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.
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
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
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
High energy
Enjoy rough and tumble games, as well as team sports
May be physically daring
Fine motor skills showing increased speed and smoothness
Some write with tiny letters and artwork becomes more detailed
Large muscles in arms and legs are more developed than small muscles
Seven to nine-year olds are learning to use their small muscles skills (printing with a pencil; using scissors and small tools) and their large muscle skills (throwing and catching a ball)
Large differences in size and abilities of children; may affect the way they get along with others, how they feel about themselves, and what physical activities they do
Enjoy testing muscle strength and skills
Good sense of balance
Begin to define self based on certain attributes or achievements, such as “I wear glasses,” etc
Can become self-conscious based on how they believe they look in the eyes of others
Establishing friendships is very important, although they may lack skills to do so
Emergence of a sense of humor--telling jokes
Less dependent on adults and more dependent on peers
Begins to question authority and test limits
Often overestimate abilities; “they bite off more than can chew”
Interested in rules and rituals
Generally girls tend to play more with girls; boys with boys
May have a best friend
Strong desire to perform well, do things right
Find criticism and failure difficult to handle
View things as right or wrong, wonderful or terrible, with little middle ground
Need a sense of security in groups, organized play and clubs; friendship groups may be larger
Generally enjoy caring for and playing with younger children
Concrete Operations Stage of Thinking is solidifying for most children. They can reason logically about actual objects and organize thoughts coherently. They cannot handle abstract reasoning very well unless it relates to real experiences.
Learn best through active, concrete experiences, but are learning to see books as sources of information; reading may become a major interest
Developing a longer attention span
Enjoy collecting, organizing, and classifying objects and information
Imaginative play in the form of skits, plays, and puppet shows
Likes groups and group activities
May reverse printed letter (b/d) (until mid-third grade)
Enjoy planning and building
Speaking and listening vocabularies are expanding rapidly; talkative
Increased problem-solving ability
Interested in magic and tricks
Learning to plan ahead and evaluate what they do
When something is suggested, they may say, “That’s dumb”or “I don’t want to do that.”
Beginning to see and understand the perspectives of others.
Listen well, but they are so full of ideas that they cannot always recall what has been said
Like to explain ideas--may exaggerate
Engrossed in activity at hand; love to socialize at the same time
Industrious; often work quickly
Basic skills begin to be mastered; begin to feel a sense of competence with skills
Reference: "GCISD - Curriculum Guides and Developmental Characteristics." 2002. Grapevine-Colleyville ISD. 7 Dec. 2007 .