Fifth Grade
(9-11 years of age)
Types of Development:
Types of Development:
Physical, personal, social, cognitive
Physical, personal, social, cognitive
Physical Development
Physical Development
- Changes that occur in the body
What changes are occurring?
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?
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?
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
- Personal development refers to the changes in personality that occur as a child learns and grows.
Changes That Are Occurring
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
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
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
Social Development
- The development of social and emotional skills
What are the changes that are occurring?
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?
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
Helpful Parent Resources:
Helpful Parent Resources:
What can parents do to help their children?
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
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?
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?
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?
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
- https://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/fifth-grader-brain-development/
- https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/sites/default/files/ET5intro.pdf
- https://www.glendale.k12.wi.us/glen_hills/grade__teacher_pages/5th_grade/developmental_characteristics_of_5th_graders
- https://www.verywellfamily.com/a-parents-guide-to-fifth-grade-620923
- https://www.scholastic.com/parents/school-success/school-success-guides/guide-to-5th-grade.html