Suggested Answers to Assignments, Chapter 26, Growth and Development of the

School-Aged Child: 6 to 10 Years

Written Assignments Learning Objective(s)

1. Students’ answers should include the following: 4
Even though family is still a major influence, the school-
aged child has a need to be accepted by groups of peers,
often spends time in activities with children of the same sex,
and enjoys team sports.
2. Students’ answers should include the following: 14
The changes in a school-aged child's understanding of birth,
death, the human body, health, and illness influence the
child's view of his or her own health care. Understanding
these concepts is necessary to plan nursing care for the
school-aged child

Group Assignments Learning Objective(s)

1. Students’ answers should include the following: 1, 2, 4, 5
• According to Erikson, the developmental task of school-

aged children is industry versus inferiority. Success in

activities using motor, cognitive, and social skills is

necessary for the child to develop a sense of competency.

• Physical growth is slow and steady during the school-aged

years. Average annual weight gain is about 5 to 6 lb (2 to

3 kg). The child begins to lose deciduous teeth and the

first permanent teeth appear at about 6 years of age. Bone

growth occurs mostly in the long bones and is gradual. By

 the time the child has reached the age of 10 years, the

spine is straighter, the abdomen flatter, and the body

generally more slender and long-legged.

• During this stage, the child is interested in engaging in

meaningful projects and seeing them through to

completion. Excessive or unrealistic goals defeat the child

and possibly lead to feeling inferior, rather than self-

confident. With positive support, the child develops a

sense of right and wrong, a feeling of self-esteem, and an

ability to care for oneself. Even though family is still a

major influence, the school-aged child has a need to be

accepted by groups of peers, often spends time in

activities with children of the same sex, and enjoys team

sports.

• The school-aged child develops the cognitive skills to

understand conservation of numbers, mass, weight, and

volume. The child can understand decentration, meaning

they can see several aspects of a problem at the same time

and understand the relation of various parts to the whole

situation. Cause-and-effect relations become clear. They

can think in either direction, so they learn to count

forward and backward as well as add and subtract (the

process of reversibility). Thinking also includes

classification, the ability to group objects into a

 hierarchical arrangement (grouping by some common

system).

2. Students’ answers should include the following: 6, 7, 8

• By allowing expression of food likes and dislikes and by

setting good examples, family caregivers can help the

school-aged child develop good nutrition habits to be

followed at home and school for meals as well as snacks.

• Obesity in the school-aged child can be related to genetic,

environmental, or sedentary lifestyle factors. Appropriate

physical activity, limiting fat intake, and positive family

caregiver support can be helpful in decreasing obesity.

3. Students’ projects should include the following: 9, 10, 11, 12, 13

• Possible information to include in developed games:

Exercise and sufficient rest are important. The school-

aged child needs 10 to 12 hours of sleep each night.

• Sex education regarding sexuality, reproduction, and

positive attitudes toward sexuality are important roles that

families and schools often share.

• Substance abuse is an ever-increasing concern in school-

aged children, especially the use of products that can be

inhaled and used as deliriants. Family caregivers must

make every effort to develop strong, loving relationships;

teach family values; set and enforce rules for acceptable

 behavior; learn facts about drugs and alcohol; listen to

what the child is saying; and teach the child about the

unhealthy aspects of tobacco, alcohol, and other

substances. Also, family caregivers need to be alert to

children's use of inhalants, deliriants, alcohol, or tobacco

and to talk with the school-aged child about the abuse of

substances.

• Children may use common inhalant products found in the

home as deliriants.

• Safety issues for the school-aged child include teaching

regarding traffic safety, especially in bicycle riding and

skateboarding, seat belt use, and stranger safety.

Clinical Assignment Learning Objective(s)

1. Students’ answers should include the following: 3, 9
• By allowing expression of food likes and dislikes and by

setting good examples, family caregivers can help the

school-aged child develop good nutrition habits to be

followed at home and school for meals as well as snacks.

• Obesity in the school-aged child can be related to genetic,

environmental, or sedentary lifestyle factors. Appropriate

physical activity, limiting fat intake, and positive family

caregiver support can be helpful in decreasing obesity.

• . Routine inspection, a well-balanced diet with adequate

 calcium and phosphorus, brushing after meals, and eating

foods containing sugar only at mealtimes contribute to

good dental health.

Web Assignment Learning Objective

1. Students’ answers should include the following: 15
• The changes in a school-aged child's understanding of

birth, death, the human body, health, and illness influence

the child's view of his or her own health care.

Understanding these concepts is necessary to plan nursing

care for the school-aged child. The child in the health care

facility needs explanations and privacy.