Milestones for children aged 6, 7, and 8 years old
From ages 0-5 we hear a lot about milestones, but somewhere around school age, people stop talking about them. The responsibility and concern gets handed over to teachers and specialists. This information is not shared as widely with parents.
"I'll miss the playgrounds and the animals and digging up worms."
Time to Pretend by MGMT
🇺🇸 I hope you're having a wonderful week! It's election day in the United States. If you haven't planned who to vote for today, just search your county name and sample ballot to find out what's on deck.
Let's talk milestones...
From ages 0-5 we hear a lot about milestones, but somewhere around school age, people stop talking about them. The responsibility and concern gets handed over to teachers and specialists. This information is not shared as widely with parents.
Here's why: The milestones become more nuanced. Many of them are linked to academics and their personality. For example, how well a child can read and how adventurous they are. It's hard to be specific when their interests, culture, and performance in school is tied in.
My information is coming from my favorite book I read in grad school Yardsticks: Child and Adolescent Development Ages 4 - 14 by Chip Wood. It is written for both teachers and parents. I highly recommend buying it and reading one chapter a year as your child ages.
Here's some highlights:
6 year olds: like increased responsibility, but also tire easily and get sick often; take criticism and losing games very personally- they may lie, change rules of games, or blow issues out of proportion; feel joy very deeply and are just so excited to be here; are learning to write- but their illustrations hold more meaning than their sentences
7 year olds: much more serious than 6 year olds, increased attention to detail- can be perfectionists; capable of creating intricate art, researching interests, and becoming passionate about a hobby; highly aware of right/wrong; suddenly more thoughtful about themselves, even self conscious at times; even though they can read, they still want a parent to read to them sometimes
8 year olds: energetic and excitable; can be forgetful, especially with school assignments and chores; may develop a larger group of friends; interested in writing stories or creating comic books; bounce back from disappointments faster; may begin to care about what their peers think of them (younger children care more about their teacher's opinion)
What's New?
Behind the scenes: I'm working hard on my video being released this weekend: My child HATES reading. If your child is a reluctant reader, this one is for you!
NC School Lotteries: Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools, where I used to teach, have a $2.5 billion dollar bond up included in the local election today (I'll be voting yes!). The biggest question raised by people is why isn't the lottery paying for this?
LOL- if you've been a long time newsletter subscriber, then you already know that the North Carolina state lottery doesn't benefit schools much at all. See the article published by Axios this morning.
Diwali! This weekend (Nov 12) is Diwali. This colorful holiday lends its self to lots of beautiful crafts, stories, and local festivals. This is a very fun one to teach your kiddos about.
Things I Love (contains affiliate links)
🫢 On edge: I just finished reading Local Woman Missing. I could not put it down! It is a thriller with so many twists and turns.
🪑 chairs everywhere: Mike (my husband) and I recently played the game stacking chairs. It's a quiet game that we found relaxing, but thoughtful. It's great for kids. Kind of like a quiet Jenga.
🎄 Cozy time: During the holiday season, I love to wear festive leggings. Kohl's is on board too- they've got these marked down to $6.80! They come in 4 patterns.