3 YEARS

Personality
Is usually cooperative, happy, and agreeable.
Feels less frustration because motor skills have improved.
Is learning to share and take turns.
Follows directions and takes pride in doing things for others.
Learns more socially acceptable ways of displaying feelings.
May substitute language for primitive emotional feelings.
May show fear of dark, animals, stories, and the bogeyman.
May feel jealous.

Family
May still seek comfort from parents when tired or hungry.
May act in a certain way just to please parents.
Seeks praise and affection from parents.

Friends
Seeks status among peers.
May tend to comfort and remove cause of distress of playmates or siblings.
Makes friends easily.
Seeks friends on own initiative.
Begins to be choosy about companions, preferring one over another.
Uses language to make friends and to alienate others.
Prefers cooperative play to parallel play.

4 YEARS

Personality
May not be as pleasant and cooperative as at age three.
May be more moody.
Strives for independence; resents being treated like a baby.
May be stubborn or quarrelsome.
Resents directions; thinks he or she knows it all and can do it all.
Learns to ask for things instead of snatching things from others.
Is increasingly aware of attitudes and asks for approval.

Family
Needs and seeks parental approval often.
Has strong sense of family and home.
May quote parents and boast about parents to friends.

Friends
Becomes more interested in friends than in adults.
Shares possessions and toys, especially with special friends.
Suggests taking turns but may be unable to wait for his or her own turn.
Likes to play with friends and cooperative play activities

5 YEARS

Personality
Shows increased willingness to cooperate.
Is more patient, generous, and conscientious.
Expresses anger verbally rather than physically.
Is more reasonable when in a quarrel.
Develops a sense of fairness.
Becomes more realistic and practical.

Family
Likes supervision, accepts instructions, and asks permission.
Has strong desire to please parents and other adults.
Still depends on parents for emotional support and approval.
Is proud of mother and father.
Delights in helping parents.
May act protective of younger siblings.
Shapes ideas of sex roles by watching parents' behavior.

Friends
Is increasingly social and talkative.
Is eager to make friends and may develop strong friendships.
May pick a best friend.
Prefers cooperative play in small groups.
Prefers friends of same age and most often of same sex.
Stays with play groups as long as interest holds.
Learns to respect the property of friends.