What is intelligence in a 5 year old?

[AutumnGlory]

In your opinion, what makes a 5 year old bright, clever, average, mediocre?

We certainly do hold some of those Pyschology Today intelligence indicators in higher regard than others and of course success is something different people define in different ways too.

Those of us posting with older children can look back at how they were at 5. I suppose we got ours into top 10 academic single sex selective schools at 4 or 5 after a stiff test which most people failed so the schools which seem to be able to pick bright children pretty well after decades of doing so much have some good hints on what you can see at age 5. Someone posted a good list above of things that seem to count.

So I suppose one test is can they get into a top 10 selective school at age 4. If they can they may be bright. If no one will have them as they curl into a ball and cry or kick the teacher or cannot even old a pencil or recognise the first letter of their name they might not be although as said above many develop later.

I remember a question in an Oxbridge entrance paper being 'what is intelligence, and can it be measured?' back in 1978.

They always liked to ask questions which didn't have, and never would have, a clear cut answer!

www.crec.co.uk/research
lljkk I'm not sure if the research is freely available on line. I attended a conference where Chris Pascal presented the findings

Dated but quite interesting is the Draw a person test (DAP) or draw a man test - have a google; age range 3.3 to about 7.6 and has been used since about 1924 - not saying good or bad but quite interesting...

Gardener's Multiple intelligence has been supported by research into emotional intelligence (EQ) and for children to succeed they do of course need a good EQ...

Another fun 'test' to do at home based on creativity and emotional thought in younger children although I can't remember the author is the cat and dog test -

Give your child (best between 5 and 7 year old) a blank piece of paper and some writing/drawing tools and explain to them or draw on your paper a cat and a dog and a line between them and say the cat and dog live next door to each other but they are sad and don't get on; can you draw a way of making them friends.....

There is one answer that demonstrates amazing emotional intelligence but also a range of others that demonstrate to the parent/teacher that child's learning style as what they come up with is a good window....

IIRC the marshmellow test has been somewhat discredited as it was suggested (quite reasonably) that children from chaotic households were more likely to grab the second maeshmallow immediately - having the usual experience oof not necessarily knowing where their next meal was coming from so like many of these tests, social background counts for more than you think - it's very hard IMO to ever factor it out... same with intelligence.