• Developmental Characteristics of 5th Graders

    Every child’s development is unique. Although children develop through a generally predictable sequence of milestones, we cannot say exactly when a child will reach each and every stage. Every child has his or her own timetable. The characteristics below are offered only as a reference to give you a better understanding of your child. Feel free to contact your pediatrician and/or myself if you have any questions.

    The Ten-Year-Old

    Physical Development

    • Girls are generally ahead of boys in physical maturity; onset of puberty for some girls
    • Increase body strength and hand dexterity
    • Large muscle development is advanced
    • Handwriting often sloppier than at nine
    • Have improved coordination and reaction time
    • Desperately need outdoor time and physical challenge
    • Complaints like stomach aches, headaches, leg pain, etc. usually less than at nine
    • Snacks and rest periods helpful for growing bodies
    • Appetite fluctuates but is generally good

    Social and Emotional Development

    • Fairness issues peak and can be solved
    • Like clubs, activities, sports
    • Humor is broad, labored, and usually not funny to adults
    • May discuss contemporaries in terms of capabilities; his reading or his math
    • Usually direct, matter fact, clear-cut
    • Generally easygoing, content, friendly, and balanced
    • Usually less anxious, exacting, and demanding than at nine
    • Talkative; likes to tell stories about something they have seen, heard, or read about; can talk something  “into the ground”
    • May belittle or defy adult authority, but are closer to their families then at many other levels
    • Enjoy both family and peers
    • Developing more mature sense of right and wrong, good at solving social issues
    • Often interested in caring for animals, boys and girls may be interested in horses, but girls are especially interested
    • Shrug off responsibility; can usually toss off criticisms and bad grades
    • Likes and dislikes are described in very specific terms
    • Note passing, sometimes about the opposite sex

    Intellectual Development

    • Can be voracious readers
    • Expressive, talkative, like to explain
    • Cooperative, competitive and inquisitive
    • Classification and collections of interest; like to organize
    • Able to concentrate, read for extended periods
    • Good problem solvers
    • Like to complete a task but doesn’t usually wish to enlarge or elaborate on it;  wish to try 
      everything
    • Interest span is short
    • Have a stricter ethical sense than most other ages
    • Very concerned about fairness
    • Generally love to memorize, but don’t generalize or correlate facts, or care what to do with 
      the knowledge
    • Often enjoy “place” geography--names of states, capitals, but vague about actual geographic 
      characteristics
    • Not able to plan own work, need schedules
    • Better able to see the perspectives of others
    • Most interested in concrete learning experiences and learning of specifics
    • Like to talk and listen more than work

    The Eleven -Year-Old

    Physical Development

    • Vast appetite for food, physical activity, and talking
    • Growth spurt of early adolescence for some girls, may feel awkward and clumsy
    • Girls ahead of guys in physical maturity; boys’ big growth spurt may not start until 14; Boys worry if they are ever going to grow
    • Wide differences among individuals in rate of development
    • Curious about opposite sex; girls usually interested first
    • Tiredness; need for more sleep
    • Often uncomfortable with questions and observations about how much they have grown and physical changes
    • Increased need for personal hygiene

    Social and Emotional Development

    • Less overt affection and attention shown to parents, with occasional rudeness; tests limits
    • Impulsive, unaware
    • Focus on self, alternating between high expectations and poor self-concept
    • Have tendency to return to childish behavior, particularly when stressed
    • Experience extremes of emotions
    • Inclusive/exclusion; height of cliques, seek to belong, discovery of telephone
    • Experimenting with behavior, roles, appearance, self-image
    • Difficulty with decisions but need to be able to make some choices for themselves
    • Demand privileges, but may avoid responsibilities
    • Feel unique; believe that no one else has ever felt the way they do; suffered so much, or been so misunderstood

    Intellectual Development

    • Mostly interested in present, limited thoughts of the future
    • Intellectual interests expand
    • Increased ability to de-center and see world from various perspectives
    • Development of ideals and selectin of role models
    • May experiment with dangerous risk-taking behaviors
    • Even if students can make abstractions, they learn best when activities are active, hands-on, and related to personal experiences
    • Concerned with rules, standards of behavior and fairness, especially for themselves
    • Do not distinguish between what they are thinking and what others may be thinking;  assume that every other person is as concerned with their behavior and appearance as they are better at planning than carrying out the plan

    Reference: "GCISD - Curriculum Guides and Developmental Characteristics." 2002. Grapevine-Colleyville ISD. 7 Dec. 2007 .