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Creative Arts
Five-year-olds have a varied repertoire of music and are able to compose and arrange music within specified guidelines. They create realistic art with recognizable subjects and more detailed settings. They also recognize that art can tell a story. The movements of children this age show mature form and an increased ability to balance and coordinate actions. The dramatic play of five-year-olds is pre-planned, elaborate and sustained. They are able to perform simple plays, do pantomime and perform puppet shows.
Music
Infuses music into routines and activities (e.g., sings to self while putting together a puzzle).
Performs vocal and instrumental music of age-appropriate songs from memory and creates music from own imagination (e.g., makes up new songs, sings accompaniments to music, sings rounds with a group).
Uses music to help tell a story (e.g., composes music to accompany a puppet show or play).
Uses music for specific purposes (e.g., puts on marching music for outside play, sings a lullaby to a baby doll).
May recognize how rhythm, tempo and tone are used in different types of music from around the world (e.g., may say, "Polka music is fast, so you have to dance fast.").
Art
Creates art that is more realistic and includes many details of objects, places, animals or people (e.g., draws a picture of a person and includes fingers and hair). The subject of a piece of art is typically recognizable to others and has mostly realistic proportions.
Uses art to help tell a story (e.g., makes a backdrop for a class play on, "The Three Little Pigs.").
Uses increasingly sophisticated planning, tools and techniques to create art (e.g., uses fine-bristled brushes to paint dots and thin lines with water colors). Is able to expand knowledge of art to include stitchery, woodworking and scupting with papier mache.
Can describe and imitate the style of favorite artists (e.g., uses Cezanne's fruit bowls as a model for a drawing).
Movement
Is able to perform planned and improvised movements and dance sequences (e.g., participates in a routine physical activity that involves squatting and touching toes).
Is able to describe why he or she chooses certain dance movements (e.g., dances to a rap song and provides a rationale for the choreography).
Seeks active games and environments as a part of daily activities (e.g., asks teacher when it will be time to play on the playground).
Dramatic Play
Is able to learn about other people and cultures by performing simple plays (e.g., participates in a school holiday pageant featuring stories about Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa).
Creates skits that express personal thoughts, ideas and emotions (e.g., performs a short skit about the birth of a new sibling and the "horrors" that event brings on).
Creates own props to support dramatic play (e.g., makes costumes and scenery to make the dramatic play come alive).