Age: 6 Years

Important information about your 6 year old

Family

Talk with your child every day about school and encourage them to share their worries. Let them know they can talk to you or an adult if they are being bullied. At this age, your child should have simple chores. Teach your child to help others and discuss rules and consequences with your child.

Development

Teach anger management. This will help your child deal with emotions and prevent aggressive behavior. Some examples are going for a walk, talking, or drawing to calm down. Give your child plenty of affection and read with them every day. Praise your child for good behavior and for doing things on their own. Allow up to 1 hour of screen time a day (phone, tablet, TV). Do not let your child eat in front of the TV or tablet. No TV in the bedroom.

Health

Good hygiene is important. Your child should be washing their hands often after playing outside, using computers/phones, or playing with pets. Children should brush their teeth at least twice a day and floss once a day. Help your child brush their teeth after them. Schedule dentist visits every 6 months. Take your child to the park or have them play outside every day. Make sure your child sleeps 9 to 12 hours every night.

Nutrition

Your child should eat 3 meals and 2-3 healthy snacks a day. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day! Give snacks like fruit, vegetables, turkey/cheese roll-up, and vanilla or plain yogurt (avoid snacks like yakult or danonino). Give your child milk and water instead of juice or sugary sports drinks. Eat together as a family. Children learn by example so remember to eat healthy in front of your child.

Safety

Teach your child to be cautious around cars and never to cross the street alone. Enroll your child in swimming lessons. Have your child wear sunscreen when outside. They should always wear a helmet when riding a bike. Teach your child to be safe around adults. Tell your child that no adult should ask them to keep secrets and no one should see/touch their private parts. Remove firearms from home or lock firearm and ammunition in separate locations. Test smoke detectors monthly, and make sure to replace batteries every year.

Poison Control: 1-800-222-1222

After Hours and Weekends
After 4:00 PM and before 8:00 AM
For medical advice when People’s is closed call After Hours Nurse line at 512-478-4939

Download PDF here.

Family Safety Checklist

Hey kids! How many of these does your family do?

    • Our family buckles up on every car ride
    • We always wear helmets when bicycling
    • We never cross the street alone
    • Adults always watch us carefully in or near water
    • We always wear life preservers or life jackets in boats, canoes, kayaks, and tubes
    • The hot water in our house is not too hot to touch (not hotter than 120° Fahrenheit)
    • Our home has working smoke detectors. We check the batteries every month.
    • Our family has window guards or rails to keep us from falling out of windows, down the stairs, or off of play equipment
    • We can’t reach cleaners, medicine, or vitamins
    • Our home has emergency phone numbers near the telephones and first aid supplies
Download Checklist

Healthy Eating for Preschoolers

Get your child on the path to healthy eating.

Offer a variety of healthy foods.MyPlate graphic from choosemyplate.gov
Choose foods from each MyPlate food group. Pay attention to dairy foods, whole grains, and vegetables to build healthy habits that will last a lifetime.

Be mindful of sweet drinks and other foods.
Offer water instead of sugary drinks like regular soda and fruit drinks. Other foods like hot dogs, burgers, pizza, cookies, cakes, and candy are only occasional treats.

Focus on the meal and each other.
Your child learns by watching you. Let your child choose how much to eat of foods you provide. Children copy your likes, dislikes, and your interest in trying new foods.

Be patient with your child.
Children enjoy food when eating it is their own choice. Some new foods take time. Give a taste at first and wait a bit. Let children serve themselves by taking small amounts. Offer new foods many times.

Cook together.

Eat together.

Talk together.

Make meal time family time.

Download Checklist

Family Safety Checklist for Parents

The #1 Health Risk for kids ages 14 and under is injuries. Follow these simple steps in this checklist to keep your family safe.

Tips for:

Traffic Injuries

Water Injuries and Drowning

Injuries at Home

Poisoning and Emergencies

Download Checklist

Healthy Basics: Be Active

Have fun moving your body!

Being active can be fun! Find something you like to do with your friends and family and… HAVE FUN!

Remember: you need to be active for one hour each day. It doesn’t have to be all at once.

Examples:

Dance | Walk | Skate

Join a team | Hike | Play

Kick a Ball | Run | Swim

How can I be active?

Being active is moving around or exercising!! It is moving your arms and legs enough to make your heart beat hard and fast. It gives you energy and keeps you healthy!

Why be active?

  • Being active makes your heart strong and healthy!
  • Being active keeps you from gaining too much weight.
  • Being active makes your bones and muscles strong!
  • Being active cheers you up and helps you feel good about yourself.

Get moving!

  • Get up!
  • Turn off the TV
  • Put down the video games

Healthy Basics: Eating Healthy

Be Smart: How to Eat Healthy

  • Eat slowly. Chew each bite well.
  • Turn off the TV when you eat.
  • Sit down to eat.
  • When you can, eat with your family.
  • Eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day.
  • Choose healthy snacks:
    • Raw vegetables
    • Piece of fruit
    • Yogurt
    • Low-fat cheese

How much food is good for me?

A plate of too little food

Too little food

A plate with a healthy amount of food

Just right

A plate overloaded with too much food

Too much food

Eat Right to be a Healthy Kid of Any Size

Eat all kinds of food each day

  • Over half your body is made of water!
  • Choose water instead of soda or juice.
  • Drink low-fat or skim milk.
  • Chips and sweets are treats – try not to eat them more than once a day.
  • Eat lots of fruits and vegetables every day.
  • Make your plate a rainbow!

