Use an approved car seat in the back seat of your car. If your child weighs more than forty pounds, use a booster seat with a high back. All children should stay in car seat devices until they weigh 80 pounds or have reached a height of four feet nine inches (4'9"). Seatbelts alone are unsafe and illegal for five and six-year olds.
Teach your child how to swim; always supervise children near water.
Use sunscreen whenever your child is outside.
Provide a helmet and safety gear for biking, skating, and boarding sports.
Keep your home and car smoke-free.
Make sure your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors are working, and have a plan for emergencies.
Avoid having a gun in the home. If you must have a gun, store it unloaded and locked with the ammunition locked-up somewhere separately from the gun.
Teach children about street safety. Children are not ready to cross the street alone until at least age 10.
Teach children about safe behavior with other adults:
No one should ask children to keep a secret for their parents.
No one should ask to see private parts.
No one should ask for help with his/her private parts.
Teach children their address and phone number.
Children should eat a healthy breakfast every day.
Buy fat-free milk and low-fat dairy foods; encourage 3 to 4 servings each day.
Offer 5 servings of vegetables and fruits at meals and for snacks every day.
Avoid candy, soft drinks, and high-fat foods.
Growth continues in all spheres of development: motor skills, language, social skills, and personality.
At five to six years old, children are active talkers. This is normal. It is not unusual for exaggerations and fiction to be told along with facts.
Encourage independence in dressing, bathing, and getting ready for the day. Help your child develop routines.
Children at this age should have chores, such as making the bed, cleaning up after themselves, and helping with dishes.
Limit TV, videos, and computer games. We encourage no screen time on school nights, and limit weekend screen time to two hours per day.
Children should not have a TV or computer in their bedrooms.
Encourage at least an hour of (safe and supervised) active outdoor play every day.
Read to your child daily. At age five to six some children are starting to pick out letters and words. Encourage reading age-appropriate books.
Allow for "down time." Don't over-schedule your child.
At five to six years old, children begin to negotiate friendships. Give guidance, but mostly let them work things. This will allow them to become independent and confident.
Help children brush their teeth twice a day.
Use a pea-sized amount of toothpaste with fluoride.
