Early Elementary (ages 5-7) – Cultivating Communities for Change

Early Elementary

5–7 years of age

Children in the K-3rd grade age range are walking into a major culture shock: full school days, recess in the big yard, and no more nap time. As more of their time is spent outside of the home and in the classroom, their understanding of themselves, the world around them, and how they can traverse it grows more and more robust by the day.

Milestones

Developmental Milestones

The following milestones, including cognitive, social/emotional, and physical domains, are markers of a child’s development from infancy on into adolescence. They are used to help determine if a child is undergoing typical development and/or if support may be helpful for them.

Milestones

What is happening cognitively?

During grades K through 3, childrens’ concepts of real and imaginary begin to distinguish themselves as they begin to get a handle of new ideas. Language acquisition acquires very rapidly as a child’s memory and attention span both improve, leading children to read, write, and speak. Children are able to express their opinions, voice their decisions, and may even begin to argue their point of view, though their still-evolving understanding of higher concepts might mean that their ideas are sometimes too complex for their current words. Still, children begin to grasp higher level ideas such as time, money, math, and fairness. They are able to follow instructions, organize their own play, and even act when they believe other children are breaking the established rules.

Typically at this developmental stage children can:

imagine other people’s perspectives
handle peer conflict with peers without getting into physical fight
self-regulate their emotions
“shift gears” when plans have to change due to unforeseen circumstances
do things by themselves
express more and stronger emotions

make impulsive decisions
be curious about gender, sexuality, babies and where they come from
sometimes joke about toileting, body functions and body parts
talk about having boyfriends or girlfriends and kissing or holding hands with another child of a similar age
read books on their own and sound out unfamiliar words
grasp several aspects of a problem simultaneously

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Milestones

What is happening socially and emotionally?

During grades K through 3, a child’s development, their awareness of themselves and those around them begins to blossom. The complexity of their evolving emotions can often grow faster than their words can describe them, causing situations where a child might be unable to express why they feel a certain way, even leading them to make up their own words to capture their emotional state.

As their understanding of themselves grows more nuanced, so too does their understanding of the social norms that influence how they act with adults and other children. Children in this range will exhibit a strong interest in making friends, though the friendships made at this time tend to break as quickly as they’re formed.

Still, children will share, follow rules, and look for praise from their peers and adults in their lives when they have done good. In summary, children at this stage are applying their growing understanding of themselves to their social roles, and while they may sometimes do so clumsily due to their newness to it all, children are more than able to express themselves and make themselves known.

Typically, children at this developmental stage may begin to:

make up feelings (e.g.,: nervous + excited =nervouxited)
understand that they can feel different emotions at the same time
demonstrate feelings that are out of proportion to the situation
internalize the emotions of others around them
develop empathy for others
try out new boundaries (e.g., they may resist being hugged, especially in front of peers)

seek praise for their accomplishments
lead imaginative play, such as assigning everyone roles in a game of House, trying out different roles or even gender identities
understand fairness and try to correct things they find wrong
understand what behavior is considered “normal” and begin to rigidly enforce these norms within their social groups
express new somatic experiences as they increase their awareness of their body
increase present moment awareness

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Milestones

What is happening physically?

During grades K through 3, children quickly become able to coordinate their bodies to achieve increasingly impressive feats. Growth-wise, they’ll begin losing baby teeth at this age, grow more in height and weight, and struggle with managing their energy levels as they adjust to the new schedule imposed by their school days. In a show of independence, children will master many skills essential to taking care of themselves. With their vested interest in social and team-based play, children become able to catch and throw balls, move and tumble in creative ways, and can even learn to swim or bike independently. They’ll also begin to express themselves and their understanding of the world around them with words and pictures, growing able to neatly print words and create drawings with a more realistic size and scale.

Typically at this developmental stage children:

master several fine motor skills but have variable strength and stamina
begin to lose their baby teeth, starting with their front incisors
grow considerably fast at a rate of 2.5 in (6 cm) a year in height and 7 lbs (3 kg) in weight
show an increased appetite during the day as they adjust to longer school schedules
become more tired as they adjust no longer having frequent nap times
can jump using both feet, skip as they walk, walk backwards, balance on raised surfaces such as curbs

tend to struggle to sit still, even when not bored
are able to use buttons, zippers, belts, and other small facets of clothes
draw recognizable objects with more realistic dimensions
are able to use small tools such as a screwdriver, hairbrush, or knife for food
write their name neatly and within the lines
can independently perform self-care tasks

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Mind the Signs

At this stage in a child’s development, their concept of the world around them is still beginning to form; as a result, their worries tend to blend fantastical ideas with their evolving understanding of difficulties rooted in the real world. They also tend to overestimate the likelihood of certain events and may stress over things they see happen on TV or in movies. Even if we around them are able to cut clean lines between our imaginations and realities, for children, these fears are equally valid from their perspective. Therefore, it’s very important to treat both their grounded and more imaginative fears with the same amount of compassion and patience as they work to make these distinctions for themselves. Children may be able to directly voice these worries, but they can sometimes manifest in subtler ways, such as recurring nightmares or changes in their habits they may believe can prevent these worries from coming true.

While these behaviors are common and typical for children at this age, should the child’s anxieties become intrusive to the point where the child’s behavior drastically changes or interferes with their daily life, it may be beneficial to discuss these fears with a medical or mental health professional. The following lists describe some typical fears your child may experience at this stage of development, as well as some potential warning signs that may warrant following with a professional.

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Typical or Expected Worries:

Monsters or ghosts in the closet/under the bed
Bad dreams
Making friends and fitting in at school
Someone breaking into their house
Family member getting sick
Caregivers being upset by poor grades
Caregivers arguing
Loud noises (e.g., storms, fireworks)
Spiders
Needles; going to the doctor or dentist
Whether bad things happening are child’s fault

Warning Signs:

Change in mood or personality, such as increased aggression or being more quiet than usual
Spending an unusual amount of time alone
Overly compliant behavior
Nightmares or fear of being alone at night
Regressive behaviors such as bed-wetting or soiling after being toilet trained, acting or wanting to be treated like a baby/younger child again
Unusual or new fears, sometimes around touch, being alone, being with a particular person or in a particular place
Trying to avoid removing clothing to change or bathe
Sexual behavior that is inappropriate for the child’s age
Sexual themes in artwork, stories, play etc.
Asking vague questions or making vague statements about topics such as secrets, unusual ‘games’, or adult behaviors
Increase in vague symptoms of illness such as headache or tummy ache
Eating, sleeping or hygiene changes
Self-harming behaviors
Consistent/routine zoning out or difficulty concentrating