School-Age Children
6-12 Years of Age
General Characteristics
• Ages 6-12
• More engrossed in fact than fantasy
• Develop 1st close peer relationships
outside the family group
• Often judged by performance
• Sense of industry and development of
positive self-esteem directly influenced
by peer group
General Characteristics
• Go from just reading and writing to
understanding what is written and read
• Must work toward a delayed reward
• Parents need to be guided to
understand that multiple unsuccessful
experiences can lead to the
development of a fear of trying
General Characteristics
• Erickson: stage of industry
• Freud: sexual latency
• Piaget: concrete operations
General Characteristics
• Self-esteem becomes very important in
the developmental process
• They are evaluated according to their
social contributions
• Feelings about themselves are
important and should be assessed
Physical Growth
• slows until just before puberty
• weight gain is more rapid than
increase in height
• brain has reached
approximately adult size
• muscular coordination
improved
Physical Growth
• loss of primary teeth begins around age
6
• 4 permanent teeth erupt per year
• GI tract more mature
• stomach capacity increases
• caloric needs decrease
Gender Identity
• Sex role development influenced by
parents
• Differential treatment and identification
• in the family
• in society
• Influence of school environment
• aggressive behavior more accepted in
boys than girls
Question
• How might an educator react to a boy
displaying timid behavior and a girl
displaying aggressive behavior in
school?
Sex Education
• Lifelong process
• Accomplished less by talking or formal
instruction than by the whole climate of
the home
• Questions should be answered simply
• Correct names for genitalia should be
used
• private masturbation is normal
Sex Education
• Boys should be prepared for erections and
nocturnal emissions
• Girls should be prepared for menarche and
taught how to use the supplies
• Can be taught in the context of the normal
process and function of the human body
• Facts must be provided
STI’s
• Education on how to prevent STI’s and
HIV/AIDS should be presented in
simple terms
• Factual and concrete information is an
essential component
• Facts concerning harmful effects of
drugs and unprotected sex should be
communicated to the child without
scare tactics
Nursing Tips
• When discussing sexuality with schoolage children, it is necessary to review
slang or street terms
• Most children hear the terms but may
be confused about their meaning
School-Related Tasks
• Children bring what they have learned
and experienced at home to school
• May be unable to verbalize needs
• Success requires an integration of
cognitive, receptive and expressive
skills
School-Related Tasks
School-Related Tasks
• Parents and children should set realistic
goals
• Develop heightened awareness for
things such as attendance problems,
tardiness, and signs of loneliness or
depression
• should continue to encourage children to
discuss problems, feelings, and worries
• Homework is the responsibility of the
child
Play
• Involve increased physical and
intellectual skills and some fantasy
• Culture of the child involves
membership is a group of some type
• Team sports, competition
• Enables the child to feel powerful and in
control
• Mastering new skills helps the child feel
a sense of accomplishment
Play
• Play is essential to growth and
development
• Some elements to assess:
• Motivation and intensity of engagement
• Relation to reality or creativity
• Choosing how to play
• Self-control
• Sharing
• Skills being used
Latchkey Children
• Subject to higher rate of accidents and are at
risk of feeling isolated and alone
• back-up adult should be available to the child
in case of emergencies
The 6 year old
• Energetic and on the go
• Likes to start tasks, but does not always
complete them
• Talks for a purpose rather than for the
sake of talking
• Vocabulary consists of 2500 words
• Requires 11 to 13 hours of sleep per
night
The 6 year old
• Boys and girls play together, but begin to prefer
to associate with children of the same sex
• Needs time and support to help adjust to school
• Parents must observe children for signs of
fatigue and stress
• Increased exposure to infectious diseases
• stress importance of immunizations
The 7 year old
• Sets high standards for themselves
• Good sense of humor
• More modest
• Enjoys being active but also enjoys
periods of rest
The 7 year old
• Know seasons and months
• Understands beginning concept of
math
• Hands are steadier
• Active play still important
• Becoming more independent
The 8 year old
• Wants to do everything
• Can play alone for a longer period of time
• Creative
• Enjoys group activities
• Behaves better for company than for family
• Hero worship evident
The 8 year old
• Arms and hands appear to grow faster
than rest of body
• muscles better developed
• Enjoys competitive sports
• Likes to argue
• Need to teach child how to express
anger in an acceptable manner
The 9 year old
• Dependable
• Shows more interest in family activities
• Assumes more responsibility
• More Likely to complete tasks
• More able to accept criticism for their
actions
• Worries and mild compulsions are
common
The 9 year old
• Hand and eye coordination well developed
• Manual activities are managed with skill
• About 10 hours of sleep are needed each night
• Permanent teeth still erupting
• More active in competitive sports
• Important to teach proper techniques and the
use of adequate safety devices
The 10 year old
• Marks beginning of preadolescence
• Girls more physically mature than boys
• Begins to show self direction
• Wants to be independent
• Group ideas more important than
individual ones
• Sexual curiosity continues
The 10 year old
• Girls more poised than boys
• Slang terms used
• Begins to identify himself or herself
with skills that pertain to the sex role
• Takes more interest in personal
appearance
• Knows abstract numbers
11 and 12 year olds
• Intense, observant, energetic
• May be argumentative and
meddlesome
• Hormone influence on physical growth
more apparent
• Need freedom within limits and
recognition they are no longer infants
11 and 12 year olds
• Less concerned with appearance
• Seem preoccupied
• Ability to concentrate decreases
• Group participation still important
• Interested in their bodies and watch for
signs of growing up
11 and 12 year olds
• Conscience enables them to understand
and accept reasonable discipline
• Will ignore constant verbal nagging
• Chores are good teaching tool for this
age
Health Examinations
• Usually given in spring preceding school admission
• If inattentive at school, should be screened for vision or
hearing deficits and language or learning disabilities
• Assessment of physical activity and school performance
is important
Health Examination
• If ill, can understand simple
explanations of the illness
• Need time and a place to study
• Must learn to take responsibility for
their assignments and school supplies
Pet Ownership
• Pets that have close contact with
children have the potential of
transmitting disease
• Handicapped children especially
benefit from interacting with pets
• Allows the ill child who feels separated
from others to feel companionship
Pets
• Having an allergy to animal dander does not always rule
out having a pet
• Cats have allergens secreted in the saliva and by
sebaceous glands
• Frequent bathing of pet can reduce some of the
allergens
Question
• Why is teaching fitness and exercise in
school important to growth and
development?