Five to seven years Heather Welford The sensation of painting a vibrant line of colour across a clean white page is something most children enjoy. But where do you go from there? Cover up with overalls, put down plenty of newspaper and get down to it.

How your child is developing

In the first years of primary school, your child becomes an ever more confident communicator, artist, scientist, mathematician, reader and writer. If they experience problems in any of these areas, they'll be offered help and possibly professional guidance and support

They have the understanding to recognise when they can use strategies - including cheating - to manipulate the outcomes and results of games. You may see the first strong signs of any competitive nature.

What you can do

Give your child plenty of opportunities to develop independence and take responsibilities. Organising their belongings and tidying up can be made into a game if you time it right. It can even support early maths, which starts with ordering items and sorting them into categories.

Many children of this age prefer friends of their own gender - part of a growing realisation that humans are male or female, and they're one or the other

Don't insist on formal learning too heavily. Some schools may give 'homework' as early as five or six (prescriptive reading tasks, for instance) and if your child resists or seems too tired to comply, remember there are other ways to learn through play, conversation and observation.

When your child wants to find something out, or asks a question you can't answer, help him or her use the internet as a research tool – responding to learning opportunities as they come up is more effective than setting aside special time for homework.

Fun and games

Let your child be director of their own imaginative games. If you're involved, give them the chance to tell you what to do or who you are.

Have a box or cupboard for creative materials so they can easily access equipment for drawing, painting and other activities.

You might want to suggest your child tries the following:

• Collages - using scraps of fabric and other items, stuck down with PVA glue
• Rubbings - place a coin (or bark, embossed wallpaper and so on) under paper and rub over the top with a crayon or soft pencil
• Potato prints - cut a shape into half a potato, then cover it with paint and press on to paper
• Leaf prints - cover a leaf in paint and press on to paper
• Folded paper prints - put blobs, streaks and smatterings of paint on one side of the paper and fold in half
• Greeting cards - these are fun to make and can save you money

Your child could also make a road layout, which can be reused again and again. You may have to help with this. Paint postcard-size pieces of card (from cereal boxes perhaps) black, including curves for bends, and add white and yellow markings with gloss paint.

Toys to buy

Children this age are famed for wanting toys because "everyone's got one" and crazes for the must-have toy of the year will mean some of your shopping may be guided by what your child wants.

In addition, think about toys that stand the test of time:

• Bicycle (and safety helmet) - don't keep the stabilisers on too long, as they interfere with your child's development of balance
• Good quality dressing-up clothes - keep a box of old fabric, hats and bags , but older children can get a lot of wear out of the 'real thing'
• Board games that demand some concentration, understanding and skill, not just luck
• Musical instrument - such as a recorder, harmonica or ukulele
• Disposable single-use camera - encourage your child to make a souvenir album of a day out

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