Biological

• 

Brain attains 90% of its adult weight by age 5, developing faster than any other body part

• 

Myelination proceeds at different rates in various areas of the brain, resulting in different rates of readiness for certain types of activities

• 

Physical strength increases and body proportions become more adult-like

• 

Athletic skills, such as running, jumping, and hopping, dramatically improve

• 

Fine motors skills, such as writing and drawing, develop slowly

• 

Gender differences in motor skills begin to emerge

Cognitive

• 

Use of mental representations and symbols, such as words, begins

• 

Ideas about the world continue to be somewhat illogical

• 

Social interactions with parents and playmates teach about the world

• 

Language abilities develop rapidly, resulting, on average, in a 14,000-word vocabulary and extensive grammatical knowledge by age 6

• 

Ability to adjust communication to audience begins

• 

Metacognition, the ability to think about thought, forms

Psychosocial

• 

Play alone or with others becomes increasingly complex and imaginative

• 

Increased energy fosters ability to initiate new activities, especially if child receives praise for actions

• 

First awareness of gender roles emerge

• 

Desire for independence and control over environment increases, making parents' supervisory role more challenging

• 

Parenting style influences child's psychosocial development

• 

Socialization in school encourages thinking about world outside the home