Children in this age group are really interested in how things work and will happily pull things apart and put them together again. They are starting to understand winning and losing and love to show how they have mastered skills, so your encouragement is very important.

They are now not just able to match colours, shapes and numbers, but have advanced to be able to combine them all together because of their increased memory and problem solving ability, which means they need games with a higher level of complexity combined with lots of fun – all of which enhance their school readiness skills. Fantasy play is very important and playdates begin in earnest. Provide them with a variety of creative media and don’t be afraid of messy play from play dough to crayons, paint, sand and water.

Keep things as real as possible rather than replacing play experiences with screen-based, virtual ones that provide insufficient sensory input for a child who is trying to understand and make meaning out of his or her world. Encourage any form of gross or fine motor movement.