Why is it cool and smart to eat healthy foods?

  • To make your body strong
  • To help you grow
  • To let your brain grow
  • To give you energy to play
  • To help your body heal

Children of all body sizes can be healthy

Size is not the same as health. Talk to your health care provider about what size is right for you.

Do you know why children are different sizes?

Your size depends on many things:

  • What you eat and drink.
  • The kind of work or play you do.
  • The size of your mother and father.

Making fun of someone’s size is never OK. Healthy children come in all sizes!

Healthy Basics: Healthy Teeth Bright Smiles

How do I keep my teeth and mouth clean and safe?

  • Brush teeth twice a day every day
  • Use toothpaste, floss and rinse with water
  • Get help from a grown-up
  • Eat and drink healthy meals and snacks
  • Avoid sticky and sweet snacks
  • Visit a dentist!

Dental Health means keeping means keeping your mouth and teeth clean, safe and free from germs

Why is it important?

  • Helps you chew your food, talk clearly and smile brightly.
  • Prevents holes in your teeth and bleeding from your gums.
  • Prevents pain in your mouth.

Brushing your teeth keeps you healthy.

What do I need?

Toothbrush laying on blue background

Toothbrush

Toothpaste laying on blue background

Toothpaste

Floss laying on blue background

Floss

How to Brush your Teeth

Child applying toothpaste onto toothbrush

STEP ONE

Put toothpaste on brush.

Child brushing teeth with toothbrush

STEP TWO

Gently brush teeth on all sides, gums, and tongue. Rinse.

Child mouth with floss between teeth

STEP THREE

Floss between teeth to remove food bits.

Child rinsing mouth with water

STEP FOUR

Rinse well two or three times.

Smiling child after brushing teeth

STEP FIVE

Smile!

Gun Safety

Gun Safety is Important!

Did you know that one-third of all families in American that have children also have guns?

Teach your children that they should not touch guns.

If they see a gun, they should leave it alone and tell an adult.

Talk to your child about the difference between real and fake or toy guns.

  • Real people can get hurt or killed if real guns are used.
  • The guns on TV and in video games are fake and people are pretending or not real.
  • Some toy guns look very real. Even adults can’t always tell the difference.
  • The best rule is not to touch any guns.

Parent talking to child about gun safetyIf your children play at another home, talk to the parents about gun safety.

Treat every gun as if it were loaded.

Always store guns unloaded.

Lock guns in a rack or safe, and hide the keys or combination.

Store bullets away from guns and keep them locked.

Don’t keep guns in your home if someone in your family may be violent, or has a mental illness or severe depression.

How to keep your child in one piece

WALK SAFE.

  • Always look both ways when you cross the street. Hold hands in streets and parking lots!
  • Always wear white clothes when you walk at night.
  • Never play by the curb, at a bus stop, or by railroad tracks.

RIDE SAFE.

  • Car crashes are the biggest danger for children 5 to 15 years old.
  • Always wear seatbelts!
  • Always put young children in safety seats.
  • Never ride in the back of a pick-up!

PLAY SAFE.

  • Always wear a helmet when you ride a bike.
  • Always wear a lifejacket on a boat or by water.
  • Never leave a child alone in a tub or pool.

There are some dangers in your child’s world, and you can help them be safe.

Protect your children from lead poison

LEAD IS POISON TO:

  • Red Blood Cells
  • Kidneys
  • Reproductive Organs
  • Bones
  • The Brain
  • Even Children Who Are Not Born Yet!
  • Children, Especially Under the Age of 6

LEAD IS FOUND IN:

  • Some Peeling Paint
  • Batteries
  • Lead Pipes
  • Bullets and Lead Weights
  • Folk Remedies
  • Food Grown in Contaminated Soil
  • Lead-Glazed Pottery or Pewter Dishes

YOU CAN PROTECT YOUR CHILD!

  • Have your child’s blood tested for lead.

Peeling Paint

  • Cover areas that have peeling paint with paneling, wallpaper, or sheet-rock
  • Do not remove peeling lead-based paint yourself. Lead dust can be deadly if you breathe it in.

Food

  • Feed your child three healthy meals and two nutritious snacks each day. Your child’s stomach absorbs more lead when it is empty.
  • Give your child foods high in iron (like beans, fortified cereals, and raisins) and calcium (like milk, yogurt, and cheese). Calcium and iron help keep lead out of your child’s blood.
  • Wash fruits and vegetables before eating. Wash hands before meals.

Other

  • Do not use water from the hot tap for drinking, cooking, or preparing infant formula.
  • Do not cook or store food in cans, pottery, ceramics, or leaded crystal. Some cans have seams made with lead. Some pottery (including Mexican beanpots), ceramics, and crystal also contain lead.
  • Do not let your children play near abandoned autos or with automobile batteries or radiators.
  • Plant grass and shrubs over bare dirt in the yard.
  • Damp-mop floors often and clean surfaces with a strong household cleaner.

Who can I call if I have questions about lead?

  • Your local health department
  • Your doctor
  • Texas Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program at 1-800-588-1248