Tips for your 5 year old child

HELP ME BE HEALTHY.

At this checkup, my doctor will:

• Test my vision and hearing.
• Ask how I play with other kids.
• Ask what I like to do.
• Ask what I eat.

Ask my doctor questions:

• What does my doctor think about my weight?
• Some doctors will want to screen me for cholesterol and anemia. What does my think?

TAKE CARE OF MY TEETH.

• It might be time for my six month dentist visit. Call and set up a visit for me.
• I might be fussy because I have new teeth trying to come in. My dentist can check and say what’s going on in my mouth.

HELP ME BE SAFE.

• Help me learn the difference between friends, helpful peo­ple, and strangers. When we go to a place where there are many people, show me who the helpful people are, like police, clerks at the store, lifeguards at the pool, or park workers at the amusement park. Just in case I can’t find you, I will know a safe person to ask for help to find you.
• Be careful about having matches and lighters around the house. I like to try to do what I see you do with the matches and lighters. People my age have been known to start fires playing with these. Don’t smoke around me.

PLAY WITH ME, IT HELPS ME LEARN.

• Let me have a friend over so we can play games together.
• Read with me. Help me learn to read my name and the words on street signs and labels on containers.
• Play guessing games with me. Pretend to do something and let me guess what you are doing.
• Make different expressions with your face and let me tell you what feelings I see on your face.
• Let me have a job to do around the house like setting the table, putting clothes away, or helping you do something else.
• Teach me our family’s name, my phone number, and my address. If you and I can’t find each other at the park or store, I can ask someone to find you.
• Teach me what the healthy foods are.
• Show me how to answer the phone and make a phone call, especially in case of an emergency.
• Help me pick the TV programs I watch. Remember, I copy the language I hear and the behaviors I see.

WATCH HOW I GROW.

Watch for me to:

• Hop on one foot.
• Dress myself, zip zippers, button buttons, and comb my hair.
• Play board games and card games with others. We take turns and follow the rules.
• Copy two solid lines that cross, so it looks like a plus sign ( + ).
• Name at least four colors.
• Name at least two shapes like a circle or square.
• Be able to follow directions that tell me to put something in, on, under, or behind something else. For example, “Put your book on the bookshelf.”
• Draw pictures. When I draw a person, it has at least three parts.
• Speak so you can understand most of what I say.
• Hear when you talk to me and hear you call me from another room.

Some skills are easy for me. Other skills are harder.

Talk with my teacher about what’s easy and hard for me to do. If you have questions or think I need some help because of some things I can’t do, please ask my doctor, nurse, teacher, or someone in the special education office in my school dis­trict.

In these first 5 years, we both have learned a lot. There is much more for us to learn.

I will need you to take some time to:

• Listen to what is happening in my life each day.
• Look at the papers I bring home from school.
• Help me understand how important it is to pay attention in class.
• Help me do my school work.
• Talk to my teacher.
• Support me and encourage me to do the best I can do.
• Tell me that you are proud of me when I have done the best I can do.

I will probably do better in school if:

• I know you care about the work I do at school.
• I know you think school is important.
• You help me with my school work.