5 years old

Age 5

smiling little girl
Your 5-year-old: Milestones and development
Learn why your 5-year-old needs plenty of sleep (and how much), healthy food, and exercise. Find out how to deal with lying and defiance and how to limit video time.
child sleeping
Your 5-year-old: Getting enough sleep
Even though your child seems like a "big kid" compared to just a year ago, he needs a bedtime routine now as much as ever.
boy and a girl sitting on the wooden floor outside, eating sandwiches and talking
Your 5-year-old: Big talkers
Your 5-year-old knows thousands of words and may even be a nonstop chatterbox.
mother holding a child in a park
Your 5-year-old: Speaking skills
Reinforce language skills by talking with your child and reading to her often.
boy playing on smartphone
Your 5-year-old: Video games
Your child is gaining the coordination and mental ability to play more complex computer games — and his interest may be growing, too.
girl swinging on gymnastic rings
Your 5-year-old: High energy
This is a great time to expose kids to activities that require more complex body coordination.
boy holding a basketball outside
Your 5-year-old: Boundless energy
Endlessly curious and energetic, kids this age are always on the go
little girl holding an insect and putting it in a jar with few other insects
Your 5-year-old: Starting a collection
Five-year-olds love sorting and categorizing, which helps explain the appeal of collecting.
little girl squeezing teddy bear plush toy
Your 5-year-old: Loveys
Is your child's beloved bunny or blankie spending more time at home?
father helping son to put a helmet while son is standing on a scooter
Your 5-year-old: Healthy weight
What's the best way to ensure your child maintains a healthy weight as he enters the school years?
boy whispering something in the curly hair girl’s ear
Your 5-year-old: Telling lies
Fortunately, lying at this age doesn't mean your child is destined for delinquency.
teacher explaining something to the girl in the classroom
Your 5-year-old: Speech patterns
Have you noticed how your child's speech changes depending on the person she's chatting with?
angry little boy
Your 5-year-old: Showing defiance
Most 5-year-olds have outgrown the tantrum stage. But that doesn't mean they're done pushing your buttons.
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Age 5 1/4

dad hugging little girl
Your 5 1/4-year-old: Milestones and development
Find out how to help your 5 ¼-year-old explore science, art, and music. Learn what to do if he's still wetting the bed and why you might want to establish an after-school routine.
child drawing a house on a chalkboard
Your 5 1/4-year-old: Your little lefty
By age 5, most kids consistently use one dominant hand.
two girls in a bed in their pajamas
Your 5 1/4-year-old: Ready for sleepovers?
She's begging to spend the night away from home. Is your child ready for sleepovers?
little girl drawing with crayons
Your 5 1/4-year-old: Pint-size Picassos
As fine motor skills develop, child drawings have more detail and are more recognizable.
children with a teacher in the classroom listening, smiling and raising hands
Your 5 1/4-year-old: Cause and effect
Five-year-olds are fascinated by why and how things work.
smiling child in the bed with his face peeping out
Your 5 1/4-year-old: Handling bed-wetting
Get tips for handling bedwetting in a 5-year-old.
group of children doing chemistry
Your 5 1/4-year-old: Mad scientists
Kitchen science is a fun alternative to television at this age.
woman lying on the floor surrounded by two girls reading a book
Your 5 1/4-year-old: Understanding phonics
By age 5, many kids recognize most uppercase and lowercase letters.
girl listening to headphones
Your 5 1/4-year-old: Music appreciation
Want to raise a music lover? There are lots of ways to bring music into his life.
little boy standing
Your 5 1/4-year-old: Discipline
Consistency is the key to disciplining a 5-year-old. Kids this age depend on familiar routines and structure.
father and his son sitting on a couch and using remote to change channels
Your 5 1/4-year-old: TV guidelines
Television is a big draw at age 5. It's a way to unwind after a busy day.
girl getting dressed
Your 5 1/4-year-old: Getting dressed
Your child should be getting better at the finer points of dressing himself.
child making a funny face, with his fingers on his cheeks
Your 5 1/4-year-old: Developing humor
Just as your child's body and intellect are maturing, so is her sense of humor.
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Age 5 1/2

