SCHOOL-AGE DEVELOPMENT

During the school years, children gain independence and competence quickly. Friends become
more important and influential. A child’s self-confidence will be affected by the academic and
social challenges presented in the school environment.

As kids mature, the parenting challenge is to find a balance between keeping them safe,
enforcing rules, maintaining family connections, allowing them to make some decisions, and
encouraging them to accept increasing responsibility.

Despite their rapid growth and development, they still need parents and caregivers to set limits
and encourage healthy habits.

Here are some things you can do to ensure that your child continues to be healthy:

 Make sure they get enough sleep.

 Provide opportunities for regular exercise and individual or team sports.

 Create quiet, positive spaces for reading and studying at home.

 Limit screen time and monitor online activities carefully.

 Build and maintain positive family traditions.

 Talk to your children about consent and setting boundaries with their bodies.

Development table: School-age

6-8 years 9-11 years 12-14 years 15-17 years

Cognitive Can complete Can use Develops views Internalize

instructions common and opinions work and study
with 3 or devices, that may differ habits
more steps including from parents’
phones, tablets, ideas Can explain
Can count and game their positions
backward stations Grows and choices
awareness that
 parents aren’t
always correct

Can understand
Writes stories
figurative
Knows left and letters
language Continues to
and right
differentiate
Maintains
Ability to think from parents
Tells time longer
logically is
attention span
improving, but
prefrontal
cortex is not yet
mature

Cooperates
and plays with
Increased
others
interest in
May have a
May become dating and
May play with best friend
more sexuality
kids of
independent
different Can see from
from parents Spends more
genders another
Social and time with
person’s
emotional Displays friends than
Mimics adult perspective
moodiness family
behaviors
Experiences
Increased need Growth in
Feels jealousy more peer
for some privacy ability to
pressure
empathize with
May be
others
modest about
bodies

Language Can read Listens for Can use speech Can speak,
books at specific reasons that isn’t literal read, listen,
grade level (like pleasure and write
or learning) Can use tone of fluently and
Understands voice to easily
speech and Forms opinions communicate
speaks well based on intentions; i.e. Can have
what’s heard sarcasm complex
conversations
Can take brief Can speak
notes differently in
different
Follows written groups
instructions
 Draws logical
Can write
inferences
persuasively
based on
reading
Can
understand
Can write about
proverbs,
a stated main
figurative
idea
language, and
analogies
Can plan and
give a speech

Can jump
rope or ride a
bike Many females
will have started
May experience
Can draw or periods
signs of early
paint
puberty like
Secondary sex
breast
Can brush characteristics
development Continues to
teeth, comb like armpit hair
and facial hair mature
Movement/Physical hair, and and voice
growth physically,
complete changes
especially boys
basic continue
Increased skill
grooming
levels in sports
tasks Height or weight
and physical
may change
activities
Can practice quickly and then
physical skills slow down
to get better
at them

Babies, toddlers, and school-age children develop new skills and abilities in a steady progression
as they get older. Every child develops at an individual pace.

Using developmental milestone checklists may be helpful for parents and caregivers who want
to be sure that a child is growing in healthy ways. But it’s also important to keep all well child
appointments, as development is screened at each of these.

Medically reviewed by Karen Gill, M.D. — Written by Rebecca Joy Stanborough, MFA on

December 9, 2019