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seven to eight
Your seven year old loves to share their
knowledge with you! They are curious about
their world and ask more complex questions.
Their problem solving skills show sophistication
and, at times, will surprise you!
Although they ask more complex questions
and express their ideas more openly, they can
become frustrated, don't like making mistakes,
being corrected or criticized. Give them
praise when they think outside of the box and
express their opinions! Encourage them to ask
questions and develop problem solving skills.
Their increased reading skills open up a whole
new world to them! At this age, their self
awareness and body image reach new levels.
They often take physical activities such as
swimming, dancing and skating more seriously .
They master body movements and have an
increased level of eye hand coordination. All
of these skills go hand in hand with challenging
themselves in areas that they love, from skating
to karate to playing the piano. This is a great
time to support their interests by getting them
involved in what they like most.
With their expanding personal awareness, they
will begin to talk more about "what they want to
be" and begin to have"idols". They are able to
critique things that they like and don't like about
people and become more selective in choosing
friends.
They evaluate who they are according to how
they come across to others. They're more willing
to listen to advice, which helps them become less
argumentative! They are able to see another
person's perspective and are more flexible
overall.
social and emotional
Seven year olds' love having and making friends!
They also enjoy imitating them! Their empathy
for others strengthens as well as their ability to
stand up for themselves. This ability to stand
behind who they are enables them to compare
themselves to others. They like to see if other
people are "better" or "different" from them.
They look for the why and how but really don't
like their peers to be better at something!
At this age, they don't hesitate to argue with
their friends if they don't agree! Although
they are increasing their social skills, keep an
eye out for some of the cruel behavior that can
occur. Their sense of inner justice can get a bit
out of control!
They will develop a "best friend" at this age and
will become more skilled negotiators to sustain
that friendship. They may call a few children
"best friends" but this will narrow down by the
time that they are eight years old.
"Belonging" becomes important to them.
Calling friends on the phone and emailing are a
way they like to stay connected.
If they aren't already involved in scouts or sports
teams, it's a good time to help them increase
their social group in a more structured way.
Their ability to understand the feelings and
perspectives of others increases and helps
them take more initiative socially. Children's
actual skill levels will vary greatly depending
on the amount of physical activity they get!
Children who are sedentary will not mature
as quickly as those who are more involved in
dance, sporting activities or even playing in
the backyard! The more interaction with peers,
the more the social skills will develop.
Second Grade
Social Changes
Second graders begin to feel more
confident about being in school.
With a few years of school under
their belt, they know what to expect!
Not everyone is their best friend as
they were in first grade! Their
increased ability to recognize
differences in others makes them
more selective about who they want
to spend their time with!
This is the year when they begin to
become more easily influenced by
people who are outside of their
family.
Rules and the consequences of
breaking them become more
apparent. Hopefully your child's
teacher will be consistent and
enforce consequences. It's
important for you to do the same!
It's also a good time to take
advantage of this age of "rule
clarity" and realize of the advantage
of your child learning the importance
of following the rules and doing the
right thing! The more they are aware
of rules and consequences and know
that you mean what you say, the
better! Waiting until they are older
and expecting them to listen will
become much bigger problems for
everyone!
If you've been sitting with them
while they do their homework,
now is the time to wean yourself
a bit! Your seven year old needs
to begin to develop more
independence in that area and
begin to become self-directed.
These skills are expected by the
time they are in third grade so it's
a good idea to help them with this.
Enjoy this year of growth in so many
areas! Yes, much of the
innocence of the earlier years is
gone, but there is so much
wonderment at this age that it feels
almost magical!
