Fifth Grade

(9-11 years of age)

Types of Development:

Physical, personal, social, cognitive

Physical Development

  • Changes that occur in the body

What changes are occurring?

    • Most children begin seeing changes in their bodies (puberty, hair growth, oily skin)
    • Muscles grow at a faster pace and increase in hand-eye coordination
    • Boys may have a change in voice while girls may have weight gain or redistribution
    • Increase in appetite and the need for more sleep
    • Complain of growing pains/muscle cramps
    • Clumsy because of growth spurts and have not developed into their bodies yet

What can parents do to assist with this development?

    • Be sure that the children receive an adequate amount of sleep (bedroom routine)
    • Educate children on why their bodies are changing and how they're changing
    • Remind children to maintain personal hygiene
    • Encourage play through physical activity

What can teachers do to help with this development?

  • Set a schedule that includes time for recess, movement breaks, snack, and lunch
  • Hand writing is often messier, so teachers should address that at the beginning of the year
  • Students tend to be very talkative and this age, so use that in the form of group work (talk productively)
  • Provide instruction and example for hands-on tools that students may use

Links about Physical Development in Fifth Graders

Personal Development

  • Personal development refers to the changes in personality that occur as a child learns and grows.

Changes That Are Occurring

  • Boys and Girls may be a little more hostile
    • This is because girls mature faster and their brains work differently than boys
  • Self esteem is shaky and not yet stable
  • Recklessness and paranoia are common

How to Help: Parents and Teachers

  • Encourage both boys and girls to think before acting
  • Guide your child gently into a confidence of who they are
  • Tell timid children that it is alright to make mistakes
  • Encourage exploration
  • Warn the reckless daredevils about the dangers of drugs and alcohol

Extra Advice for Parents

  • Authoritative parenting works best with a growing fifth grader
  • This means consistent direction and guidance that allows the child to make choices intelligently
  • We recommend that you do not spoil your child or over-control them


Social Development

    • The development of social and emotional skills

What are the changes that are occurring?

    • For the most part they're genuine, easy going youth
    • Little affection and attention directed towards their parents
    • Sensitive to and able to resolve problems involving fairness
    • The idea of fairness is tainted and can cause issues (ex: sports, activities, etc.)
    • May become defiant and denigrate adult athority figures
    • Develop a sense of right and wrong in a more mature matter
    • May not take responsibility well (especially with grades)

What can teachers do to assist with this development?

  • Build group-work into lessons and activities
  • Expect arguments, but use them as talking points
  • Provide opportunities for peer-to-peer work

What can parents do to help their children?

  • Help their child organize and long-term plan
  • Diligently go through their homework with them and try to be as positive as possible
  • Encourage reading a variety of genres to build skills
  • Make learning fun by having them play educational games
  • Encourage them to be kind and set clear boundaries

Cognitive Development

  • Development in the brain of knowledge, skills, and problem solving that helps students think and understand the world around them.

What changes are occurring within the child?

  • Children begin thinking of more abstract ideas and ways to solve problems
  • Realize that thoughts are private and that everyone has an opinion
  • Begin to understand how and why things are connected
  • Rely on friends, news, and Social Media to form opinions and ideas
  • Develop a sense of leadership and responsibility at home and at school
  • Take pride in their work, and enjoy organizing, classifying, and collecting

What can parents do to assist the child?

  • Monitor the child's screen time and be sure that he/she is not spending too much time with technology
  • Encourage the child to help out around the house by giving them tasks that they can handle, but will also challenge them

What can teachers do to help?

  • Build off of student's interests for projects, but provide scaffolding and guidance to support the students
  • Have lessons that build memory skills in the students (math facts, geography, history, etc)
  • Use hands-on activities and have students work together, so they practice valuing each other's opinion
  • Encourage reading and writing

Helpful links about the cognitive development in a 5th grader

Sources for More Information