How do six year olds act

Your child can cut out irregular shapes and write smaller letters inside the lines in school books. Your child might enjoy collecting items like footy cards, shells or small figurines. Children will also be more aware of what others are doing. As part of this independence, they might enjoy doing more chores around the house — at least sometimes! But spending time with you is still important to them.

But looking after yourself physically, mentally and emotionally will help your child grow and thrive. Sometimes you might feel frustrated, upset or overwhelmed.

Put your child in a safe place, or ask someone else to look after your child for a while. Try going to another room to breathe deeply or call a family member or friend to talk things through. Never shake, hit or verbally abuse a child. You might also like to try our ideas for dealing with anger, anxiety and stress. See your GP if you have any concerns or notice that your child has any of the following issues at years. You should see a child health professional if at any age your child experiences a noticeable and consistent loss of skills they once had.

Children grow and develop at different speeds. Skip to content Skip to navigation. Your child might also start to play more with children of the same gender. Let your child see you trying new things and making mistakes. This helps your child understand that learning and improving are all about making mistakes, but the key thing is to never give up. Give your child opportunities to explore and learn , inside and outside. Inside they can experiment with things like cups, thermometers, magnifying glasses and jars for storing things.

As they increasingly experience school, play dates, birthday parties, and other activities without a parent, they may want and need more attention and comfort at home.

Seemingly overnight, your child has morphed from a chubby toddler to a lanky grade-schooler whose limbs seem to be growing every day. During this stage of child development, referred to as middle childhood, kids can grow an average of 2 to 2. At 6 years old, children will exhibit a wide range of new physical skills.

Some may show natural athleticism while others will work on accomplishing simple skills such as throwing or catching a ball. There will also be a natural variation in growth rates, with some children starting to shoot up while others growing at a slower rate. Most 6-year-olds will have lots of energy and will need time outdoors to burn it off. Physical activity will be important since most children this age spend so much of their time in classrooms. In fact, research also supports that exercise is beneficial for cognitive function.

Fine motor coordination will also continue to develop at this age. Many 6-year-olds will become more adept at drawing and writing letters, and their pictures and stories will look much more recognizable and legible. They will become more skilled at using tools like scissors and will be better able to perform tasks like tying shoelaces or buttoning buttons with less clumsiness and more accuracy.

Key Milestones. Play physical games with your child. Throw balls, jump rope, or climb over obstacles. At age 6, your child will become more aware of emotions —both their own and those of others. Children this age may also increasingly express a desire to choose their own clothes, wash themselves, and comb their own hair.

Parents can encourage this independent self-care and offer some guidance. Friendships and other social relationships with peers and adults become more complex and take on more meaning at this age, as they become more aware of the world around them and their role in it.

Parenting Tip. Establish predictable routines, such as nighttime rituals , after-school activities , and regular play dates. These regular activities and relationships will provide the security they need as they encounter unfamiliar challenges and experiences. Your 6-year-old will also become more adept at navigating relationships with friends and family and will feel security and comfort from their relationships with those who are close to them.

They frequently enjoy sharing snacks, toys, and other things with friends at school and at home. Children, this age may feel an increasing awareness of right and wrong, and may " tell on " peers who they think are not doing the right thing. Flare-ups, even among close friends, may be common, but will typically fade just as quickly as they started, especially with loving guidance from teachers and parents.

Most 6-year-olds are continuing to develop longer attention spans and will be able to handle more complicated projects and tasks at school and at home. Many 6-year-olds will begin or continue to develop independent reading and may begin to enjoy writing stories, especially about themselves.

They may be able to write a short paragraph about what they did over summer vacation or a weekend, for instance. The number of sight words they know will grow and they will be able to break down words into sounds. By this time, children can dress themselves, catch a ball more easily using only their hands, and tie their shoes. Having independence from family becomes more important now.

Events such as starting school bring children this age into regular contact with the larger world. Friendships become more and more important. Physical, social, and mental skills develop quickly at this time. This is a critical time for children to develop confidence in all areas of life, such as through friends, schoolwork, and sports. More physical ability and more independence can put children at risk for injuries from falls and other accidents. Motor vehicle crashes are the most common cause of death from unintentional injury among children this age.

Act Early. My Plate — Infants external icon The U. Department of Agriculture provides information on health and nutrition for 2 through 5 years of age. My Plate — Toddlers external icon The U. Department of Agriculture provides information on health and nutrition for toddlers. Healthy Kids Healthy Future external icon You will find information on physical activity for young children and on ways to keep them moving. World Health Organization information on infant nutrition external icon This site has information to promote proper feeding for infants and young children.