Your 5-Year-Old: Independence, Friendships and Getting Ready for Primary School

They almost tie their own shoes, want to choose their clothes, have “a best friend” and correct you when you cheat at snakes and ladders. At 5, your 5-year-old child looks less and less like a toddler. This is the year of the last class of preschool, first written words, the bike that finally rolls without stabilisers, and parents' questions: “Are they ready for primary school? Should I teach them to read?”

Here are the development milestones at 5, what really prepares for primary school, and the signs that should make you see a doctor.

What can a 5-year-old do?

The table combines the milestones of the US CDC (end of the 5th year) and a Quebec document on development from 4 to 7 years. Every child has their own pace: one area lagging slightly is not worrying if the rest is progressing.

Independence: the best preparation for school

Before being able to read, a future schoolchild must be able to manage alone for a good part of the day. At 5, most children dress themselves, put their shoes on the right feet, tie knots and start on bows, according to the Quebec milestones.

At home, give them responsibilities that fit their size:

• packing their school bag the night before;
• dressing alone in the morning, even if it takes time;
• setting the table, tidying their toys, carrying their plate;
• going to the toilet and washing their hands without help;
• opening their own snack box and water bottle.

These actions build confidence. A child who knows they can cope arrives at school calmer. Our article on children's self-confidence takes this idea further.

Friendships and emotions: life in a group

At 5, your child values other children, enjoys the group and controls their emotions better. They know the rules of the family and the class, and sometimes enforce them with the zeal of a police officer.

Friendships become important, and so do heartbreaks: “Yasmine doesn't want to play with me any more.” Listen without dramatising, help them find solutions (suggest another game, play with someone else). Tantrums still exist, especially when they are tired, but they become rarer and shorter.

Reading before primary school: should you get started?

No, not in the sense of forced learning. At 5, the CDC expects a child to name some letters, play with rhymes and write a few letters of their name. In Quebec, preschool programmes aim for children to know the name and sound of most letters by the end of the year, playing with syllables. They insist on one point: the aim is not to overload the child with work.

What best prepares for reading:

1. Read stories every day, and ask them to tell you what happens next.
2. Play with sounds: find words that rhyme, clap syllables, look for words that start like their name.
3. Leave letters lying around: magnets, puzzles, card games.
4. Write for real: the shopping list, a card for grandma.

In Morocco, many children discover two alphabets at once, Arabic and Latin. This is perfectly possible, as long as you stay in play. Our article on teaching Arabic to children gives age-appropriate ideas.

What games for a 5-year-old?

At this age, children love rules, challenges and doing things “like the grown-ups”.

• Board games: snakes and ladders, memory, small card games, first strategy games. See our board games section and our guide to board games by age.
• Letter, number and logic games: tangram, bigger puzzles, counting games, to be found in our educational games.
• Role play and building games, still essential for imagination.
• Outdoor games: ball, skipping rope, running, hide-and-seek. Our article on outdoor games gives ideas by age.

From the shop

Games for a 5-year-old

Letter and number games, tangram, classic game sets and scooters: something to play with sounds, numbers and balance. Check the age shown on each product page.

• −48 %NathanLa petite école educational game: First additions, from 5 years – Nathan52 DHinstead of 100 DHView product
• −48 %NathanLa petite école writing game: I write words – Nathan60 DHinstead of 115 DHView product
• −48 %CayroDouble Tangram educational game – Cayro83 DHinstead of 160 DHView product
• −48 %Ferriot Cric90-game compendium box – Ferriot Cric94 DHinstead of 180 DHView product
• −48 %NathanEn route vers le CP (Ready for first grade) board game – Nathan140 DHinstead of 270 DHView product
• −48 %EurekakidsFantastic Adventure board game – Eurekakids138 DHinstead of 265 DHView product
• −52 %China Divers BrandFoldable Disney scooter234 DHinstead of 490 DHView product
• −36 %China Divers BrandDesign scooter, 4 colours351 DHinstead of 550 DHView product
• The whole aisle · Board games16 products online, delivered anywhere in Morocco.Open the aisle

Products sold by La Maison du Bébé, publisher of this magazine. Prices as of 12 October 2026; please check the product page.

Bike, scooter: learning safely

Riding without stabilisers often arrives around 5, with a normal range of 4 to 8 years: balance and wish matter more than age. A child who has used a balance bike generally learns very fast. To choose and adjust a bike or scooter, our guide to balance bikes, trikes, scooters and bikes details sizes and helmet fitting.

The basic rules do not change:

• a well-fitted helmet every time, even for a short ride;
• an adult nearby, on flat ground and away from cars: at 5, a child does not have the skills to ride in traffic;
• in the cooler hours in summer, since saddles and handlebars heat up in the sun.

Sleep and screens at 5

The Canadian Paediatric Society says preschool children generally sleep 10 to 13 hours per 24 hours. With the start of school, the nap disappears for most: bedtime must therefore stay regular, even during holidays and summer evenings. The same source recommends calm activities before sleep (a story, soft music, talking about the day) and keeping tablets and television out of the bedroom. On activity, the WHO insists on a principle that also holds at 5: less time sitting, more time playing.

Primary school in Morocco: how to prepare

In Morocco, 78.7% of 4 and 5-year-olds were in preschool in 2023-2024, according to the Ministry of National Education cited by Hespress. For the others, starting the first year of primary school is often the first real first day. The dates, paperwork and enrolment age are detailed in our article on school enrolment in Morocco. If your child came late to language or needs a boost, the milestones for the 4-year-old will help you measure how far they have come.