Our 5-7 year olds are really are a fun bunch. Gradually learning more from others around them, becoming more confident of themselves. They’re growing in strength and coordination, developing their personalities and learning about roles in society and how they fit in. This age group actively play together and are our big inventors!

Classes at The Fern Club (TFC) are designed for parent and child together. As a developmental stage, these 5-7 year olds will start to be aware of their peers. Collaborations between friends can conjure amazing results but can also be challenging. Careful negotiations are often needed and so are mediators! This age group now has a great grasp on language and can verbalise what they want (and how/when/why!) You’ll hear this when your little ones begin to work through the STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and maths) activities; excitement, wonder and potentially frustration may creep in.  

Societal roles become more obvious to our 5-7 year olds. They begin to show respect to elders, teachers and others around them. That’s not to say boundaries aren’t to be pushed though. Independence and behaviour will start to be more apparent when they show determination to try things by themselves. Again, this phase is to be nurtured and understood in order to navigate the minefield of emotions. We often see children wanting to try tasks by themselves at TFC; as parents it’s your task to find that balance between jumping in and doing it for them and sitting back whilst they potentially get frustrated. The teachers can help find that balance to create a great learning partnership between you.

This age group have mastered most of their basic motor and fine motor skills. Walking, running, jumping, climbing, grabbing and holding are now skills firmly in their arsenal. Children are continually growing and changing and with that, so does their centre of balance. If you’ve noticed your 5-7 year old starting to fall over more, bump into things or knock over their drink at breakfast, the likelihood is that they’ve gone (or going through) a big growth spurt. Re-establishing the proprioceptive awareness of “where their edges” are is a key skill which requires patience and understanding. Every class with TFC your child will have the opportunity to test their motor skills in a safe place. Balance, agility, coordination, motor planning and beyond! Often on their own, sometimes as a group they’ll be able to try equipment they may not have before. We’ll rotate the equipment so they not only get to try new kit but also to repeat skills until they’ve mastered them.

A 5-7 year old’s pincer grip has been mastered so fine motor skills become much easier. They are able to transfer objects, grasp and grip and try more challenging fine motor skills like threading and buttoning up a jacket. This is also the age group where they start to “make their mark” with a pen and paper. They recognise and are able to recall letters, numbers and symbols and try to replicate with their chosen hand. During most of our activities your child will have the chance to use their hands in ways they’ve maybe not before. Creating structures from new materials, using their hands for art and so much more.

Physically these children are strong and agile and very often only have one speed… go!

Refining their balance and peripheral vision means group games are much more rewarding.

Mastering rules is a skill still to be developed fully but rules are meant to be broken right?

During these classes parents will really have a fun role to play; facilitating the learning. By offering praise of the achievements and asking open ended questions parents can open a floodgate of opportunity, broadening the horizons of their minds.

We always teach to the positive and rarely say “no” to this age group. With the right language and gentle methods of teaching they can really flourish.

The Fern Club classes for 5-7 year olds are jam packed! You will experience independent play, motor skill development and STEAM inspired activities with more specific “outcomes.” Great for their sense of mastery and confidence building as they achieve something tangible. Completing tasks is a great way to achieve ownership over skills. They will have opportunity to ask insightful questions as we help to reduce their fear of failure through playful learning.

We also begin to introduce gentle competition for this age group. Don’t mistake this with formal “winning and losing” or exam tests. When children are exposed to healthy competition it helps them to develop ownership over tasks, develop tenacity for later life and empathy. Skills which won’t be put on a CV but are vitally important to navigate adult life.

Classes at The Fern Club for 5-7 year olds will encourage you and your child to be inquisitive learners, questioning the world and it’s events around you and striving to learn more to make a positive difference for years to come. Without realising it, children will learn and have fun.