Children this age

Are active and have lots of energy;
May be aggressive in their play;
Can show extremes from being loud and adventurous to acting shy and dependent;
Enjoy more group activities because they have longer attention spans;
Like making faces and being silly;
May form cliques with friends and can be bossy;
May change friendships quickly;
May brag and engage in name-calling during play;
May experiment with swear words and bathroom words;
Can be very imaginative and like to exaggerate;
Have better control in running, jumping, and hopping but tend to be clumsy;
Are great talkers and questioners; and
Love to use words in rhymes, nonsense, and jokes.
What they need
Children this age need opportunities to

Experiment and discover within limits;
Use blunt-tipped scissors, crayons, and put together simple jigsaw puzzles;
Practice outdoor play activities;
Develop their growing interest in academic things, such as science and mathematics, and activities that involve exploring and investigating;
Group items that are similar (for example, by size);
Stretch their imaginations and curiosity; and
See how reading and writing are useful (for example, by listening to stories and poems, dictating stories to adults, and by talking with other children and adults).
Excerpted from the U.S. Department of Education
Office of Educational Research and Improvement
"Helping Your Child Get Ready for School"