Life at 5

LIFE AT 5

Screening from Tuesday, February 15 on ABC1

The third instalment of the long-running LIFE SERIES features the ordinary and extraordinary events of eleven Australian children, as they learn to deal with many of life's hurdles including death, divorce and the day-to-day challenges of being a five-year-old.

Five years ago, we handpicked eleven children from all walks of life to follow on their extraordinary journey through life. And so much is changing.

Now our eleven are running towards the primary school gate, and have plenty to say for themselves. They are stepping beyond their own front gate, and are increasingly influenced by teachers and peers.

All the favourites are back. Shine, (see left) the daughter of the taxi driver in Life at 3, has a few surprises up her sleeve. Then there's Sofia, whose dad was diagnosed with life-threatening cancer when she was born. She's now back at the hospital in the wake of some devastating news. And Daniel, whose family had to bury a son and a brother back in Life at 3, is facing new challenges as his parents decide to go their separate ways.

Over two episodes, Life at 5 tracks our group of children against contemporary scientific discoveries and findings from two areas of child development: childhood resilience, and the factors which enhance school readiness.

Life at 5 runs alongside Australia's unique, federally-funded longitudinal study, 'Growing Up In Australia', gaining exclusive access to a wealth of scientific findings from this study, in which 10,000 children and their families are interviewed over 15 years to unveil never-before captured sociological and scientific data. Though intimate, our adventure is just as big.

The Life Series combines vivid personality updates, interwoven with never-before seen archival footage and brand new psychological observations recorded on hidden cameras behind mirrored glass in The Life Lab.

Each 52-minute episode reveals new science on child development against the absorbing and entertaining backdrop of contemporary family life in Australia. Life at 5: Resilience explores the latest scientific discoveries on the adaptive phenomenon of resilience, to uncover just what it is within a child, as well as the power of relationships with caregivers, which can promote a resilient trajectory. In Life at 5: Great Expectations (off to School) the story continues as the children head off for their first day of school. It reveals that success at school relies on three important behavioural characteristics - good communication, ambition to learn, and the ability to fit in.

As the lives of our children unfold, we grapple with the very essence of what it takes to make us all successful, creative and happy human beings.

Welcome to Life at 5.

The two-part documentary series - LIFE AT 5 is screening Tuesday, February 15 and 22 on ABC1