Ages 5 to 8: Development
The Jacksonville Children's Commission provides parenting resources for parents of elementary-aged children. Our efforts to grow great kids don't stop when school ends – we offer programs throughout the summer as well! Children can participate in our summer lunch program at more than 200 sites across the city. Each day, we deliver more than 12,000 lunches to children at no cost.
Is your child planning to attend summer camp next year? We offer Summer Camperships to eligible Jacksonville kids in the form of a $150 scholarship to attend the summer camp of their choice. This year, more than 8,000 children attended summer camps through our summer campership program.
The Children's Commission also sponsors special needs programs. Our inclusion specialists are here to support you and focus on your child's unique needs.
Stages of Development
5 Years
- Walks backwards, heel to toe
- Prints a few letters
- Recognizes own name, printed
- Cuts food with knife
- Plays with others
- Understands same and different
- Counts 10 objects
- Knows address
- Asks questions for information
- Uses future, present, and past tense
- Has a vocabulary of 2000 words
- Uses compound and complex sentences
- Rhyming
- Knows spatial relations
- Carries out three-step commands
- Can produce all sounds except th, v, z
6 Years
- Easily distracted by environment
- Runs, jumps, climbs, hops, skips
- Can use scissors
- Enjoys fine motor activities
- Can dress and undress
- Likes group games
- Likes table games
- Enjoys stories
- Knows right from left and morning from afternoon
- Can describe objects in a picture
- Draws a man, including neck, hands, and clothes
- Prints capital letters
7 Years
- Can brush/comb hair
- Likes ot help and have a choice
- Enjoys teasing
- Is very talkative
- Likes to play alone
- Can name day, month, and season
- Beginning to use elementary logic
- Can count by multiples of 2, 5, and 10
- Grasps basic idea of addition and subtraction
- Notices missing parts of a picture
- Can copy a diamond shape
8 Years
- Enjoys selecting own clothes
- Plays mostly wiht groups of own sex
- Likes to compete and play games
- Enjoys books
- Likes making things
- Increasing memory span
- Has increased vocabulary; can give more precise definitions