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Pre-K & kindergarten (4–5 years): sleep and school
Stage: 4–5 years
Sleep
10–12 hoursper 24 hours
all dayawake between naps
usually no napper nap
usually no nap needed any more
Feeding
Eats fully with the family; school rhythm now also means a healthy lunchbox and snacks. Stay cautious with sugary drinks — water is the norm for school.
Diaper size
Almost always dry day and night.
Development at this stage
- Tells coherent stories
- Hops, balances and climbs confidently
- Recognizes letters and numbers, may write own name
- Plays cooperatively with clear rules
- Increasingly able to empathize with others
Play & do together
- First board games: taking turns and (practicing!) losing gracefully
- 'Writing' their own name and spotting letters around town
- Running, climbing and ball games — gross motor skills ready for the playground
- Let your child 'read' a familiar book to you
- Cooking together: stirring, measuring, tasting
Care & things to watch
- Kindergarten: compulsory school age varies by state (5–7), but most children start kindergarten at 5 — check your district's cut-off date (often September 1)
- School-entry requirement: the 4–6 year boosters (DTaP, IPV, MMR, varicella) must be documented for kindergarten enrollment in most states — not done yet? Book the 4- or 5-year well-child visit
- Swim lessons: the AAP recommends swim lessons for most children from around age 4 (from age 1 they can already help reduce drowning risk) — drowning is a leading cause of death for young children in the US
- Booster seat comes later: keep the forward-facing harness seat until its height/weight limit before moving to a belt-positioning booster (NHTSA)
- Vision and hearing screening at the school-entry well-child visit
- Practice traffic safety actively: walking together, naming safe crossing points
- Build the school rhythm: a fixed bedtime matters more now — a kindergartner still needs 10–12 hours of sleep a night
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Also handy: what diaper size fits? · how much formula per day? · the full starting-solids plan
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