Development at 67 Months
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Activity 1
Age Appropriate Cognitive Development
Identifies Absurd Details In Pictures
 I understand that there is a certain order to objects and experiences around me. So when something does not appear to be in order, I will find the picture "funny" or "incongruous". E.g. when I see a boy trying to wear a pair of shorts on his head, I will immediately find the picture absurd because shorts are worn on the legs and not on the head. I will look and point out to what is absurd in the pictures between 60 and 72 months (5 years and 6 years). |
Steps
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Draw some pictures with absurd details, e.g. a girl eating a flower, a boy riding a bicycle backwards. Premium members : You may log in and use the pictures under “Tools”.
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Demonstration: Picture of boy riding a bicycle backwards. Mummy is to say, "Look at the boy riding backwards on his bicycle. What is wrong with it?" Pause, if the child does not provide an answer, provide the answer by saying "Oh dear, how silly! He is riding backwards!".
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Show your child the next 3 pictures which are absurd. Ask him, "What is wrong/funny about the picture?"
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Note whether your child picks up the absurd detail by clicking on the yes/no button at the bottom of each page.
Feedback
Your child is able to sharply pick out the absurd details in pictures in this activity. He is really progressing very nicely in his visual discrimination skill and his skill of understanding what is expected in objects and social situations. Take a look at the suggested activities to further encourage his attention to details and his understanding of social situations.
Note : If you consistently find that your child has difficulty identifying what is absurd and generally has poor social skills, we will suggest that you do consult a child psychologist for advice.
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Play silly dress-up with your child. Find anything that can somehow be worn on the body. For instance, toilet paper, ribbons, pots and pans, cushions, feathers, blankets, etc. Dress up in the silliest manner with the child. Have a good laugh about it and then discuss why such dressing is silly. Explain that going out dressed like that would be a problem as it is impractical to be carrying a pot around on his head all the time. Besides, a pot is used for cooking, not for wearing.
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Use art and craft activities to talk about absurdities, e.g. draw a whole face without its facial parts. Discuss what is missing. Also discuss how we can place those parts onto the face. Innocently ask an absurd question or just place a facial part in the wrong place (e.g. where the eyes are) and let him laugh at you and point out your silliness.
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If your child has some difficulties, you can start with obvious absurd details before moving to less obvious details, e.g. upside down tree in a garden scene is more obviously absurd than a hand with toes instead of fingers. Buy commercially available color cards or draw yourself ""what is absurd"" and look through and discuss them with your child.
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Start with your child in identifying missing parts in pictures first. Missing parts are easier to identify than absurd parts because the latter requires an understanding of the appropriateness of social situations as well as an understanding of a concrete part of a whole that is missing. Only when he can attend to concrete missing details should you start teaching him about absurdities.
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Activity 2
Age Appropriate Social Development
Offers Help Voluntarily And Stays To Help Until Simple Task Is Finished
 If I have experiences helping out in household chores, I will by this age be able to offer my help voluntarily to siblings, adults or even peers. This help may be physical (e.g. help carry something), study related (e.g. help color a picture) or even play related (e.g. putting pieces of puzzle together). I will start offering help voluntarily and will stay until I finish between 66 and 78 months (5 year 6 months and 6 year 6 months). |
Steps
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Use any natural situations and appear like you need help. - E.g. When weeding the garden, wiping the shelves, making a 50 piece puzzle, making a card, assembling a furniture etc
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Note whether your child offers his help voluntarily most of the time.
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Observe also whether he displays a pleasant attitude in helping by staying on until you tell him that you are OK.
Feedback
Volunteering to help usually progresses from the practice of adults asking the child to help out around the house. Your child may not have much practice in helping others in the house because most things are done for him. Thus, he may have little opportunities to offer help since help may not be needed in the first place. When your child volunteers to help, he is displaying 'altruistic' behavior. Altruism refers to the desire to help others without expecting any self-benefits. Helpful behaviors are usually best "caught" by watching people your child respects, displaying these behaviors. "Nagging" him to do so will remove any incentive to really help.
Look at the suggestions for some ideas to promote your child's volunteering spirit in helping others.
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 Pair your child with a peer whom he likes. He will have lots of opportunities helping his peer while they are playing.
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Expose your child to children who have physical handicaps or who are poor because of family circumstance. Prepare him in advance by explaining to him why these children are in such situations and how much they need others to help. Let him watch a program on such children. Discuss different ways we can help out these children. Try to act upon his suggestions whenever possible together with him.
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Let your child help out around the house as a routine. You may offer your child choices of what he wants to help out with.
Here is an example of a list.
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Leisure: Water the plants/put away toys into basket
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Mealtimes: Bring cutleries to table/wipe table with cloth/pour drinks into cups/bring dishes to table
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Cleaning: Sweep floor with a child's broom/wipe shelves/push the vacuum
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Laundry: Keep dirty clothes into basket/sort clothes
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Food preparation: Peel onion skins/wash vegetables/rub salt into meat.
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Usually, a child will observe the caregiver when she cleans up. Invite the child to help you do a small part of the task. Use endearing and special labels (i.e. “Jimmy is Mummy’s special helper")
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Read storybooks (like “The Shoemaker and the Elves”) that illustrate the importance of helping out around the house.
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