As your child begins their primary school years, you will begin to notice an increasing range of physical appearances among her school friends. Differences in genetics and lifestyle will begin to become more apparent.
By the age of 8, a small number of children will enter early puberty which will bring about further changes. Traits like height, weight, and build will make it more difficult to identify a “typical” school-age child.
How much do they grow?
Kids continue to grow during their school years at about the same rate as they did in the pre-school years. They will add two to three inches in height each year and approximately three to seven pounds a year. This growth will continue at a constant rate until just before puberty.
How they shape up
As your child’s legs grow longer, your child will take on a taller, slimmer look. Any chubbiness that lingers in the middle is redistributed so that the abdomen is flat, unless there’s belly fat caused by lifestyle issues or genetics. Muscle mass will build resulting in a stronger, leaner physique.
Meanwhile changes in the brain, along with this new shape, allow a school-age child to improve balance and muscle coordination. He gains near-adult levels of control in both large and fine motor skills.
As baby teeth are replaced by permanent teeth, your child’s face will also change. The jaw line will become slightly larger and more defined to accommodate the new teeth. The face will also look longer and leaner.
In some children, hair colour will also change. This is most typically seen when light hair darkens. Your child’s hair texture may also change, for example curls may turn to waves.
What’s going on inside
Around the age of seven or eight, girls will begin to show the first outward signs of puberty, the development of breast buds and body hair. It is increasingly common for doctors to see signs of puberty before the age of seven in girls.
Most boys don’t show visible puberty changes until ages nine to fourteen, or about an average of two years after girls.
