Fourth Grade
8-10 years old
Development Characteristics of 4th Graders
Development Characteristics of 4th Graders
Cognitive Development in 4th graders:
Cognitive Development in 4th graders:
Age 8-9...
Age 8-9...
- Show signs of becoming more responsible and an independent learner
- Appreciate being trusted by others, teachers and peers
- Interested in different types of reading: fictional stories, magazines, project books, and non-fiction information books
- Develop a special intereset in hobbies or collections
- Able to understand harder concepts
- Becoming less egocentric and are able to understand the perspectives of others; better at understanding the concept of "audience" in writing
- Students become less interested in fantasy, more involved in real world things
- May have problems with increased homework demands
- Age of negatives, "I can't," "thats boring"
- Imagination decreases
Age 10...
Age 10...
- Become talkative, like to explain thoughts and are expressive
- Cooperative, competitive and inquistive
- Like to organzie
- Problem solvers
- Interest span becomes short
- Fairness becomes a concern
- Very schedule focused, cannot plan out work
- Like to talk and listen more than work
- Can see persepecitves of others
Physical Development in 4th graders:
Physical Development in 4th graders:
Age 8-9...
Age 8-9...
- Girls generally are ahead of boys in physical maturity
- Reaction time and coordination are both improved
- Poor posture, lots of physical habitual movements; fingers in hair, slouching, picking or biting at nails
- Headaches, stomach aches and leg pains are common
- Often play to the point of fatigue, lots of high engery
- Sleeping and appetite patterns are inconsistent
Age 10...
Age 10...
- Onset of puberty
- Increase body strength and hand dexterity
- Large muscle development
- Handwriting is often much sloppier than pervious years
- Need outdoor time and a physical challenge
- Snacks and rest periods are needed for growing bodies
- Appetite fluctuates but is generally good
Social- emotional development in 4th graders:
Social- emotional development in 4th graders:
During this age, children are advancing towards adolescence. It is important to understand that during this time, your child(ren) may need to receive or may exhibit the following:
- be given opportunities
- to solve problems
- learn to cooperate in group settings/ working with others
- find common interests through games
- develop independence
- develop sportsmanship (community/school sport)
- consider or try clubs (ex. 4-H)
- emotions change quickly
- may be quiet or shy in public
- begin to develop their own point of view
- feel the power of peer pressure
What Parents and Teachers can do:
- encourage students to try new activities, sports, or clubs
- talk to your child(ren) about peer pressure and about respecting others
- encourage children to think through before completing an action
- support your child(ren)'s interest in groups, clubs, or activities
- notice how your child(ren) are responding to the changes among their friends/peers
- talk to your child about emotions and physical changes
- discuss what is right and what is wrong
Resources for social-emotional learning
Resources for social-emotional learning
CommonSense.org is a great resource for parents and teachers. They offer lesson planning options and resources for the family.
Movies that Inspire Empathy and How to Raise a Kid with a Conscious are examples of the parent resources available.