay to make mistakes and how to be a gracious loser.

Too much pressure for perfect grades and model behavior increases six's tension and is not appropriate at this stage of development. Focus on being attentive and accepting to help him feel good about being who he is at age six.

Discipline

Six-year olds go through a period of non-compliance and opposition to parents' instructions. They may act like they don't hear you or dawdle before complying. If you don't follow through, they will take advantage of your inattention and ignore your request. This period passes rather quickly and is an expression of the developing self. Don't panic. Use effective strategies for giving instructions, i.e. call them to come to you, make direct eye contact, give the instruction and pay attention to ensure that she complies.

You may notice signs of tension in your six-year old. Twirling hair, foot tapping, scratching or picking sores may be common, along with irritability and crying easily. Help your six-year old cope with tension through talk time to identify feelings and talk about fears.

Physical activity helps tension in a positive way; cupcakes don't.

Finally, don't offer your six-year old choices that he/she can't handle. She's more comfortable with clear rules and prescribed routines. Keep choices very simple; for example, let her choose between the red shirt, blue shirt or white shirt. Don't make her responsible for choosing her entire outfit but you may give her choices on minor ones like pair of socks, panties and other underwears. The child enjoys picking her choices but she has no idea yet on how she would look like in her entire outfit.

OK? So long guys; till next issue, fans.. hehehe!