Key milestones act as checkpoints in a child’s development to determine
what the average child is able to do at a particular age
Key Milestones
Falling Tooth
Set Limit on Video Games
Consult your Doctor on Puberty
Encourage Physical Activity
Desire More Privacy
Look Out for School Refusal or being Bullied
More Milestones
- Slowly budding into more mature children, making it an interesting year for both them and their parents.
- Reading skills become more sophisticated. Kids are reading more for content than to learn how to do it.
- Children in early school years can show fast growth in mental ability.
- More balanced in coping with frustration, failure, and disappointment.
- They see that some words have more than one meaning. That helps them understand jokes and puns and start verbally expressing a sense of humour.
- Can count backwards.
- Know the date.
- Know days of the week and months, in order.
- Understand fractions.
- Most 8-year-old children can completely dress and groom themselves.
- They’re getting more coordinated physically — jumping, skipping, chasing.
- Baby teeth will still be falling out to make room for permanent teeth that are coming in.
- Kids in this age group generally grow about 2.5 inches and 4 to 7 pounds a year.
- Children in early school years complain more about tummy aches, leg pains and such. That might be because they’re becoming more aware of their bodies, still do get expert opinion do not ignore.
- Resist the urge to compare your child to others or to some “standard” you’ve heard about.
- Talk about early puberty to your Docter.
- Avoid making your kid eat more to reach what’s considered a “standard” weight.
- Peer acceptance becomes more important to your child.
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- children start to relax about the opposite sex. Boys and girls might mix more easily during playtime, though might not like talking about it.
- Lying, cheating, and stealing are to be expected somewhat in early school years. Kids are figuring out where they fit and what’s acceptable.
- By age 8, kids have become more independent and maybe disobedient, trying new things.
- Set time limits on video games, computer use, and TV. Keep screens out of kids’ bedrooms. Also, make sure screen time doesn’t cut into physical play, enough sleep, and family communication time.
- Consider parental controls on computers and TV. That way they’re not seeing content they’re not ready for.
- Don’t be afraid to talk to your kids about tough topics like peer pressure, violence, drug use, and sexuality. Find age-appropriate ways to answer questions without adding to confusion or fear.
- Relationships with family members help them establish a clear self-identity. It’s also the beginning of desiring privacy and flip-flopping between self-confidence and self-doubt.
Red Flag
Know when to meet your doctor
Watch out for these Redflags |
Children usually follow the same pattern of development and it is good to have reassurance that your child is developing normally in their own unique way. Talk to a doctor or a child health nurse if you have concerns regarding child development.
Watch out for these red flags and talk to your doctor to be reassured that your child is developing in their own unique way
- If your child seems to be behind physically, emotionally, socially, or cognitively, talk to your pediatrician.
- Bedwetting is more common in boys and deep sleepers, and in most cases it ends on its own. But talk to your doctor if it continues to be a problem.
- Docter’s visit to get heart and lungs checked , examining teeth for cavities, and watching your child walk. Because some children start to show signs of puberty as early as age 7, your pediatrician will check pubertal development. A parent or caregiver should be present during this exam.
- Update immunizations.Immunizations can protect kids from serious childhood illnesses, so it's important that your child get them on time.