Let's see. DD turned 5 in February, and is thriving.
Intellectually - loves school, and I am continually amazed at how fast she is progressing/learning. She knows all her letters/numbers/sounds though still mixes up "b" and "d". She is reading well for her age, and loves it. She sometimes sits and writes at home and comes up with some comical spellings as she labours over the letters she writes to friends, or the entries she makes in her diary. She grasps concepts quickly - last week it was that numbers alternate even and odd. Her vocabulary is exploding, and she only has to hear a word once or twice before it is integrated into her speech. She is very curious and asks questions that show she is understanding/thinking. She loves music and about a year ago started to be able to sing in tune rather than the previous enthusiastic but out of key efforts.
Emotionally/socially - She's becoming more and more confident, self assured and independent. She wants to do everything herself without help - even if she's never done it before...perhaps her way of being in control ("Mummy I want to be in charge" is a familiar phrase). She is quite bossy (perhaps something to do with being an only child, or maybe because they all believe the world revolves around them at this egocentric age). She seems to be well liked, and gets lots of invitations for playdates/birthday parties. Her desire to get her way,even with friends, remains strong - think we need to work more on the concepts of taking turns and letting others dictate sometimes. Everyone comments about what a happy child she is, and on the whole, it's true. She has a wonderful giggle and a contagious belly laugh. But when she's unhappy, she is inconsolable, and in the depths of despair. She struggles with expressing her anger appropriately, and finds it difficult to wait/be denied anything (don't we all!). Over the past few months she has become interested in the phone, and races to answer it whenever it rings - previously she didn't want to know. I also am starting to get "Mum" instead of "Mummy", and only yesterday she held my hand to cross the road (normal), but took her hand away from mine the moment we were safely across.
Physical - She is one of the tallest in her class, and over the last year, all remnants of baby chubbiness have gone. Her hair has got thicker/darker. She looks like a little girl now instead of a toddler. It appears she isn't destined to be particularly athletic, as concepts like pumping her legs on a swing don't come naturally. At the moment, she is not interested in even attempting to ride her bicycle without the stabilisers. She loves swimming, and is confident in the water. She likes walking (or should I say skipping as it seems to be her main way of moving around) and did an easy 5k hike with me over the Easter break.
She is consistently challenging and wonderful. There are no particular worries, though it's good to hear that many of these phases are perplexing/delighting other parents too!!