The Secret Life of 5 Year Olds - Biogs

3 November 2015

Emily (5.1 & 5.2)

“When I grow up, I want to be a jelly maker, a pencil sharpener… a toy maker”

Emily lives with her mum Giselle and 18 year old brother Daniel in London. She and her proud grandmother Brenda have a very close relationship. Highly intelligent, Emily started speaking at the age of one.

She provided lots of laughter, imagination and kindness in the play centre, and made friends with everyone there. However, she had a particularly strong friendship with Alfie, based on their quirky imaginations and games. Alfie even told Emily he loved her, and they missed each other hugely during their break from the play centre.

Emily’s sense of humour and nurturing personality made her a popular member of the group.

She will turn 6 in January 2016, and is about average age within the group.

“Sometimes we describe her as a little old lady” says Emily’s Mum.

 

George (5.1 & 5.2)

“We can’t do it because we’re kids.”

George lives at home in Essex with Mum, Leanne, Dad, Kevin and older brother Jack. Leanne is a stay-at-home Mum and Kevin is an electrician.

George often refused to get involved with group activity, leaving the Scientists a little puzzled. When he started joining in, he became very motivated and an energetic member of the group. He was happy to defend himself and showed a keen ability to define his opinions.

With a cheeky smile, winning ways and great lines, George was very popular amongst the group.

He will turn 6 in December this year and is one of the older members of the group.

“George is always into something, in his head, he’s the strongest and the fastest.” George’s mum

 

Alfie (5.1 & 5.2)

“My dear old fish, go and boil your head.”

Alfie is the eldest of two and lives in Somerset with Mum, Zoë and Dad, Kevin. Zoë is a homeopath and Kevin is a teacher. His baby sister is called Daisy.

He is one of the most imaginative and vocal children in the group, however, he struggles to listen to other’s ideas. His creativity and humour entertained everyone and he found it very easy to make friends with both boys and girls.  

Alfie found himself, much to his surprise, caught in a love triangle with Lily and Emily. During his time in the group, he demonstrated excellent communication skills and impressed our scientists with his recall of scientific facts.

He will turn 6 in December this year so he is 5 and ¾, making him the second oldest in the group.

"He's like the robot from Short Circuit. He's like Johnny 5. He needs input all the time. His first word was more." Alfie's parents.

 

Lily (5.1 & 5.2)

“Let’s play mams and dads.”

Geordie Lily lives with her mum Kelly, a hairdresser and dad Paul, a roofer. She has an older brother called Joe and a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Blue.

Lily is one of the most outgoing girls in the centre and often finds herself in the middle of the drama. She is of average age within the group.

Within the group, Lily demonstrated an ability to be sophisticated in her social strategies, avoiding confrontations while ensuring her views were taken notice of. She quickly became popular amongst her peers. She makes a friend in Jaja, and takes a shine to Alfie too.

“She likes the boys. A bit too much if I’m honest.” Kelly, mum.

 

Jael/Jaja (5.1)

“Dancing makes me laugh because it is wobbly and funny”

Bilingual, only child Jael, lives in London with her mum Sandy, a French Finance team manager. She likes to be known as Jaja.

Jaja had a rollercoaster week, where she could often be assertive with her fellow playmates, and ended up finding it tricky to get herself out of the upset. She is an intelligent girl and found the experience of settling into a new group difficult. She made several friends and had a lot of support from the other children.

She is five and half which is about average age in the group.

“She will come out randomly with ‘I love you Mummy’.” Sandy, mum.

 

Ruth (5.1 & 5.2)

“Do you want to be my friend?”

Ruth is an only child to mum, Antoinette. They are originally from Ghana but currently live in Manchester where Antoinette is studying Osteopathy. Ruth lived in Ghana for 3 years and goes to visit her grandparents there often.  

Ruth turned 5 in June this year and is one of the youngest in the group. She is one of the more sociable children in the play centre and tries to be friends with everyone.

She was usually the first to reach her peers when they were hurt or upset and showed immense patience and tolerance, never allowing herself to be pushed around by any of the other children. Ruth says that she is a “good friend.”  

“Ruth is incredibly tenacious…if she is not getting what she wants, you need to explain to her WHY she isn’t getting it and you better give her a good explanation!” Ruth’s Mum.

 

Sienna (5.2)

"Do you want to be my friend? I wanna be your friend. Where shall we play?"

Sienna is an only child to Sammy-Jo, full time mum and dad, Bill-Boy, a lorry driver. She is far from lonely though, as she lives amongst her extended family on a traveller site in West Sussex.

Newcomer Sienna quickly developed a close bond with Arthur but her relationship with Ruth was a little rockier and the girls went through some ups and downs.

She was quite cautious when she first arrived but grew in confidence. She was very thoughtful about her friendships but also assertive with the group if required.

Sienna turned 5 in August this year and is one of the youngest in this group.

‘She is a really good little girl, really good. Obviously she has her moments.” Sammy-Jo (Mum)

 

Arthur (5.1 & 5.2)

"We need to do a kiss on the lips to get married."

Arthur is the oldest of two and has a 2 year old sister, Cecilia. He lives in London with his stay-at-home mum, Lisa, and engineer dad, Jesus. He is half Canadian and half Venezuelan.  

He is five and half which is about average age within the group.

Cheeky Arthur is always the first to lead the group in dance. He pays great attention when choosing Sienna's costume in the fancy dress competition and develops firm friendships during his time in the group.  

Arthur showed he could understand the views and feelings of those around him, and was able to quickly gain the trust of other children. On several occasions, he encouraged his peers to show kindness and consideration, to apologise when appropriate and to share with each other. Arthur also revealed his creativity when seeking novel solutions to their social dilemmas!

“Arthur is a very clever 5 year old boy. He likes to explore everything and I think more importantly he likes to explore everyone he comes across.” Lisa, Arthur’s Mum.

 

Emilia (5.2)

"I'm not really speak-able today. I'm a bit nervous."

Emilia is an only child to actors Fiona and Lee from South East London.

As the youngest member of the group, Emilia has a confidence that belies her tender age, and is forthright with her opinions. A born entertainer, she throws herself heartily into most activities.

During her time in the group, Emilia was often fascinated by her own ideas and different ways of exploring her own identity, but she also demonstrated a good ability to empathise with others. She can be very competitive and would strongly express her disappointment when losing, but was able to regulate her emotions well and never let her feelings overwhelm her.

“She is very wise for her years, it’s like she’s been here before.” Fiona, Emilia’s mum.