Parents can breathe a little sigh of relief as their child grows into the five to six year old age group.
All those behaviors and rules you have been teaching your child since birth are engrained into their minds and the five year old child is finally able to make real behavior decisions.
Obviously, your role as parenting does not stop, but it does evolve somewhat.
Your five year old has a much larger vocabulary and will be able to express their feeling with words rather than actions.
An occasional tantrum is not unheard of for this age group, but it is certainly not as often.
Now that the child can listen, speak and have learned the ropes, what is the next step in parenting? The same parenting techniques that are used with toddlers can be applied but with more ease.
The child already knows your rules and expectations and will usually just need a few reminders now and again.
Children at this age should be allowed to participate in household chores.
A five year old can remember several verbal instructions without the constant repetition they needed when they were younger.
They are also capable of remembering more of the household rules.
With age, the child will learn to feel remorse when they have done something they were not supposed to.
They also learn to anticipate another person's feelings and recognize those feelings.
They are learning empathy and will be able to use their expanded vocabulary to comfort others.
Five year old children are still learning, and they will attempt to bend rules and test your limits but remaining calm and consistent will keep them on the right path.