Helping Child Development at 6 to 8 Years

Here are some simple things you can do to help your child’s development at this age:

Build your child’s self-esteem and self-confidence by recognising their strengths. Sometimes children’s self-esteem goes down in the primary school years as they become more self-critical and compare themselves with others.

Let your child see you trying new things and making mistakes. This helps your child understand that learning and improving involve making mistakes, but the key thing is to never give up and to be kind to yourself.

Give your child opportunities to explore and learn, inside and outside. Inside they can experiment with things like cups, thermometers, magnifying glasses and jars for storing things. Outside you could explore your local park or nature reserve together.

Set aside some time for free play. Playing is still very important at this age. Let your child choose how they want to spend free playtime. Your child might want to go outside and throw a ball, jump rope or stay indoors and draw.

Read with your child. Reading is still very important for literacy development. As your child learns to read, try having your child read to you. You can also try literacy activities like telling stories or making your own book.

Encourage your child to be aware of the consequences of behaviour and see things from other people’s points of view. You can do this by asking questions like, ‘How do you think Jane feels when you do that?’

Share ideas and discuss important issues with your child. This helps you connect with your child and shows that you’re interested in their ideas. As your child gets older, allow them to join in family decision-making where appropriate.

Parenting a school-age child

As a parent, you’re always learning. It’s OK to feel confident about what you know. And it’s also OK to admit you don’t know something and ask questions or get help.

When you’re focusing on looking after a child, you might forget or run out of time to look after yourself. But looking after yourself physically, mentally and emotionally helps your child grow and thrive.

Sometimes you might feel frustrated, upset or overwhelmed. It’s OK to take some time out until you feel calmer. Put your child in a safe place, or ask someone else to look after your child for a while. Try going to another room to breathe deeply or call a family member or friend to talk things through.

Never shake, hit or verbally abuse a child. You risk harming your child, even if you don’t mean to

When to be concerned about child development at 6-8 years

See your GP if you have any concerns or notice that your child has any of the following issues at 6-8 years.

Communication and understanding

• Has a stutter or lisp when talking
• Has difficulty following instructions.

Behaviour and play

• Finds it hard to make friends
• Can’t skip, hop or jump
• Has trouble sitting still for a long time
• Is aggressive with other children
• Seems to be afraid of going to school, or refuses to go to school.

Everyday skills

• Can’t get dressed or undressed independently
• Experiences daytime wetting or soiling
• Still has regular night-time wetting at 8 years.

You should see a child health professional if at any age your child experiences a noticeable and consistent loss of skills.