The Growing Child: School-Age (6 to 12 Years) (2024)

FAQs

The Growing Child: School-Age (6 to 12 Years)? ›

As kids grow from grade-schoolers to preteens, you can expect many changes from their physical appearances to their favorite activities. Children between 6 and 12 years old will begin valuing friendships and become more involved in activities like sports and/or painting.

School age child development is a range from 6 to 12 years of age. During this time period observable differences in height, weight, and build of children may be prominent. The language skills of children continue to grow and many behavior changes occur as they try to find their place among their peers.

Children between the ages of 6 and 12 are in the age period commonly referred to as middle childhood. As an age group, 6- to 12-year-olds are less obviously set apart than infants, adolescents, and even preschool children are in most Western societies.

Middle Childhood (Ages 6-12) A child's developmental path in their middle childhood years (between 6 and 12 years of age) contributes substantially to the adolescent, and adult they will become. Middle childhood is a stage where children move into expanding roles and environments.

In 1936, for example, Swiss developmental psychologist Jean Piaget worked out a theory that describes four main stages of child development: Birth through 18 – 24 months, a “preoperational” that includes toddlerhood and early childhood through the age of 7, a “concrete operational” stage from ages 7 – 12, and ...

Between the ages of 6 and 11, your child will likely gain an average of six to seven pounds each year, grow a little more than two inches each year, and increase in head size by about one inch.

Cognitive development means the development of the ability to think and reason. Children ages 6 to 12, usually think in concrete ways (concrete operations). This can include things like how to combine, separate, order, and transform objects and actions.

As kids progress in school, their comprehension and use of language will become more sophisticated. Usually, kids will understand more vocabulary words and concepts than they can express. Your child should be able to engage in narrative discourse and share ideas and opinions in clear speech.

Children in middle childhood (ages 6-11) continue to grow in their mental abilities, physical abilities, use of language, self-control, friendships, and social skills. They are usually able to think logically and know the difference between fantasy and reality.

What should 6 year olds know? ›

6 year olds – May ride a bike, may start to see some words have more than one meaning, giggles about toilet talk, understands concept of time, testing limits around behaviour, may start to fear death. Children develop at different rates and what one child finds easy, another may find hard.

This is a time of many physical, mental, emotional, and social changes. Hormones change as puberty begins. Most boys grow facial and pubic hair and their voices deepen. Most girls grow pubic hair and breasts, and start their period.

At this age, children can express feelings, although they might need help and time to identify and talk about tricky emotions like frustration or jealousy. They often have much better control over feelings too and might have fewer unexpected outbursts of anger and sadness.

Children between ages 6 and 10 make major gains in muscle strength and coordination. Most children within this age range develop basic motor skills, such as kicking, catching, and throwing. Over time, children become more skilled at more complex activities, such as dancing, shooting a basketball, or playing the piano.

Good emotional health helps children to develop socially and learn new skills. In addition, having good friends and receiving reassurance and positive encouragement from adults help children develop self-confidence, high self-esteem, and a healthy emotional outlook on life.

Middle childhood brings many changes in a child's life. By this time, children can dress themselves, catch a ball more easily using only their hands, and tie their shoes. Having independence from family becomes more important now.

In young adolescence, 12- to 14-year-olds are in the young teenager stage of development. At this age and developmental stage, young teenagers' bodies undergo a lot of changes, including menstruation, painful growth spurts, and an increase in body hair.

Middle childhood, from six to 12 years of age, is often known as the 'forgotten years' of development because most research is focused on early childhood development or adolescent growth. However, middle childhood is rich in potential for cognitive, social, emotional and physical advancements.

Infancy (neonate and up to one year age) Toddler ( one to five years of age) Childhood (three to eleven years old) - early childhood is from three to eight years old, and middle childhood is from nine to eleven years old. Adolescence or teenage (from 12 to 18 years old)