What to expect from your 6-10 year old

Milestones

• Ways your child is developing between 6 and 10 years of age.
• Your child should continue to loose baby teeth and get permanent teeth.
• Some girls’ breasts will begin to grow between 8 and 10 years of age. Talk with her about her growing body as this starts to happen.
• Eight year olds can make their own bed, set the table and bathe themselves.
• You help your child learn new skills by talking and playing with them. Make a game of practicing hand signals or saying “No” when a stranger offers them a ride.

Parenting Tips

• Most children learn by watching and then doing. Show and tell them how to do a job. Then have them do it while you watch. Tell them what they did right first, and then what they need to do differently.
• Touching, hugging, and kissing your child tells them you care. This is important even though your child may not want you to do it when their friends are around.
• Talk about why children should not use drugs and alcohol. Set a good example for your child.
• Teach your child what they can and cannot do when they are angry.

Safety Tips

• Practice safe walking and bike riding. Have your child teach you how to watch for cars and cross with the light.
• Make sure that everyone who rides with you buckles up. Help your child know how to ask to use a seat belt or booster when he/she rides with other drivers.
• Have family safety practices in your house: test the smoke alarm and change the batteries when needed; have fire drills and practice escape routes and crawling under the smoke.
• Keep guns and rifles unloaded and locked up. Teach your child to never play with real guns.
• Make sure your child wears a helmet when using bikes, skates, inline skates, scooters, and skateboards.