little girl hula hooping
Your 5 1/2-year-old: Milestones and development
Learn why your 5 ½-year-old tattles or brags, find out how much physical activity is ideal for her, and get tips for helping her improve her reading, writing, and understanding of quantities.
child standing on a playground and smiling
Your 5 1/2-year-old: Setting boundaries
At 5, kids are mature enough to appreciate the importance of being safe and to follow simple safety rules and procedures.
boy playing in the park
Your 5 1/2-year-old: Let's play
Big kids need at least a half hour to an hour of physical activity a day -- ideally a full hour.
boy standing in front of wooden wall
Your 5 1/2-year-old: Delayed or okay?
Many experts are wary of diagnosing learning disabilities in children 5 and under.
boy emptying his piggy bank on the desk
Your 5 1/2-year-old: The value of money
Teaching your child the value of money.
boy lying on the floor with animal and dinosaur toys around him
Your 5 1/2-year-old: Obsessions and passions
Is that your little child discussing the inner workings of a car engine?
child writing on paper using a pen
Your 5 1/2-year-old: Mastering writing
Your child's pictures and letters are probably starting to become more recognizable now.
girl in between two men, hugging both
Your 5 1/2-year-old: Understanding differences
Five-year-olds understand relationships between people. They notice if someone's family is different from theirs.
group of children outside collecting plants
Your 5 1/2-year-old: Appreciating nature
Enjoying nature with your 5-year-old.
girl whispering something in her mother’s ear
Your 5 1/2-year-old: Tattletales
Tattling is a common impulse among 5-year-olds. Why?
little girl learning counting
Your 5 1/2-year-old: Counting
Find out how to encourage your 5-year-olds growing math skills.
woman and child lying on a carpet and reading together from a book
Your 5 1/2-year-old: When reading starts
Reading is a skill that kids pick up at a surprisingly wide range of ages.
boy in a winter jacket holding fish
Your 5 1/2-year-old: Bragging
Your child is the center of his world right now — and he's feeling pretty good about all the skills he's mastering.
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Age 5 3/4

dad dancing with daughter in living room
Your 5 3/4-year-old: Milestones and development
Find out if your child is ready for a two wheeler and why you shouldn't shut down his arguments. Learn how to help him overcome obstacles and deal with upsetting world news.
father teaching his daughter how to ride a bicycle
Your 5 3/4-year-old: Trike to two-wheeler
Is your child ready to trade the trike for a two-wheeler?
mother looking at a kid that trying to explain something from a book
Your 5 3/4-year-old: Overcoming obstacles
How to raise independent kids and strike a balance between praising and protecting them.
woman teaching a child to write
Your 5 3/4-year-old: Phone numbers
Learn how to teach your phone number and address to your child.
mother teaching her son how to tie his shoelaces
Your 5 3/4-year-old: Tying shoes
Most children now can learn how to tie shoes, though some won't master the task until later.
little girl looking angry
Your 5 3/4-year-old: Learning to argue
Why does the simplest interaction with a 5-year-old have the potential to turn into a negotiation?
firefighter with dog standing on smoking ruins which used to be a house
Your 5 3/4-year-old: Understanding disasters
Young kids are often better attuned to the outside world than we give them credit for.
boy blowing out birthday candles with mother and father
Your 5 3/4-year-old: Party time
Get tips for planning your child's next birthday party.
child with wooden sword and shield in the forest
Your 5 3/4-year-old: Learning through play
Pause to watch your child play and you may notice a new level of complexity.
little boy with his mouth open, missing a tooth which he holds in his hand
Your 5 3/4-year-old: Tooth fairy time
Baby teeth usually fall out in the order they came in, so the two center bottom teeth are often the first to go.
little girl cutting paper with scissors
Your 5 3/4-year-old: Starting school
Even children who parted easily at preschool can turn into wailing "cling-ons" in the first days of kindergarten.
child playing with a clock
Your 5 3/4-year-old: Mastering time
How to help your 5-year-old understand clock and calendar time.
mother comforting a sad child in the park
Your 5 3/4-year-old: Self-esteem
See whether you're on track for supporting a healthy self-esteem.

Latest in 5 years old

dad dancing with daughter in living room
Your 5 3/4-year-old: Milestones and development
By Karen Miles
little girl hula hooping
Your 5 1/2-year-old: Milestones and development
By Karen Miles
dad hugging little girl
Your 5 1/4-year-old: Milestones and development
By Karen Miles
smiling little girl
Your 5-year-old: Milestones and development
By Karen Miles
boy playing on smartphone
Your 5-year-old: Video games
girl swinging on gymnastic rings
Your 5-year-old: High energy
boy whispering something in the curly hair girl’s ear
Your 5-year-old: Telling lies
child sleeping
Your 5-year-old: Getting enough sleep

Community

  • December 2025 Birth Club
    When are you telling your kiddos?
    By Lynn1821
    I have a 5 and 4 year old.
    04-18-25 by Sodarnhappy
    Number of comments2
    no reactions
    0
  • Teaching Your Baby and Toddler To Sleep
    Help with terrible bed times for 3 & 5 year old
    By MichelleD14
    Okay. What time should bedtime be for a 3.5 year old and 5 year old ? No naps. Room share because they have to. We have no other bedroom as it’s preoccupied by our 4 month old. 5 year old in twin bed. 3.5 year old in toddler bed (she was consistently climbing out of crib no matter all the tric
    10-15-23 by MichelleD14
    Number of comments7
    no reactions
    0
  • Bargain Hunters
    Backpack leash
    By 1Momof2xx
    What are you thoughts and opinions on these? Which ones do you recommend? I have a 19 month old that likes to run and a 4 almost 5 year old that likes to escape. Would it be appropriate for the 5 year to have it on?
    05-20-25 by TalkToTheShoe
    Number of comments40
    no reactions
    0
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