8

Common Characteristics of Eight Year Olds

Enthusiastic and imaginative, eight year olds often love big challenges,

but lack the work skills and patience to complete their plans. 

Children this age need adult help to know their limits and work through the steps to their goal. 

Social

Love group activities and cooperative work

Prefer playing with peers of the same gender

Like to talk and explain ideas

Good sense of humor

Adjust well to change; bounce back quickly from mistakes or disappointments

Physical

Full of energy; play hard, work quickly, and tire easily-do better with several short play breaks than one long one.

Eyes able to focus well on objects near and far

May have growth spurt

Limited attention span; short exercise break helps concentration

Better control of eyes and hands allow cursive writing and copying from board

Cognitive

Industrious, impatient, and full of ideas; often take on more than they can handle

Listen well but may not always remember what they have heard

Getting good at handwriting, handcrafts, computers, and drawing

Excited but also nervous about exploring the broader world

May give up when things are hard but soon want to try again

Interested in rules, logic, and fairness

  9

Common Characteristics of Nine -Year -Olds

The enthusiasm of eight often turns into brooding and worrying at nine.

Nines tend to be critical of the world around them-nothing seems fair to a

nine-year old.   But nine can also be a time of budding intellectual curiosity.  

Children this age look hard for explanations of how things work and why things

happen as they do.

Social

Very competitive, yet may form cliques

Complain a lot; criticize self and others (including adults)

Often say "I hate it, I can't do it, or that's boring". 

Like to work with same-gender partner

Can work in groups but with lots of arguing

Enjoy exaggeration, jokes and graffiti

Need adults to be patient and explain clearly

Need adult lightheartedness, humor, and encouragement

to lighten their mood and relieve anxiety

Physical

Coordination is better; boys love to rough-house

Like to push physical limits; get tired easily

Complain about aches, pains and injuries

Restless; cannot sit still for long

May bite nails or twist hair to relieve tension

Cognitive

Worry about world events, parents' health, friends, school, etc.

Work hard and pay attention to detail, but may jump quickly

between interests

Less imaginative than at eight year olds

Want factual explanations; enjoy scientific exploration

Have trouble understanding abstractions such as large numbers,

long periods of time, and vast areas of space

Love language and word play

Begin to see the bigger world, including issues of justice and fairness

Enjoy interesting clubs such as stamp collecting, chess, or rock collecting clubs

10

Common Characteristics of Ten -Year -Olds

Ten-year-olds are generally happy and relaxed, enjoying

themselves and their peers, parents, even siblings.

Proud of all they have accomplished, they like to share their knowledge with others.

Ten usually do well with group project because they tend to be calm and

naturally cooperative.

Social

Good age for clubs, team sports, and whole-class activities

Eager to reach out to others, such as through community service or

Tutoring younger children

Boys and girls work well together

Quick to anger and quick to forgive

Competitive but also cooperative

Listen well but also enjoy talking and explaining

Enjoy adult recognition

Physical

Muscles for jumping, running, and other big movements are

developing quickly

Need lots of outdoor play and physical challenges

Snacks and rest periods help rapidly growing bodies

Better at small muscle movements; enjoy precision tasks

such as tracing and copying

Ready to start using tools such as compasses, rulers, and templates

Cognitive

Very good at memorizing facts

Enjoy collecting, organizing, and classifying

Like rules and logic; open to learning about scientific principles,

governmental structures, and meeting formats

Can concentrate on reading and thinking for long periods

Hardworking; take pride in school work

Enjoy choral reading, poetry, plays and singing

Open to learning mediation or problem-solving skills