Developmental Characteristics of First Graders

Every child’s development is unique. Although children develop through a generally predictable sequence of milestones, we cannot say exactly when a child will reach each and every stage. Every child has his or her own timetable. The characteristics below are offered only as a reference to give you a better understanding of your child. Feel free to contact your pediatrician and/or your child’s school if you have any questions.

The Six-Year-Old

Physical Development

• Perpetual motion; squirming while sitting, gesturing while talking, runs, tumbles, throws
• Gaining control of fine motor activities
• Enjoy testing muscle strength and skills. Love to skip, run, tumble, throw, catch, and dance to music.
• Developing a good sense of balance. Most can stand on one foot and walk on a balance beam.
• Can catch balls, tie shoelaces, manage buttons and zippers
• Sloppy; in a hurry
• Noisy in a classroom
• Developing the ability to copy designs and shapes
• Learning to distinguish left from right
• Engages in oral activities (teething)--chews pencils, fingernails, hair

Social and Emotional Development

• Beginning to think about how they look in the eyes of others and are self-conscious
• Moody; friendly and enthusiastic at times and rebellious and irritable at other times
• Wants to make friends, but can be bossy and not understand why friendship is rebuffed
• Can be very competitive
• Fascinated by rules
• Sometimes a “poor sport” or dishonest; may invent rules
• Sensitive to criticism; thrive on encouragement
• Strong desire to perform well, do things right
• Generally enjoy caring for and playing with younger children
• Tend to prefer playmates of the same sex
• Can be helpful with small chores
• Have a strong need for love and attention from parents and teachers
• Determine what is “good” and “bad” based on parents’ and teachers’ opinions. Beginning to develop a moral sense (such as understanding “honesty”).

Intellectual Development

• Views things as right or wrong, wonderful or terrible, with very little middle ground
• May reverse printed letters (b/d)
• Increased problem-solving ability
• Attention span still short, but long enough to enjoy more involved stories
• Love to ask questions
• Learn best through discovery and active involvement with people and materials
• Interested in real life tasks and activities; want to make “real” jewelry, take“real” photographs, and create “real” collections
• Extremely rapid expansion of speaking and listening vocabulary
• Can begin to understand time and days of the week
• Beginning to understand past when tied closely to the present
• Sometimes carry on “collective monologues,” two children playing together and talking, but carrying on separate monologues
• Use language and words to represent things not visible

The Seven-Year-Old

Physical Development

• Great differences in the size and abilities of children may affect self-concept
• Large muscles in arms and legs are more developed than small muscles
• Learning to use small/fine muscles
• Long arms and legs may give gawky, awkward appearance
• When tired, may not want to rest
• Sometimes tense
• Many physical hurts, real and imagined

Social and Emotional Development

• Touchy; may say or think, “Nobody likes me.”
• Love to talk, even exaggerate
• Work hard to please teachers, parents, and other adults
• Sensitive to adult evaluation
• More independent, but still relies heavily on the teacher
• More emphasis on fairness
• Likes structure; dislikes changes in school routines
• Compare self to others; can be self-critical
• Establishing friendships becomes very important, although they often lack the skills necessary to do so
• View things as right or wrong, wonderful or terrible, with very little middle ground
• Seek a sense of security in groups, organized play, and clubs

Intellectual Development

• More serious and less impulsive than first graders
• Realize that there are many things that need to be learned, sometimes leading to less confidence than in first grade
• Begin to reason logically and organize thoughts coherently
• Most thinking is done about actual physical objects; difficulty handling abstract reasoning
• Often makes decisions based on influence of others instead of by reasoning
• Develop more skill in reading
• Want to assume more responsibility
• May reverse printed letters (b/d)
• Speaking and listening vocabulary expanding at a very rapid pace
• Like to collect, organize, and sort things
• Longer attention span
• Learn to evaluate what they do
• Need closure, want to complete assignments
• Like to work slowly
• Want work to be perfect; erase constantly
• Need manipulatives to learn effectively
• Like to know how things work
• Egocentric, but beginning to understand others’ perspectives

Reference: "GCISD - Curriculum Guides and Developmental Characteristics." 2002. Grapevine-Colleyville ISD. 7 Dec. 2007 .