Your child is no longer a baby! The beginning of school reminds parents that their child is growing up.
Children between the ages of 6 and 12 grow and mature at very different rates. It's hard to say what "normal" is. There can be big differences in height, weight and build among healthy children. Diet, exercise and genes are all factors. Some children begin puberty or are close to it before they are teenagers.
Children start to become more independent from their parents. They may rebel. They also look outward – to their friends, who are usually of the same sex. Peer approval becomes very important. Your child may try new behaviors to be part of "the group." This can also be the time that parents or teachers recognize learning disabilities or behavioral problems in children. These problems can get worse as time goes on, so it is important to get help early.
- Middle Childhood (6-8 Years Old)(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/child/middlechildhood.htm
- Middle Childhood (9-11 Years Old)(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/child/middlechildhood9-11.htm
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Your Child's Growth(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/growing/childs_growth.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/parent/en_espanol/crecimiento/childs_growth_esp.html
- Child Development(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/child/
- Growth & Development(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/
- Mom's Prenatal Stress Tied to Child's Brain Power(09/19/2008, Reuters Health) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_69465.html
- Smoking During Pregnancy Shows Mixed Effects(09/12/2008, Reuters Health) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_69202.html
- Poor Coordination in Childhood Tied to Adult Obesity(08/13/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_68122.html
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Reading, Math Scores Up for 4th and 8th Graders
(07/11/2008, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) - http://www.nih.gov/news/health/jul2008/nichd-11.htm
- More News on Child Development http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/alphanews_c.html#childdevelopment
- Developmental Screening(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/actearly/screening.html
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Child Becomes a Reader: Kindergarten to Grade 3(National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) - Large PDF file - http://www.nifl.gov/partnershipforreading/publications/pdf/low_res_child_reader_K-3.pdf
- Emotions & Behavior(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/index.html
- How Can I Better Understand My Child's Temperament?(American Academy of Pediatrics) - http://www.aap.org/publiced/BK5_Temperament.htm
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Precocious Puberty(National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) - http://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/precocious_puberty.cfm
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Puberty(National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) - http://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/Puberty.cfm
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Puberty: What to Expect When Your Child Goes through Puberty(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/children/parents/parents-teens/445.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/children/parents/parents-teens/445.printerview.html
- Social Development(Academic Pediatric Association) - http://www.ambpeds.org/site/education/education_handouts_soc_dev.htm
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Your Child's Growth(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/growing/childs_growth.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/parent/en_espanol/crecimiento/childs_growth_esp.html
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Children and Sports(American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry) - http://www.aacap.org/page.ww?name=Children+And+Sports§ion=Facts+for+Families
Also available in Spanish http://www.aacap.org/page.ww?section=Informacion+para+la+Familia&name=Los+Ninos+y+los+Deportes+No.+61
- Chores and Allowance(American Academy of Pediatrics) - http://www.aap.org/publiced/BK5_Chores.htm
- Help Your Child to Better Handwriting(American Occupational Therapy Association) - http://www.aota.org/Consumers/Tips/Youth/Handwriting/35181.aspx
- How Can We Help Our Children Choose the Right Friends?(American Academy of Pediatrics) - http://www.aap.org/publiced/BK5_Friends.htm
- School Readiness(American Academy of Pediatrics) - http://www.medem.com/medlb/article_detaillb.cfm?article_ID=ZZZCGW8JH4C&sub_cat=18
- Self-Esteem Concerns for Girls and Boys(American Academy of Pediatrics) - http://www.medem.com/medlb/article_detaillb.cfm?article_ID=ZZZB0VXV8FC&sub_cat=105
- Shyness(American Academy of Pediatrics) - http://www.aap.org/publiced/BK5_Shy.htm
- Starting School(American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry) - http://www.aacap.org/page.ww?name=Starting+School§ion=Facts+for+Families
- Understanding Children's Atypical Gender Behavior(American Psychological Association) - http://www.apa.org/monitor/sep03/children.html
- Growth Charts(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/growth/growth_charts.html
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Child Development(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Child+Development%22
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Puberty(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=puberty
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Black Carbon Air Pollution May Lower IQ(National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences) - http://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/supported/sep/2008/loweriq.cfm
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National Reading Panel(National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) - http://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/national_reading_panel.cfm
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Morphometric spatial patterns differentiating boys with fragile X syndrome, typically... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18762595&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Ciclesonide noninferiority to placebo on growth velocity. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18762541&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Understanding the behavioral and emotional consequences of child abuse. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18762538&tool=MedlinePlus
- Child Development -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=(child+psychology[majr]+OR+child+development[majr]+OR+child+behavior[majr:noexp]+OR+personality+development[majr])+AND+child[mh]+AND+english[la]+AND+(patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text]+OR+jsubsetaim[text])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- American Board of Pediatrics: Verification of Certification Search(American Board of Pediatrics) - https://www.abp.org/NewVerification/faces/VerificationSearch.jsp
- American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry - http://www.aacap.org/
- American Academy of Pediatrics - http://www.aap.org/
- KidsHealth(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/index_noflash.html
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National Institute of Child Health and Human Development - http://www.nichd.nih.gov/
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Dealing with Peer Pressure(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/kid/feeling/emotion/peer_pressure.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/kid/en_espanol/sentimientos/peer_pressure_esp.html
- Growing Up(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/kid/grow/
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Shyness(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/kid/feeling/thought/shy.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/kid/en_espanol/sentimientos/shy_esp.html
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Story on Self-Esteem(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/kid/feeling/emotion/self_esteem.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/kid/en_espanol/sentimientos/self_esteem_esp.html
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Boys and Puberty(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/kid/grow/boy/boys_puberty.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/kid/en_espanol/cuerpo/boys_puberty_esp.html
- Child Behavior Disorders - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/childbehaviordisorders.html
- Developmental Disabilities - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/developmentaldisabilities.html
- Growth Disorders - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/growthdisorders.html
- Infant and Toddler Development - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/infantandtoddlerdevelopment.html
- Teen Development - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/teendevelopment.html
- Children and Teenagers - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/childrenandteenagers.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Child Development is the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development - http://www.nichd.nih.gov/