Age one through five are regarded as preschool children while age six through twelve are regarded as school-age children.

It is an established fact that the first five years of a child’s life are the most important ones. It is the time when his personality and intelligence level are determined. The child’s brain is a lot more active and alert than an adult is. This period is full of mystery as there is rapid development, so many changes occur either looking like the father or the mother. These years are trying for the mother.

Preschoolers are demanding and can consume your energy. Negativism, anxieties over monsters that hide under beds or in closets, temper tantrums, toilet training and discovery of the genitals are among the issues brought to the forefront during ages 1 through 5. Preschool and school-age children are the periods when children learn and imitate best – they tend to be inquisitive and want to try or do anything possible. They are dependent, constantly exploring by touching, holding, climbing and mouthing. The school years mark the beginning of your child’s formal education. It is always marked by the loss of a tooth and growing of new ones.

Some of the characters of this age group and their precautions are as follows:
Emotional/social development – understanding one's self and others. The friendly, talkative and curious preschooler explores ways of relating to people; his/her self-confidence expands and likes to please others. He/she is learning to read the reactions of others, and can be empathic and show sympathy and concern if a person is hurt or sad. He/she enjoys playing with other children, but his/her own needs may prevail and lead to problems in sharing and taking part in complex group play. Although can still be cranky and stubborn at times but is more responsive to reasoning. Toys and material items: Children like to play with toys, dolls and electronic devices. They manipulate and try to open what ever they can lay their hands on.  

Negativism
Between the ages of 18 months and 3 years, children go through a period when NO is their favourite word. It matters not what you say to the child. Most of the time it will be met by an emphatic No. Do you want to stay in the bathtub? No. Do you want to get out of the bathtub? No. It may seem as if your child is purposely trying to provoke you; he or she is not. This is a simply one step down the long road towards independence. Getting through this sometimes difficult phase of development requires lots of patience and a good sense of humour. Do not take your child’s negativism too seriously. Do not punish your child for saying NO.

Sibling problems: Few things are exasperating to parents as constant bickering among their children. Problems between siblings can range from rivalry between the child to other siblings to physical aggression, jealousy, fighting and quarrelling. Although these fights can make even easygoing parents wish they were rearing an only child, you should know that fighting and rivalry between siblings are normal. Although at times, your children may seem to reside in enemy camps, on other days they may be the best of friends.

Sexuality: Some children of these ages masturbate. Boys typically pull at their penises and girls rub their vaginas. Teach your child to stop the habit especially in public. Occasionally masturbation is normal and nothing to worry about. Try not to get upset and it doesn’t mean that the child will grow up to be promiscuous or sexually deviant. It is not physically harmful, nor does it cause emotional problems unless a parent overreacts and sends the message the sex is dirty and frightening.

Inquisitive: Children are inquisitive and want to know and explore everything. Don’t be surprised if they touch their mother’s breast or father’s penis. They will also do everything possible to see your nakedness. These behaviours are normal. Avoid showing shock or anger. Instead, stress that some body parts and activities are private (should never be looked at or touched).

Child Abuse: In most cases of child abuse, the abuser is related to the child and is involved in caring for the child. Signs of child abuse are: provocative or promiscuous sexual behaviour, withdrawal from friends, family, school activity and unusual aggressive behaviour. If child abuse is to be dealt with, everyone must help by reporting instances of suspected child abuse. Parents who fear they have abused or may abuse their children are encouraged to contact physicians.

Falls
Falls are common during the preschool years. To protect your child from dangerous falls, follow these measures: – Take precaution if you live upstairs. Children love to climb – Ensure that staircases are strong – Ensure that side rails are high enough and caution your child whenever he/she attempts climbing – Always supervise outdoor activities – Never let your child use a walker near the staircase – Serious accidents occur at playgrounds. Before you let your child use play equipment, make sure it is adequately maintained, with no rust, sharp edges or protrusion, or loose nuts and bolts.

Diet
Never let your child go to bed with a bottle. Sleeping with a bottle containing milk, juice or anything other than water can cause severe decay, particularly in the front teeth. As for sugar, it is virtually impossible to keep children away from it altogether. Avoid sugary foods that stick to the teeth or stay in the mouth. These include sweets and chocolates.

Toilet training
This can be a difficult time in the life of parents and children. Or when handled properly, it can be simply one in a series of many milestones. Generally, most physicians will advise never to train a child before 18months and many believe this is too early except in rare cases.

