What to Expect By Age Six

Here is a list of standards that your preschooler should be able to meet by his or her sixth year:

1. Be comfortable with a fairly routine schedule.
2. Behave better with a consistent and routined environment.
3. Like opportunities to show independence.
4. Show independent in eating, dressing and sleeping.
5. Display a creative and vivid imagination.
6. Show pride and concern about his or her possessions.
7. Show displeasure or even argue with peers frequently.
8. Show his or her liking for immediate results when completing projects.
9. Have difficulty understanding and remembering rules.
10. May change his or her mind often.
11. Will be very curious.
12. Display extreme activity for short periods, separated by longer periods of quiet time.
13. Show maturity in both large and small muscle control.
14. Will begin to procrastinate in completing tasks, particularly when they are
adult-directed tasks.
15. Talk on the telephone with friends and relatives.
16. Know that words like “excuse me,” “please” and “thank you” should all be used daily as a form of courtesy to others.
17. Realize that he or she must wait their turn in group activities and while playing with others.
18. Handle responsibilities that fit his or her age such as picking up toys, caring for pets or helping to put away clothes or set the table.
19. Read daily to increase fluency, at least ten to fifteen minutes a day.
20. Ask permission to use the possessions of others, and learn to respect others needs.

Besides the standards above, your preschooler will experience a period of growth, as well as glean knowledge that is integral to his or her development. Here are several books to refer to for standards and benchmarks for your preschooler's progress, as well as enrichment activities to do together: