M is 6 years old!

She is 6! It is unbeliavable!

Important

• She has gotten so big so quickly. She is really a preschooler now with her own ideas, likes and interests. Her personality is growing so much.

• Likes: all kinds of crafts, playing outside, spending time with friends, having books read out aloud.

• Is just such a nice little companion 98% of the time. It is mostly a pleasure going anywhere with her, like travelling, to the city or somewhere else. She is very flexible, curious and just such a nice little girl.

School

• She has gone to her new school for several months now. She has found her place very well, the teacher says, and always wants to do to school. She just had her school birthday party and invited 8 kids from her class. She has also played with 4 of them outside of school and would probably want to do it more even but there are constraints with time and with her activities and BSO

• Academically she is doing very well, the teacher said she is on top of her class around reading readiness (she can read in Estonian, short words are going very well and getting faster but needs practice) and also likes the little mathematic things they are doing. She counts over 20 and can do simple calculations inside 20. She would like to learn more, we see. She is interested in all kinds of topics and has a good memory.

• Outside of school activities:

  • swimming: swims without the vest or the kurk now, not yet with her shirt/pants on, hopefully will get her diploma A by the summer

  • ballet: goes weekly and has 2 friends there now, not sure how much she likes it

  • piano: we were struggling with her practice but she really picked it up with some motivational system from us (a chocolate Easter bunny as an award) and we see it improving very much as she practice. Maybe this way she will want to continue next year

  • tried out athletics and really liked it, we will have her join next year when the schedules work out

  • is trying out tennis now as they had a little class at school, but the schedule won't probably allow us to have her join weekly

• She goes to Doomijn BSO now since some time, we were very happy with the other one but this one is just closer. She seems to be enjoying it a lot, as a pro they offer warm dinners so then she hopefully tries new things there as well.

Sleeping

• The same as 5,5 years but seems to be a little more OK if she has 1-2 nights that are not 11 hours long. Still needs more sleep than her peers and especially if there is a lot of excitement. When we were away to Estonia for a short winter holiday and were outside in the snow a lot, she slept in the car most days during the daytime still. No other naps.

Eating

• Still picky but willing to try new things.

• Her favorites: all sweets, also fruit like mango, pasta without sauce, dumpling soup. Sometimes will surprise us and like mango or eat pizza with sauce too, but mostly it is same old, same old.

• Daily menu is the same.

Cognitive developement

• Can read, as said! Can calculate. Is interested in everything, loves listening to stories and being read out aloud. Can concentrate well. Is keen on trying all new things.

• Multilingualism:

  • Dutch is coming in strong still, especially when we haven't been in Estonia for a while. I think it is Dutch/English at the 1st place and then Estonian. Plays in Dutch when she is alone and talks to her toys or to herself. Will use the words that come up in her mind in the other language but will change them when corrected.

Motor development

• Can bike well. We have done it a little less lately but can bike up to 12 km, can bike to school and back but it takes a while still.

• Can rollerskate and skate on ice (took her 3rd or 4th skating course this year and enjoyed it a lot).

• Fine motor skills are good too, she can do little precise tasks and enjoys it all a lot.

Social-emotional development

• Is kind and caring and seems to be able to place herself in the place of the other when she is not tired/feeling well (then it is still all about herself).

• Needs boundaries and rules and thrives on it.

• Likes her brother and is cheering for him but can be jelaous at times still. The age gap is big though so she kind of has her own life and he is still so young.

• Playing together with others goes well in general. She plays a lot with the 2 neighbour girls and then with some other kids from the neighbourhood and then from her class. Likes our small 2-year old neighbor boy a lot and can play with smaller kids well too (like the daughter of my husbands friend who is 2 and doesn't even speak the same languages).

• Can be stubborn and upset when she doesn't get what she wants and can still have a meltdown. We try to de-escalate then and see what she needs, usually she hasn't eaten or slept well. These meltdowns happen less than they used to, maybe 1-2 x month?

• Plays with dolls and animals still and has elaborate fantasy games with them, plays school with my mom. Likes looking at and making order of the small things she has and collects. Can play alone in her room a long time when she likes it. Likes to look at and select her clothes, making sure they suit together etc.

Statistics: 122 cm tall, weighs 18,5 kg last time at the GP (measurement at school 20 kg but not sure if with shoes or not), wears size 122.