Speech: Between 13 and 18 months, your child is using sentence-like intonations, continues repeating sounds made by others and uses all the vowels and consonants. However, his or her language is basically unintelligible except for a few words such as “Mama” and “Papa”. During this time your child makes genuine efforts to name objects. Your child comprehends a few simple words, phrases and commands, shakes his or her head appropriately in response to simple yes-or-no questions. Words become clear by two years of age and jargon disappears.

Food and medicine precautions: Poisoning is a common cause of accidents at home and occurs mostly during the second year of life. (1) Keep all medicines in a high or locked cabinet (2) Do not store anything in the wrong container. For example, if you store paint thinner in a juice bottle, your child may take a drink thinking it is juice. (3) Keep cleaning solutions and paints out of the reach of children. If you must keep them in a low cupboard, install fixtures that make it impossible for your child to open the cupboard (4) Remove all toxic chemicals from your environment that may be accessible to your inquisitive child.

General care
(1) Immunization: By age 6, your child should have completed the recommended schedule of childhood immunization. Thus your child should be immunized against diphtheria, tetanus, pertusis, measles, mumps, rubella and polio.

(2) Prevention of spread of disease and hygiene: If you have a young child, you may notice that you have more colds and viral illness. Given the frequency with which young children contract these ailments and their high degree of contagiousness, this is not a surprise. Children are great at spreading colds because of their habit of touching and mouthing everything they come across (faeces, animals, etc). Hard washing is the single most important way to prevent the spread of infectious diseases including colds. Insist that children wash their hands after using the bathroom and before eating or preparing food, whether at home or at school. Your child should use soap and warm water to wash both hands thoroughly including the palms and between the fingers. Most children have no worries, no stress and do not know or care about how much they look, so it is to the best interest of the parents to take adequate care of their children. Taking good care of your child hygiene routine teaches him/her to imitate it. Ensure that your child gets enough sleep. At age 6, most children require almost 11 hrs of sleep to feel their best. This amount declines gradually to just over 9 hrs by the time they reach 12.

(3) Infectious disease: At school, your child will come in contact with large numbers of other children. As in a day-care centre, if one child in a school is carrying a contagious disease, it can spread to other children. To help curb this spread, keep your child home from school whenever he or she has a communicable disease (colds, flu, measles and chickenpox).

Teach and note that:
- Between the age of 6 and 12, children’s ways of thinking and remembering become much more sophisticated. They become better at classifying bits of knowledge and their memories improve.
- You can motivate your child by stimulating his or her desire to learn. Simply by showing interest in your child’s performance in school or other activity. Reading to your child will inspire him or her to read and take education serious.
- You cam help your child develop a sense of duty, responsibility and realistic accomplishments. Encourage your child to develop a helpful role in the family.
- Setting an example of moral and healthy behaviour is important. In addition it is a good idea to limit and monitor your child’s television watching and to keep to a minimum his or her exposure to violent and inappropriate sexual behaviour.
- Children who believe securely in their own worth tend to be more industrious, creative and successful at school. They are also better at resisting pressure to conform to their peers, which is especially important when peers demand that they join in self-destructive behaviour.
- Set clearly defined limits for your child’s behaviour and enforce those limits consistently.
- Educate your child on sex education.
- Try to show equality to all children. Even if you have a preference, keep it to yourself; don’t show it. Show each that you love them all.

Conclusion
School-age children can take increasing personal responsibility for their own health and can learn the foundations of a healthful lifestyle. This is the time to teach them about hygiene, nutrition, dental care, substance abuse and accident prevention. Help and seek your child’s company. Discuss his or her interest; participate in activities and homework together. The lines of communication you keep open during these critical formative years may prove invaluable in the future.

Accidents are a major cause of death and disability among school-age children. Give enough guidance to your child. Prepare your child for the onset of menses (menarche) and both sexes should be informed about normal sexual developments especially those at 11 or 12. Provide guidance for your child in development and socialization issues, such as discipline, school progress and relationship with peers. Encourage your child’s sense of personal responsibility for chores at home, for school work and for his or her own behaviour. Help develop your child to a better being tomorrow.

Reviewed and Approved by the GMDC. Comments, Opinion or Support, write to unigamsapress@yahoo.com