Children between the ages of 4 and 6 are just beginning their school experience

During the transition from toddlers to childhood, there's lots of growth to look forward to, and lots of key milestones along the way. Make sure you have your camera ready, because they grow up fast.

By age 6, your child will most likely be able to:

• Brush teeth by himself (supervision is still recommended)
• Ride a tricycle
• Button coat, zip pants, tie shoes and display other signs of increased motor skills
• Show awareness of gender identity
• Help to dress and undress himself
• Recall part of a story and sing a song
• Play with and want to please friends
• Agree to rules
• Show more independence and may even visit a next-door neighbor by himself
• Increase vocabulary from 900 to about 2,500-3,000 words
• Distinguish fantasy from reality
• Count 10 or more objects
• Correctly name at least four colors
• Better understand the concept of time
• Know about things used every day in the home (money, food, appliances)
• Speak sentences of more than five words (using future tense)
• Remember and say name and address
• Hop, somersault, swing, climb, stand on one foot for 10 seconds or longer, possibly skip
• Print some letters (encourage proper holding of pencil and downward strokes)
• Use fork, spoon, and (sometimes) a table knife
• May be losing baby teeth
• Care for own toilet needs