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Childhood (4 to 12 years)

Development

Encouraging Nutrition

Health and Sickness

Beginning School

Kindergarten

This is a big transition for your child! Some  children are excited and ready, while other are more timid and scared of the idea. What ever the case, comfort you child and suppot them on this transition. Get as involved in their educations as possible. Some ways to get involved are going to parent-teacher conferences, going to field trips or school events, staying in contact with the teacher, or helping your child at home with their homework. These are not the only ways, but it's a start! 

Develop a schedule with your child. Have set specific times, at the same time, each day for you and your child. This will help you and your child develop a routine and won't be struggling to keep up with everything going on.

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As kids grow older and they will feel more comfortable with transition from grade to grade. Each grade level will bring around a new set of challenges for you and your child, always establish a routine to help make it a smoother operation! 

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If you are a family that moves a lot and are finding yourself switching schools often, consider that this is very difficult on your child.Your child will have to be transitioning from lots of school systems and won't have time to develop close friendships. Also staying in contact about your child with the teacher will help you understand how your child is doing and will help their school performance. 

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As your child starts school, you will notice they will become sicker more often. your child will be in contact with other children for the majority of the time. Keeping your child's wellness up and teaching them to wash their hands can help prevent them from getting sick. 

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Common Illnesses

Things like the cold, flu, strep, ear infections, sinus infections, etc. are going to happen. For these, seek help from your physician, because your child might need to take medications.

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Bumps and Bruises

As your child runs around, they are going to fall and get bruises, bumps, and the occasional scraped knee. These normally do not need medical attention, unless symptoms persist. For a scraped knee (or elbow, arm, etc.), clean the area well and pat dry. To stop bleeding, apply pressure to the wound. Once the bleeding has stopped of slowed down, bandage it with the appropriate bandages.

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4 to 5 years:

Physical:

  • Hops

  • climbs

  • Skips

  • Copies triangle

  • prints some letters

  • Dresses and undresses self

  • cares for own toliet needs

Language:

  • Recalls parts of stories

  • Uses future tense

  • Speaks sentences more than 5 words

  • can count to 10 and can nam colors

  • better understands time

Social:

  • wants to please friends

  • more likely to agree to rules

  • able to distinuish reality vs. fantasty

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5 to 6 years:

Physical:

  • Very active

  • Wants to try new things, but can be reckless

Language:

  • Vocabulary expands

  • Can answer questions for factually

  • May play with rhyme

  • Will argue

  • Asks tons of questions

Social:

  • Imitate adults

  • Wants priivacy

  • Will take turns

 

6 to 8 years:

Physical:

  • Active

  • Beginning to be able to do most things on their own, but still needing assistance

Language: 

  • Vocabulary continues to expland

  • Can use more complicated sentenceas

  • Rapid development in thinking skills

Social:

  • Shows more independence

  • Thinks about their future

8 to 10 years:

Physical:

  • Continue to grow stronger

  • Can do more complex movements

Language: 

  • Can form complex sentences

  • Vocabulary grows

  • Complex thinking, however they still mainly focus on concrete things instead of ideas.

Social:

  • Will develop more friendships

  • Tries to be independent more

  • Self-Esteem is easily influenced

10 to 12 years:

Physical:

  • Their body will start preparing for puberty

Cognitive: 

  • Most kids will enjoy the social aspect of learning more

  • Start using abstract thinking

  • Emotions become stronger

Social: 

  • Peer pressure becomes an issue

  • Will try to be more like friends

Developmental Milestones

When deciding on what your child needs to be eating, consult your physician first for the best information. in general..

For 4 and 5 year olds they should consume about 1,200 and 1,400 calories per day. For 7 through 12 year olds, they should be consuming between 1,300 and 1,950 calories per day. The caloric intake values will differ depending on how active your child is.

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Here are a few tips on how you can encourage a healthy diet for your children:

  • Always offer a variety of healthy options and explore different foods

  • Always eat together as a family when you can and teach table manners

  • Be conscious of what your child is drinking

  • Smaller children need smaller portions

  • Do not turn on the TV during mealtime

  • Set a schedule or a set time to eat each day

  • Lead by example. Eat healthy options and your kid will do the same

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