9 year old

It's time for responsibility and independence

By 9 years of age, your child is no doubt a lot more taller and a tad heavier than their previous year... And their growing independence away from the family is probably a lot more obvious now.

While they still seek a sense of security from you as their parents, they'll be acting much more on their own initiative and choosing their own peers now. Which means, peer pressure at this age can be very influential.

Because of the exposure to peer pressure, it's imperative that parents are aware of and discuss potential hazards with their 9 year olds. You see, children who have healthy self-esteem - which parents can do a LOT to help build and their child's values and responsibilities - are more like to resist influences from other kids their age.

Here's what else you can expect from your 9 year old, and what you can do to help.

Physical Milestones

At 9 years, you'll probably notice that physical growth begins to differ between boys and girls, as the first stirrings of puberty kick in. If you have a girl, you'll find that she'll experience a spurt in height sooner, and so would now be taller and heavier than boys of the same age.

Here's what else you can expect on the physical front:

Girls physically mature ahead of boys

Improved coordination and reaction times

May develop poor posture

Signs of habitual movements: like fingers in hair, slouching, picking at nails etc.

Stomach aches, headaches and leg pains are common

High energy

Inconsistent appetite and sleep patterns

Language Milestones

By now, your child's language and speech will be almost at adult level, and they'll be able to understand and use more complex vocabulary and sentence structures.

Here's what else you can expect to see:

Use language effectively for a variety of purposes

Participate in group discussions

Give accurate directions to others

Organise information for clarity

Can give effective oral presentations

Can explain relationships between meanings of multiple-meaning words

Use of more abstract vocabulary

Gives synonyms and categories in word definitions

Use more figurative language in conversation

Cognitive Milestones

In terms of cognitive development, you may find that your 9 year old is now thinking a lot more independently, able to plan ahead better, think critically and have improved decision-making and organisational skills.

Here's what else they may be doing:

Longer attention span

Intense curiosity about the world around them and how things work

Periods of time engaging in interests

May read in depth

Share thoughts and opinions

Face more academic challenges at school

Begin to see the point of view of others more clearly

Categorise items

Subtraction skills improved

Accomplish increasingly more complex tasks

Emotional and Social Milestones

By 9, children are more emotionally mature and are able to handle their frustrations and deal with conflicts. Independence and relationships outside of the home are hugely important right now, but that doesn't mean they don't need your support.

Here's how your child will be developing emotionally and socially by age 9:

Mood swings are still possible, as well as outbursts of anger

But they're able to copy and recover from these instances better

Self-control is much better

Pressures from peers, school and family

May experience anxiety

Will enjoy being a member of a club

Interest in competitive sports

Learning to take responsibility for their own actions

Self-awareness

Concerned about being right or wrong

Need to be in control fo some choices