What is 5 Years Syndrome?

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The process of raising a child is considered to be a very challenging process, where parents need the right information more than ever.

Especially the early childhood period is very tiring for both parents and it can be challenging from time to time to keep up with this magnificent change experienced by the rapidly growing and developing child. For this reason, it is great importance for parents to be aware of the age periods and the effects of these periods on the behavior of their children. One of the periods when parents need to be both the most attentive and the most knowledgeable is known as the period called the 5-year-old syndrome. The 5-year-old syndrome is one of the periods when parents are most confused and most surprised by their children’s behavior. Parents who hear about this syndrome for the first time often underestimate the situation because they have no idea what kind of syndrome a child at that age may have.

All parents, especially parents who have children for the first time, need to have information about the different age periods of children and the syndromes they develop depending on these periods. Therefore, it is very important to have an idea about the 5-year-old syndrome, which is one of the most important and critical syndromes. Parents need to be patient and careful so that children can overcome this syndrome in the healthiest way and complete their growth processes well. During this period, children need more attention and care. At the same time, it is of great importance that parents give up some attitudes and behaviors that they used to have. So, what is the 5 year old syndrome? Here are the answers to all the questions about this process, which is one of the most common syndromes in children.

What is 5 Years Syndrome?

Every child experiences certain syndromes at certain ages. Since these syndromes mostly occur in every child at the same age and for similar reasons, they are named with that age. The most common and well-known syndromes in childhood are known as 2-year-old syndrome and 5-year-old syndrome. The 5-year-old syndrome experienced by 5-year-olds is one of the most important stages of children’s development. At this stage, children meet with the opportunity to experience situations that they may experience and encounter in adolescence and adulthood. Children who have the opportunity to struggle with situations that they may face in the future, also experience what methods they can use to cope with these situations.

It is possible to define the 5-year-old syndrome as the process where the child is no longer only in the family environment and begins to communicate with both peers and different adults. This syndrome period, in which the child is now seen as a school child, is a very difficult period for both the child and the parents. This period, in which children gain a more and more social personality, imitate the behaviors of adults and try to communicate with their peers, contains many innovations for both sides. It is a period in which characteristics such as creativity emerge. In this period, it is of great importance for the development of children that both parents provide an environment rich in stimulants to children. The 5-year-old syndrome is one of the developmental periods in which it is emphasized by experts that children must be overcome correctly in order to complete their physical as well as mental development in a healthy way.

Causes of 5 Years Syndrome

The most important reason for this syndrome, which is seen in the majority of 5-year-old children, is that hormonal changes occur in children at exactly that age. At the same time, the age of 5 is one of the ages when children’s sense of curiosity is highest. Another factor affecting the syndrome is gender. 5 years old can watch with different behaviors and attitudes in boys and girls. The increase in testosterone hormone seen in boys causes boys to show more angry and harsh behaviors. These hormones also contribute to the formation of sexual characteristics of children.

The fact that character traits begin to form at this age is among the causes of the 5-year-old syndrome. The syndrome that emerges at this age and these character traits are also affected by the hormonal changes experienced by children. In this process, children may exhibit more active and angry behaviors than ever before. Along with these behaviors, their endless energies are the most tiring thing for parents in this process. Of course, there are other 5-year-old syndrome symptoms that are quite common in 5-year-olds.

5 Age Syndrome Symptoms

Undoubtedly, the physical and cognitive development of every child according to their age is not the same. However, some behaviors and attitudes that can be considered as syndromes at the age of 5 appear in many children in a similar way. Symptoms of 5-year-old syndrome are observed in children with this syndrome, sometimes with only a few, and sometimes completely. Most of these symptoms can occur as a result of social and cognitive development as well as physical symptoms. The symptoms of 5-year-old syndrome can be briefly summarized as follows:

  • Showing feelings of anger and love towards himself,
  • Asking to play alone and constantly with their friends,
  • Trying to explain and direct the games,
  • Observing and following the behavior of adults,
  • Choosing the friends to play with,
  • Strive to make your friends happy,
  • Trying to prove himself to his mother or father and presenting what he has done,
  • Trying to communicate and be friends with their peers, even if it is difficult,
  • Trying to learn or imitating reading and writing,
  • Imagining or creating and trying to solve problems in games,
  • Being very curious, constantly asking questions and an intense hunger for learning,
  • Having social anxiety,
  • Imitating adults.

Children with 5-year-old syndrome are mostly children who have reached school age. In addition to physical and cognitive development, the 5-year-old period, where social development and language skills come to the fore, can be spent by contributing to the development of the child with the right attitudes and behaviors of the parents. So, what are the methods of coping with the 5-year-old syndrome?

How to Overcome 5 Years Syndrome?

For the first time, 5-year-old children are moving away from their homes, where they felt safe and peaceful until that age, and open up to the outside world. Children, who feel the effects of strangers and new people intensely, are also developing rapidly both cognitively and physically. During this period, children need the support of their parents the most. Therefore, the first question that comes to the minds of parents is “How to overcome the 5-year-old syndrome?” there is a question. It is of great importance that siblings, if any, as well as parents, should be as understanding and compassionate as possible to the 5-year-old child. Trying to understand what the child may be feeling during this period is the easiest way to support him. At the same time, parents, especially, need to try harder to make the child feel safe. It is also very important to adopt a patient and calm approach towards the child as much as possible in order to overcome this syndrome without any problems.

The 5-year-old syndrome is one of the periods that parents should manage and follow with great care. During this period, parents need to be more attentive and careful than ever before with their children. Children who adopt an overly vicious and angry attitude need the patience and calm behavior of their families. Patience and interest are the key words in overcoming the 5-year-old syndrome. Showing more attention to children than ever before, supporting them in social problems they face, avoiding big and harsh reactions, and not resorting to punishment and reward methods are the most useful behaviors in this period. The teacher, who is the person who will patiently instill right and wrong behaviors in the child, is also of great importance in this period. Ensuring a healthy and two-way communication between parents and children is also the biggest helper of children in this sensitive period. Not showing excessive interest in children but making them feel that you are always there for them is also an attitude that is quite successful in dealing with this syndrome.

Methods of Coping with the 5-Year-Old Syndrome

  • Explaining the options well to children and giving them the right to choose,
  • Appreciating effort rather than results in activities or studies,
  • Never glossing over the questions asked by the child and always answering patiently,
  • Not making comparisons with peers and friends,
  • Allowing him to get dirty, fall and try to fix broken toys,
  • To spend more time in nature,
  • Waiting for him to calm down to communicate when he is angry